Dark Light

Monsters, we fear them as children and we remember them in our dreams. I remember one of my first nightmares about monsters, and it was after watching the first TV pilot episode of V The Series back in the 80´s. The lizard people freaked me out, and even if i was scared, i still wanted to see more of the TV series V. Monsters comes in many forms and shapes, and in the film industry we have seen quite a lot of different types of monsters. One of the biggest classic monster movies from the old school days of Hollywood, is of course Creature From The Black Lagoon. Released in 1954 and directed by Jack Arnold, this film tells the story of an geology expedition in the Amazon, encounter a piscine amphibious humanoid creature. If you watch this film today, you will probably think it looks silly compared to monster films who are more modern. But this is a true cult film, that should be seen for nostalgic reasons. I suggest you pick up the Blu Ray release, and have a listen at the Feature Commentary with film historian Tom Weaver. You will find out some interesting details there, that might be interesting to know. If i had to pick out a personal favourite monster movie, then it would be very hard. There are so many great titles to choose between. But if i had to choose one i would go for the 1987 sci fi action film Predator. Directed by legendary director John McTiernan, this film tells the story of an American elitie military rescue team who is sent into the jungle of Central America. But what they don´t know is that there is an Alien hiding in the jungle, looking for new victims. This is without a doubt one of the best monster films of the 80´s and one of the best Schwarzenegger films. The design of the Predator is incredible, and looks fantastic even today. Since i am a fan of monster horror movies, i recently got a chance to see a film called Dark Light. A monster movie out in the countryside, sounds like fun right ? Is this a surprisingly good horror film, or is Dark Light as forgettable as Peter Andre´s 2006 album A Whole New World ?

Annie Knox ( Jessica Madsen ) return to her childhood home, out in the countryside with her daughter Emily Knox ( Opal Littleton ). After some rough moments in her life, Annie is hoping things will turn around better this time. But after experiencing some strange lights out in the fields, Annie feels that they are not alone in this house. Her former husband Paul Knox ( Ed Brody ) is worried that the strange behavior of Annie will affect his daughter Emily. More strange things are happening around the house for each day. Is Annie just imagining everything, or is something really going on in this house ?

Remember the M Night Shyamalan film Signs from 2002 ? Combine that film together with Encounters Of The Third Kind and you have Dark Light. This is a well made sci fi horror film, that manage to bring back the style of old school sci fi films, and combine it with an monster design that looks good. What i especially like about this film, is that the lead character Annie Knox is a woman struggling with personal problems, and give this character a very realistic view on how hard life can be. Actress Jessica Madsen ( who you probably noticed in Rambo Last Blood last year ) gives the strongest acting performance in this film as Annie. Considering all the problems she seems to have in her personal life, and all the pain she is carrying from her Mother who ended her own life, it is not strange why she is trying a fresh start with her daughter. Another great performance comes from actress Kristina Clifford as Sheriff Dickerson. She feels so natural in this character, and Kristina clearly knows how to act as a small town sheriff with a big heart. We have to talk about the monster design from Aaron Sims. This monster looks like an odd mix of Creature From The Black Lagoon and some kind of alien. I love the head design with the big white light, where the creature suck energy from human souls. There is not a lot of gore in this film, only in specific scenes. But that´s ok, since i feel that this film manage to work anyway with a good plot. Director Padraig Reynolds ( who directed the horror movie Worry Dolls ) have made a sci fi horror film that is more effective than i expected. He manage to combine some ideas we have seen before, but with a fresh breath of air into this genre. Dark Light is the perfect Valentines Day film for all couples to enjoy on this romantic day. This film has all of those Valentines Day ingredients that you have been looking for in flower shops, super market or in your local book store. You see all you people in love out there, we do have hope in quality films thanks to Dark Light.

Rating: DDD