The Dark

The British-American-German co-production The Dark, shot on the Isle of Man, is an interesting movie that combines tropes like secrets from the past, children, a mysterious atmosphere, and ghosts. However, it does so in a way that works, that presents you with a horror movie that is interesting enough to watch, entertain, and even engross you. (30.09.2019)

I didn’t like all that pseudomysticism, at all. There are moments with a decent atmosphere, but the, without exception, unlikeable characters don’t let you get into the story. A weak average. (21.02.2014)

The stupid story full of stale clichés has some interesting moments and doesn't put the viewer directly to sleep, but the script is terribly chaotic and illogical, as if the director himself didn't know how to end the film. Also, the suspense is pretty weak, the film tries to scare you with the same thing all the time (cliff, torture of a girl, sheep) and I didn't even get the expected jump-scares. So the only plus I see are the actors Maria Bell and Sean Bean, whom I really believed in the fear. On the other hand, the experience would certainly be greater if the film didn't try so desperately to copy The Ring and dozens of other horror films that are generally more suspenseful and original than this one. (01.05.2011)

Confusingly edited in the dramatic scenes and needlessly baffling in the climax, The Dark is a self-negating thriller that would like to work sophisticatedly on multiple plot levels. However, it is kept afloat by the presence of Maria Bello and Sean Bean and the atmosphere of the setting. If you like mysterious horror dramas, harsh wind, wave-ravaged Nordic islands and their dark folk legends, and if you have a weakness for one of the protagonists, like I do for Maria, you won’t be bored and you’ll turn a blind eye to the film’s missteps. (01.03.2024)