The Darkroom (2006)

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

A Disappointing Continuation

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

What a waste of time! So there we go. Pathetic mental patient goes nowhere. Then he meets another zero good for nothing boy that goes to nowhere. Then we meet his good for nothing alcoholic mother that has abusive friend that happens to be an pervert and possibly serial murderer. They all are on their road to nowhere.And the "heroes" manage to do nothing. Not a f*cking thing.No one is saved, even friends. In the end... nothing is gonna be okay. The mother? Probably the same drunk. The son? Still a weakling. The man? Still a good-for-nothing zero.What a epic victory for no one...

"The Darkroom" is an utterly uninteresting drama-thriller with little to like about it.**SPOILERS**Stuck in a mental institution, Richard Dawson, (Reed Diamond) manages to escape and heads off into the world, meeting young Stan, (Shawn Pyfrom) along the way and becoming friends. Still struggling with his memories and a series of visions involving a strange demon that he has been seeing for awhile, their friendship develops as he escapes from his troubled home-life involving Cheryl, (Lucy Lawless) and Bob, (Greg Grunberg) taking their marital problems out on him. Becoming convinced something is going on after getting clues to they're strange behavior, inside his secretive dark-room they find his deadly secret that puts them all in trouble and forces them to deal with the deadly consequences before more of his friends are harmed.The Good News: There was a few parts here that worked. Mainly, if the segment featured a demon-attack of some kind, it worked well, which includes him freaking-out from the drugs and hallucinating the demon emerging from the muddy-pit with its clawed hand and the ensuing fight with the security guards that enables his escape. Others include the attack at the homeless park, where the tied-up victim is stalked by the demon, is attacked and then turns to him, before having a great reveal later on with the discovery sequence. The cabin sequences are really enjoyable as well, with the tied-up friend being discovered followed by an incredibly chilling sequence where the killer toys with them for an excruciatingly-long time, and it's immensely effective because of that. With several ensuing brawls, a couple of fine stalking scenes within the area as well as a couple gory murders and the genesis for a series of his earlier dream sequences, it's the film's unquestioned highlight. Those dreams are usually nice, accomplished by a series of flash-edits featuring something clearly horror-based with a short-but-still-clearly-defined vision of what's going on. Witnessing several appear to be tied up with invisible chains as they bleed profusely from slit throats, to quick shots of the demon emerging from a muddy pit and blood-covered gardening tools and chains, these are all quite enjoyable and definitely manage to set-up the film's premise quite nicely and giving a few effective shock jolts from time-to-time. There's even an effective solo sequence where he becomes the victim he usually observes, chained up in the same manner by chains moving through the air by an invisible force, stalked by the demon and then attacked, getting a bit more blood in here but also offering up a pretty decent scene. The last plus in here is the film's nudity, nicely provided by a superb shower scene from an unlikely source that is really worthwhile due to how provides it, and a little sleazier one from captive women in photographs. These here are the film's good points.The Bad News: There was a lot of problems with this one. One of the biggest faults here is the fact that the family home-life depicted wasn't interesting at all. Another one in a long-line of films to think depicting having a married couple quarreling is thrilling entertainment, these scenes just keep popping up for no reason other than to give an excuse as to why he's not around them all the time, and by the time they're on their third fight in as many days, it's old news and not worth exploring anymore. This goes hand-in-hand with the other big problem, that hardly any of this could be horror if it wasn't dealing with the demon. These guys becoming friends and their misadventures around town are just agonizing and endless, provide very little horror and interest, and in a horror film, to be left wanting about it when it isn't doesn't really endear itself too highly. That is the biggest issue, as it deals with a murderous demon and frightening visions, but it hardly ever feels like true-horror because it's too busy focusing on other useless areas that don't offer up anything all that interesting. Even more troublesome is that the central plot line manages to force up several rather immense plot holes due to how it's carried out, and is perhaps the biggest problem with this one. The fact that the film shows us the events in question weren't that far from home, to think no one would find him in the amount of time elapsed is laughable, and how it goes on just doesn't make any sense at all. Even more is the interactions while they're together, as it's painfully evident that he's a figment-of-the-imagination, yet despite some acting as though he is, other times he's not and appears to be there, despite the logical conclusion that it's all cyclical as to him visiting himself when he's younger and interacting with him. That whole part is a mess and is never really sorted out at all. The thing with the demons-constantly-appearing is also never explained, as there's nothing given as to why they show up, what they are or what they mean. They just disappear at the end, which is where the film shows its last flaw. The ending here is just way too laughable and clichéd to really do much and it results in eye-rolling, not a feeling that should be expected when it gets to that part. These here are the film's problems.The Final Verdict: Despite having enough good stuff to really make it worthwhile, the fact that it overall just isn't all enough to overcome them is the real problem here. Really only recommended for those who are fans of the cast or enjoy these kinds of mind-trip films, while those that don't should heed caution.Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and Nudity

