Darkness (1993)

Expected more

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

I found this movie hanging on the wall of a video store in Chicago in the mid-1990s. It's exactly what you expect- ultra low budget horror, heavy on the blood and light on everything else.Has the movie got problems? Tons- acting, script, pacing, etc. all could use improvement. But I like the fact that this is truly an independent effort that looks like it was conceived out of the minds (and pockets) of just a handful of people or maybe even just one person.Big Hollywood features are swell, but we should all have a soft spot for people out there who can put together a commercial feature literally out of thin air.

A small town is attacked by a horde of bloodthirsty vampires. The only hope is a lone avenger and a group of ragtag survivors.Released in 1993, "Darkness" garnered something of a cult following upon release. It's easy to see why-it's loaded (and I mean freaking loaded) with gore, and it's energy and enthusiasm, like that found in other no-budget cult horror flicks like "The Dead Next Door" and "The Children of Ravensback", is actually rather infectious.While that may be true, that's sadly not enough to save it. The film was shot on a Super 8, so the image is grainy and dark, making things very difficult to see (it would have been great if it had obscured the protagonists dreadful mullet.) Also grating is the soundtrack, made up of annoying Casio Keyboard and even more annoying Death Metal (seriously, what is it with these no budget horror flicks and bad Death Metal?) While one isn't expecting Oscar worthy performances, the acting is still strictly amateur hour, as the actors sometimes seem almost confused instead of frightened or threatened.In the end, I'm sure fans of no-budget gorefests will love this. Everyone else though, will wish there was a little more meat on the ribs.

~Spoiler~ I first came upon Darkness many years ago at a local video store after hearing much about it. They were selling it for a paltry five dollars and I had left my wallet at home. A friend I was with refused to lend me the five knowing that I had it. A few days later I return with cash in hand and there is no Darkness to be found. Needless to say, the friend who wouldn't loan me the fiver is no longer with us. Just kidding. Years later the DVD is finally released, and it is a good thing that I waited (the clean-up comparison is pretty amazing). While watching the film I felt that same awareness that I got the first time I saw Deadbeat at Dawn and The Dead Next Door; the same feeling that I was seeing something tremendous shot for no money at all. I don't think it's quite as good as those two films, but it has the same spirit and ingenuity. Much like Jim Van Bebber, director Leif Jonker produced, created special effects, helped score, edited, wrote, and directed the film. That's a lot of hats for one man to wear, but when no one else is around you do it yourself. The film follows Tobe, who is a witness to a gas station massacre by the vampire Liven. When Tobe returns home he finds that his family has also been slaughtered by the vampire and sets out to find the bloodsucker and put him in the ground permanently. There are some nice set pieces to the film that will remain with you. The opening at the gas station for one, and a fantastic and tense run to the car wash for another. And lets not forget the ending; it's a very Evil Dead inspired bit of grue. Fans of gore-soaked cinema will not be disappointed. You've got to love those crude and oh-so-awesome effects done by Jonker and the film's star, Gary Miller. So Jonker wasn't the only one wearing many hats. I'd venture to guess that everyone did a little bit of everything on this film. I can't believe Jonker never did anything else! Someone give this guy some money. I'm up for a Darkness 2.

I am a big-time horror/sci-fi fan regardless of budget, but after watching countless horror movies late night on cable and video, this has to be the worst of all movies. With bloody special effects (what looked like a roast covered in fake blood or ketchup that kept being shown over and over again) and people running around screaming from left, then to right, then back again. It should have stayed with the beginning convenience store scene and stopped there and been 15 minutes. Instead, it is dragged out very long. It is very, very x5 low budget. Many scenes were way, way too long. Narrator sounded very amateurish like a random person out of junior high was talking. This is the only movie to rate lower in my opinion than Manos, Red Zone Cuba, Benji,and Godzilla vs. megalon despite their higher budgets. 10 snoozes, try to stay awake through whole movie in one setting or better yet, avoid it like you would an undead brain-eating mob. The Why-Did-I-Ever-See-This-Piece-Of-Zombie-Dung-Blues. Epitome of nauseatingly bad made movies etc..ad infinitum. -infinity/10