DARK WAS THE NIGHT is one such tale about the undiscovered mysteries of nature and the world around us. The film channels a Stephen King-esque atmosphere and mood as well as that of a classic well-done horror film. Think of a classical monster movie approach and go from there. SALEM'S LOT kept coming to mind as well as the Hammer Horror film THE REPTILE. I saw the trailer in front of another horror film and was instantly intrigued. Then I saw it was available on Netflix streaming. I couldn't resist.
THE PLOT
A small New England town is beset by a series of strange incidents. One of the horses of a local breeder vanishes without a trace. Several dogs all over town go missing. And then a bizarre series of muddy tracks stretching across the town indicating something with an upright posture and hooves cloven in three. Sheriff Shields follows the tracks outside the town into the dense woods surrounding the area. There he finds the bodies of multiple hunters ripped to pieces, their severed limbs and innards strewn about the trees. When the worst snowstorm in years hits, this mystery creature wanders into town once more, breaking into houses, and killing the residents. Trapped and unable to leave town, Sheriff Shields must protect his people and find the thing responsible.
THE GOOD
The Acting. Simply put, I was blown away with the actors in this movie. Kevin Durand as Sheriff Shields delivers one of the best performances of his that I've ever seen. I have long thought him a fantastic actor but after seeing his performance here I believe he can do anything a movie could ask of him. Lukas Haas too is wonderful as the deputy. Every actor approaches this film seriously and elevates what could've been a forgettable film into something special. Even the bit players like Sabina Gadecki are good in the movie.
The Story. What if the legend of the Wendigo was real? What if a man-eating Sasquatch wandered out of the woods and started killing people? That's the kind of movie premise in Dark Was The Night. A wendigo or sasquatch aren't necessarily in this movie but that's the story being told, stories about Bigfoot or urban legends of a lizard man. The film takes its time developing the story and the characters. By end of the film you are familiar with everybody in the town. The tension and suspense building is executed with precision and comes across naturally. The movie feels like a classic monster tale the likes of which are few and far between nowadays.
THE BAD
The Special Effects. One watches a monster movie to see a well done monster. Sadly this film's major weakness is the CGI effects used to realize the monster. The monster design is good and the few practical effects in the movie showing parts of the monster are wonderful. But rather than sticking with a man in a monster suit the film attempts to showcase the creature with computer graphics and the CGI effects are sorely lacking. If not for the excellent performances and direction this film would've likely fallen to the wayside because of the weak CGI effects. If only someone from Stan Winston's studio or KNB or Tom Savini had provided them with a wicked awesome practical monster suit... Oh well. The movie still tells a frightening story and tells it well.
THE VERDICT
If the CGI special effects had been high quality Dark Was The Night would've stood up next to the classic horror greats. As it is the acting exceeds most horror films and director Jack Heller composes a taught suspenseful thriller. Kevin Durand stands out in this film as an actor who could be trusted with just about any role. Durand and Heller save this film from being just another Sy-Fy original film. Despite the CGI, Dark Was The Night was a very well done horror film. It's sad that the CGI couldn't measure up to the acting or direction.
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10
Above average. Worth the Price
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
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