An amnesiac wants to uncover his identity and an experimental drug, Mioxidil, might provide the details he needs to recover who he is..the question is whether or not he'll regret such a decision when the answers he seeks come to fruition. Fragmented images are all he currently has, but as he "ventures out into the real world", can this John Doe reawaken memories and what exactly will become of him? John Doe meets a nice young man named Stan who offers a hand of friendship. Stan is often bullied by two punk skateboarders and witnesses the ongoing strife between his mom and stepfather with John Doe an outsider to the events..or is he? You know, it's not like this movie is badly performed or made, it's just that this kind of thriller has been brought to us multiple times before. Two alternating stories seem unrelated for the exception that Stan and John Doe meet seemingly by chance, only to have a lot more in common than they think. Stan has the step father with a dark room where he stores his photographs and doesn't allow either his step son or wife in there, not to mention he wanders off at ungodly hours, acting suspiciously, often quite defensive when anyone questions his reasons for doing so. And, the movie goes out of it's way to cast a nefarious eye on Bob(Greg Grunberg, an effective creep), pointing out a dead body being found, reported murders in the newspaper. We see how both Stan and John Joe's missions converge as they discover where Bob goes during the day(..and night)and the tragic result of a particular missing person important to the plot, mentioned sparingly throughout for an intended purpose.Interesting how both Stan and John Doe(..played by Reed Diamond as a haunted and disoriented man needing closure in order to find solace and peace)are concurrently seeking answers to buried secrets which reveal themselves little by little as they search together. Lucy Lawless, in a bit of interesting casting, portrays Stan's mother, Cheryl, an unsatisfied alcoholic wife desiring emotional fulfillment, affection, and attention from Bob who seems disinterested in her sexually, causing her to become a miserable wreck, despite the fact that she is a very attractive woman just wanting some kind of loving investment, not knowing the kind of monster he really is. I don't think Bob's "after hours"(..or hours where he is supposed to be working, masquerading around the fact that he was fired, using this time committing unsavory, to say the least, acts)activities will surprise anyone watching this movie, and I figure the "twist" will be realized by more aware viewers who have seen their share of these kinds of films. Ellie Cornell, of Halloween 4 fame, has a small role as a pharmaceutical doctor wanting to use Mioxidil on John Doe to see if the drug works, with a goal to help other amnesiacs wanting to discover their identities. The most grisly scenes contain the giant black monster with sharp claws slicing the throats of women brought to life through visions which pop up in John Doe's mind from time to time. Many viewers might be reminded of The Sixth Sense while watching this movie in how the outside world treats John Doe.

This one has a pretty good plot but it didn't appeal to me at all. It starts out with a young kid being discovered with blood all over his hands, and he spends the next 15 years in a mental institution, because he has no memory of what happened or who he is. Along comes a researcher with an experimental drug that might unlock the now adult guy's mind and help him. The movie then leads us on a journey as the guy escapes the hospital and makes friends with a young kid and gets involved in his life. The kids alcoholic Mom "Lucy Lawless" is remarried to a jerk, and things get a little unsettling as the kid and his new friend decide to follow his step-dad to see what he is developing in his darkroom, and where he goes at night. There is a pretty good dose of blood and gore towards the end when everything is revealed, and story wise, the movie is not that bad. Not my cup of tea, but I can see how some fans might enjoy this movie.