Dark Was the Night

A creature is terrorizing the small town of Maiden Woods. Animals are coming up missing, strange footprints and claw marks are everywhere. The town is unnerved and it's up to one stoic sheriff to keep everyone calm.

The movie is more of a drama with a horror story as the occasional distraction. What did that mean? It meant witnessing Sheriff Paul (Kevin Durand) deal with the loss of his son and the painful conversations he would have with his estranged wife--then a blur of a creature. In essence they were able to maintain the mysterious and ominous entity that was upsetting the town because it was almost secondary to Paul and his issues.

One could say it made the movie better and one could say it made it worse. For those looking for a scary drama, they got what they wanted. For those looking for a horror with little to no drama, they were somewhat disappointed. I, for one, was looking for a pure, unadulterated scary movie. The drama detracted from that, but because it was done well and they didn't make it too sappy and over-the-top I was able to satisfyingly watch it.

Yeah, I went to go see the movie because it has a cool sounding title.

Overall, it was a good monster movie about a small town being hunted by a mystical creature the sheriff is discovering is real. The whole layout of the movie of was quite interesting. I like how they explained how the myth became real and why it's never been seen before.

Ironically, one of things I dislike about the flick is the amount of talking done in the film. Sometimes I felt in their effort to use the conceal the monster bit, they manage to conceal the fright of the monster. I was not scared, I did not jump so if at any point that was their content, if failed.

Lead actor, Kevin Durand got to show his acting chops in the movie as a Sheriff grieving over the lost of a son, but this seemed like a large focus in what should have been a sub-plot. it's not as cleaver as when it was done in From Dust till Dawn, which also had two distinguishably different but equal plots. All it really did was take away from the primary goal of the picture. It's good for Durand cause his performance was great but help the picture it did not.

The monster that they did create for this movie was well played out both in story and in visual effects, it does not disappoint at all.

Dark was the night gets some brownie points for the title alone. It was a fun quiet movie that moved slowly towards an awesome built up that pays off, but gets sidetrack when it tries to be more than a monster flick. Worth checking out.

Up until the closing scenes Dark Was the Night is reminiscent of any number of films by director M. Night Shyamalan.

A strong sense of foreboding and tension is established early in this film. The source of the terror that infects a US country town is hinted at and glimpsed but never fully revealed, until the final scenes.

As a result, Dark Was the Night could be described as somewhat slow by some but that was not what I took away from this story. Its well acted, with a solid sub plot and good character development, that moves the story forward.

The ending is somewhat predictable, as is the final twist but that really doesn't detract greatly from what is a worth while watch. Seven out of ten from me.

Although there are no truly new or astonishing things done in this film, it is good to see Kevin Durand in a lead role. He has played all kinds of characters, which are typically antagonists, he is a very talented actor. So, I tip my cap to him in this thriller.

This was a very low key, engrossing horror tale wrapped up in four people's emotions. Kevin Durand's slow paced Sheriff's voice and deliberate actions make you slow down and process more clearly what's happening to this small town. Interesting elements I've seen in Stephen King movies, like all the animals and birds fleeing the area add to the spookiness and general disquiet you feel as the film progresses.

Lukas Haas as deputy Sheriff plays his part well, also as an ex-patriot from NYC. It is a paper thin degree from creepy and well played by all. I would give it an 8.5 if I could, but that dam ending. Why oh why, filmmakers?