SeeQuant
Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
PiraBit
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Philippa
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
bangel3322
I noticed this film received a lot of negativity. So I was slightly apprehensive about it, as I am with a lot of low budget horrors. But I can honestly say this is probably one of the best low budget horrors I've ever seen. I was entertained from beginning to end, I never took my eyes off the screen. The lead actor I thought was brilliant. He is a great actor and even though this is a supernatural film, he made his role believable. Hats off to him. The supporting cast were good, especially the girlfriend and best friend characters. I have never seen a film like this, it was a refreshing take on the haunted house genre. The only thing I don't really like is the title though. Not very imaginative. And the twist in the middle of the film I never saw coming it was fantastic. The only reason I have not rated this film a 10 is because I was slightly confused by the end. Wasn't exactly sure what happened. But I will definitely be watching it again, and once I'm clued up, I'm sure I'll be increasing my score to a 10. I've also seen from the director, Jeepers Creepers which is brilliant, (another original film), Rosewood Lane which had a brilliant twist and the episode In Sickness and In Health from the TV show Fear, Itself; again another fabulous twist.
kobrakai-1
Given the type of past the director has, it's inevitable that any movie Victor Salva makes is going to be scrutinized far more than most. From an objective standpoint, this is a film that has promising start and if not for some glaring flaws, this film could have been another sleeper hit along the lines of Jeepers Creepers.The story follows a young man who, on his 23rd birthday, visits his mother in a mental hospital. The goal is that he'll hopefully learn something- anything- about his father and why he has a certain supernatural gift. Instead of getting answers, however, he's simply dealt the deed to an abandoned house following his mother's untimely death shortly after his visit. To go further into the plot would ruin what appeal the film has, as the movie does manage to sneak in some twists and turns to a haunted house genre which has been run into the ground with hits and misses over the recent years.The plot hook is interesting, and like our protagonist, we are largely left in the dark as to what's going on and why he is in danger for the majority of the film's running time. Furthermore, the acting is serviceable, if not better than your typical straight-to-DVD release. Tobin Bell, in particular, steals every scene he's in as the mysterious Seth- a man lurking around the house our main character seeks to stake claim to. He makes the most of what is a rather minimal part.Unfortunately, the film suffers from what is your typical problem with low budget genre fare like Dark House: for whatever good idea the film has up its sleeve, it shoots itself in the foot when key parts of the plot are glossed over. This is especially true by the end, in which it feels as though the filmmakers were running out of time/money and needed to cop out on the finale. As a result, the film is plenty of build up and very little payoff.Say what you will about Victor Salva, but he does do his best to make the movie look polished, and he still knows how to create suspense. Here, he manages to squeeze in a couple of rather tense sequences in the latter act of the film. You can tell Salva is trying to capture the spirit of Jeepers Creepers in this movie (particularly in the guise of the numerous axe-wielding figures that lurk in the shadows... even Tobin Bell sort of resembles The Creeper a bit, albeit a definitively more human version of him). Still, it's not enough to make one forget about some gaping plot holes and rushed character arcs. It's a shame; Dark House had some promise, but it's ultimately hindered by shortcomings that are too hard to ignore.
Paulo Mureb
This movie could have been something. The plot is pretty cool, well written and dynamic. The acting is the average for an horror movie. But what makes this not get a 6 or even a 7 to me, is the directing. The director is pretty lame connecting scenes, creating the atmosphere, making the things work. At some point i was thinking to myself: "Dude,this movie is not SO low budget." Cause some of the locations really seemed to cost a little money, the actors are know of the public and even have the Jigsaw on it. Someone paid for this and i really hope that it has been the director cause he's the reason this movie is bad. Anyway, if you don't have nothing to do some random night, give this one a try. It may not amuze you the way it should but can give you some laughs. The sound track is almost inexistent, you can barely hear something there. I don't know what else to say. I watched it just because we are in that period of the year thats the releases are just a little few.
Flow
Ding ding ding ding, JackPot!! WoW, was I impressed or what. I knew Victor Salva was on this one, and his work usually managed to stand tall, but man, if this movie came just a few years sooner it could have been somewhat of a pioneer. The character complexity is lovely, to actually see people with many faces, not even knowing which one is the real one, the plot, well, it is a movie about a guy that inherits a house and believe it or not, it's actually so much more to it, the tension provided by the sound is quite good, especially considering the fact that they did not use fancy bands or anything, simple and effective, I mean, I actually graded this a 7. Because it works as a horror, it didn't even show nudity, when it could, cause it preferred to rely on something more, and considering this is not a slasher, I have to say, Bravo!!Look, words will get you psyched on, and I don't wanna send you to somewhere expecting a masterpiece, but in my honest opinion, this is the best "house in the woods" movie I've seen in a long time. Evil Dead the remake was all about gore, Dark House is all about plot. Scares will come, tension will build around you, and question marks will pop all around. Dark House, thank you for keeping the hope of good horror still alive!
