Neive Bellamy
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
Yazmin
Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
Robert J. Maxwell
A pretty, blond, impassive psychiatrist, Greenhouse, discovers that her inoperable brain tumor has begun to grow again. The only treatment is an experimental drug that has never been authorized for use in humans because it drove the mice crazy. Something like that. Out of desperation, Greenhouse begins to use it on herself, leading to some weird changes in her sensorium.She returns home after examining her X rays, in which the tumor is helpful enough to have outlined itself with a broad white line, just in case she might have missed it. "Let's talk," she says to her amiable husband, Currie, an author working under a deadline. Not now, he tells her, because he has to retire to their dasha in the woods and get some work done.He leaves. She thinks it over. The revelation of her tumor's newfound aggression is too important to wait, so she visits the cabin, where she finds him and her harmless teen-aged sister trying to get the facilities working.The cabin is shortly invaded by two men, one of them an escaped patient whom Greenhouse had kept in isolation. There is a gun. There are a dozen attempted escapes. There is torture. There is a murder of a dog. There is reasoning and pleading, tears, anger.The escaped patient, McFee, is now perfectly rational as he and his companion put the three hostages through various "games" that wind up in a blood bath and a suicide.I didn't find it at all spooky, just tense and nasty in a familiar way, kind of like some marriages I know. The two invaders are products of Greenhouse's guilt for some unacceptable acts she has committed. At least I assume so. It gets a little twisted and confusing towards the end. Some of what is finally revealed is implausible.It's a Canadian production and it shows. I don't mean the low production values, just the accents, the absence of skill in some of the performers, and the overall tonus of the thing. It's not the usual Lifetime Movie Network film though -- too many F bombs and a bit too much blood. With a bit of pruning it could easily have fit into that format. "Let's talk" is repeated three times. "We have to talk", once.Without knowing why, I'm beginning to feel these things are really distasteful. Who wants to see people chopped up with an ax? Blood spattering all over the ax wielder? A similar situation in "Funny Games" has the invading murderers making jokes to the camera about their shenanigans. It's not funny at all but it's the kind of treatment these dumb movies deserve.
EVOL666
The first thing that I noticed while watching THE DARK HOURS, is that it felt like an amalgamation of several films that I've already seen. Most similar to Michael Haneke's FUNNY GAMES, there are also some elements that reminded me of the Australian film, THE UGLY, and a dash of FIGHT CLUB to round it out. Luckily, THE DARK HOURS never really came off like a direct rip of any of these films, but I can't say that I found the plot extremely original either. The second thing I noticed, was that even for someone like me who usually can't guess the outcome of films prior to their ending - this one was TOTALLY predictable.A female psychologist with a serious brain-tumor heads up to a cabin where her husband and sister are staying. The trio is greeted by a psychotic young man, and later by the psychiatrist's number-one patient - a psychopath who has the same brain-ailment. Things get tense for the group when the patient decides to play doctor and forces the family into participating in a few of his sadistic but revealing games...THE DARK HOURS is a decent way to blow an hour and a half, but I also wouldn't suggest expecting too much out of it. The acting and direction of this film is what saves it, as the performances add a lot of tension to what would otherwise be a derivative and extremely predictable film. A relatively solid film that would have been far better had it not played it's cards so early...7/10
chrichtonsworld
When I came across the title I had The Dark in mind. It had Sean Bean and Maria Bello and looked like the more interesting one. But that one turned out to be quite awful. Hence I felt eager to give The Dark Hours a chance. Surely a psychological thriller would be more interesting than your typical supernatural horror? But I have to say that this wasn't the case. The Dark Hours does begin very interesting but ends up a very flat story. I have problems with the fact that this movie is being called a psychological thriller. For me a thriller has to do certain things to be categorized as one. It should do more than just feature a character with psychological issues. Preferably it should tell you a story with twists and turns (that aren't obvious) in order to play with the viewers mind and give the viewer something to think about. Or in the least give you a viewing experience that puts you on this thrill ride (whether it is realistic or far fetched). Especially if the ride is full of unpredictable and surprising moments. Let's be real here. Psychology while mostly interesting and compelling can be downright boring if it is too average and predictable. So how does The Dark Hours fare? Sadly this film doesn't deliver on what is promised. It uses some nice tricks, but too much is given away very early on and you just know something is wrong with one of the persons involved. Just look at the trailer underneath where that plot element is given away. If they had excluded this or not addressed this as profoundly then maybe it would have been shocking. Now I must admit the trailer does suggest that the film is focused on terror and therefore could have been very thrilling. If only they had kept the viewer guessing of what really was going on and make you doubt constantly to know what is real or not. And to then be served with the conclusion they give you certainly would have made an impact. There are a lot of flaws in the plot which could be forgiven if real surprises were in store for the viewer. But people, the movie doesn't offer much on this front. It has some gory moments. Only not done in a matter that could be considered exciting. Despite I could appreciate the attempt to make this kind of thriller.So what are my thoughts now (in 2016)? Honestly, I can't even remember the title let alone that I have seen it. Craziest thing is that I can recall having seen the more awful The Dark. I think I also should have added that a psychological thriller at least should be memorable. The Dark Hours isn't by a long shot. Now this could be one that would be perfect for very late night viewings. You know when you already are half asleep but conscious enough to follow a story. Other than that I can't recommend this at all.
d_e_s
This movie is not worthy of seeing. Don't waste your money on unimportant drivel like this.Kate Greenhouse stars as Samantha Goodman, a doctor at a psychiatric facility. She learns in the first few minutes of the film that she has an inoperable brain tumor whose progress has only increased over the past year. She has hallucinations and occasionally will blank out and see people's mouths moving, but hear no sound. That's the first sign of things to come. Hmmmm....doctor....growing brain tumor....regular hallucinations....welcome to the stupid and predictable plot of The Dark Hours.Sam calls up her husband on the phone (she hallucinates that he's in her office talking to her) and tells him she wants to spend the weekend with him. He knows she is sick and has a tumor, but he is not aware of the results she's gotten from the most recent tests. He tells her that he is busy and he has to finish writing his book, so he can't. He will be too busy with her younger sister, who is apparently jobless and still living at home. She helps him "edit" his work.Sam leaves and proceeds to join them anyway at their cabin in the woods. Not long after she arrives, there is a knock at the door, and a stranger comes into the house. Then the unthinkable happens--a patient of Sam's who was in a coma and not likely to live suddenly shows up at their door too. Apparently the first guy is his accomplice, and they are out to torture and terrorize Sam and her family.What's going on here really? Will Sam be able to escape with her life? And what will happen to her husband and her little sister? You can find most of this info out from reading other reviews. I just thought I would add my 2 cents worth. I thought this movie was boring. The acting was poor, especially Sam's sister. The psychopathic drifter, the madman's apprentice, was also very corny and poorly acted. The plot twists were all supposed to be shocking revelations, but really they were simply predictable and staid. They've been done before, and better, in many other films. There was not a single moment of anything even resembling tension or scariness in this film.I got this film for free, so I can't complain about wanting my money back. However, to those of you who have not yet offered up your money, DON'T BOTHER! It's a huge waste of time. Go see something else that's more worthwhile, and leave this on the shelves where it belongs.
