Havana Darkness

Upon learning of a mysterious unfinished manuscript from legendary novelist Ernest Hemingway, 3 friends decide to make a trip to Havana, Cuba. However, their investigations eventually lead them to a derelict building within the city, but their intuitive behaviour results in them being trapped in said derelict house where they become part of a deadly game which they have little chance of winning...

Considering the genre and the rather basic way the film plays out in the second half Havana Darkness has a very odd kind of pretentiousness about it which doesn't really sit well within the genre. More than half of the film is spent on one of the protagonists convincing the others of the sinister goings on at said derelict building and in trying to convince them that Ernest Hemingway was on to something with this house. Aside from the stupid idea that a group of protagonists would choose to venture inside a place with such a chequered history one also wonders why all of this filler was necessary to set the story up? I mean why not just have the group stumble across the house accidentally and decide to investigate - perhaps after hearing strange sounds or such like? Yes it still would have been flawed, but you still would have lost 45 minutes of filler and would have got to the meat of the film much quicker.

Ultimately when it does eventually get going it does become a cross between The Collector and Saw, but sadly the quality of this film is closer to the later Saw films more than anything else. The Collector had some problems, but it was intense and nail-bitingly tense (despite having a thin plot). The early Saw films benefitted from strong plots and imaginative traps making them the granddaddy of this kind of genre. By contrast, Havana Darkness shares none of these qualities; there is no tension - despite the killers having weapons they are totally inept and are the sort of people that would fail in their attempts to rob a 90 year old lady. The traps (all 2 of them I think) were not all that clever and the ending was also rather silly leaving the film open to a sequel.

Havana Darkness has no tension, no intensity, no suspense and a weird kind of pretentiousness in the first half that feels completely unconnected to the second half of the picture. If you want to see this sort of thing done right then watch The Collector/The Collection or any of the Saw films (heck only some of the very late Saw films give Havana Darkness a run for its money in terms of crappiness).

These people just never pay attention regardless of the amount of danger they're in. They make it pretty easy for the killer. I couldn't wait for it to end. Worst horror movie ever 🙄

Short and sweet, with no spoilers.

First, yes...this is reminiscent of the Saw movies. But how many original concept horror movies are made any more? Almost everything is borrowed from somewhere.

Second, yes...the first and second parts of the movie are dramatically different, with the initial part being the setup and the following part being the hook. There is nothing wrong with this device, it only makes for a "slow burn," as they say.

Third, for those that call this the worst movie ever made, with terrible acting and no excitement, I can only assume that they did not finish the movie.

I rather enjoyed the entire film. The cinematography is dazzling, as more than half the movie is filmed on location in Havana, and the colors just jump off the screen. I'm certain that since Ivan is Cuban, he wanted to illustrate the beauty and charm of the country. And since he wrote the setup for the purpose of character development and storyline, I took no issue with the slow burn. I actually thought it added to the overall totality of the film.

From a production standpoint, it was a decently done film. What some interpret as bad acting seemed to me like the language barrier of a Latino lead. Several people I've met from other countries speak indentically so it's not a stretch to see this as a common trait among ESL actors either. The cinematography was definitely the high point, as mentioned, but the production, editing, and script were also ok. Nothing prophetic or Oscar worthy, but certainly professional enough to enjoy.

Honestly, it is beyond me why people review films so poorly just because they share similarities with other films. It might take away from "originality points," but at the end of the day, if the production is well done then I don't see an issue with a recycled theme or storyline.

So yes...some of the review comments are indeed true, but don't let that stop you from watching. The production is well done enough that the end result is a very average horror film, shot on professional equipment. Considering the schlock out there, watching an average film is welcomed. Just know that this is not the pinnacle of originality, and you should enjoy it enough to make the one-time watch worth your while. Would I recommend buying it? Not likely, as I don't think it's good enough to watch more than once, but it's certwinly worth renting or watching once through.

Parental content notes:

• a bit of profanity throughout but nothing gratuitous.
• no nudity or sexual situations.
• due to the familiar content, I wouldn't call this a scary movie but there a handful of scenes that might frighten some.
• violence and gore is fairly prominent through the second half of the movie. Nothing overly gory but there are a few gnarly scenes. Quite a bit of blood and a couple quite graphic examples; I wish it had been even more so.

That said, give it a try. Just know what you're expecting when you hit play.

This movie takes awhile to get going but it does set up an intresting premise. When the action towards the middle of the film gets going it decent. I love the fact the film was shot in Cuba the first English spoken horror movie to be shot there. We get to see locations not usually seen in movies, the actors aren't great. Carolina Ravassa puts in a good acting performance toward the end of the movie. The tie into hemmingway is dubious and ends up having a more simple plot despite the movie trying to over complicate its own plot. Its essence its a simple story added with alot of unnecessarys.

When you start the film, the first 30 minutes play as basically a mystery/thriller that has some intrigue, although a bit cliche.

However, at about the 35 minute mark, it turns into a totally different movie! The best way I can explain what I mean is like this:

Imagine you were watching a movie that was like The Ninth Gate/ (or any mystery thriller that leans horror) ...and then out of no where, it turns into You're Next or SAW!!

Yes, I know...what a weird, jarring turn that would take right? Well that's this...it started off as what could be a decent thriller mystery...and out of no where, turns into your typical "man hunt" movie...which tells me the first 30 minutes were nothing more than the film trying to be smarter than it really is. It was trying to give depth to a run of the mill "run for your life, because..." movie.

I'll give it credit for TRYING to be more than a shallow man hunt film...that's about it.