Darkness is a ridiculous film choked with genre clichés and stolen scares, yet there’s something genuinely dark and nasty wrapped inside all that ridiculousness...
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03/23/05
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Darkness (2003)
4
%
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Reviews Counted:52
Fresh:2
Rotten:50
Average Rating:2.7/10
Consensus: Yet another predictable variation on the hoary old haunted-house movie, Darkness is an illogical, portentous mess.
Theatrical Release:Dec 25, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $22,036,907
Synopsis: Talented Spanish filmmaker Jaume Balaguero's film DARKNESS is a movie in which an ordinary American family moves to a large, creaky Victorian home in the Spanish countryside that, unbeknownst to... [More]
Starring: Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Stephen Enquist
Director: Jaume Balaguero
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Reviews for Darkness
Unless you're having this review read to you by your mother tucking you in for the night, you've already seen this one.
01/15/05
A good case of style over substance.
06/10/05
“Darkness” is a fascinating story, only delivered sluggishly and without the requisite tension.**
01/06/05
Moments hint at a metaphoric statement on child abuse, but the film proves mainly to be a commentary on poor electrical wiring.
12/28/04
Top CriticTries to survive on an aura of unknown creepiness, but that's really just a nice way of saying that very little happens of any interest during the film.
01/16/05
There’s still a lot of European feel to Darkness, which can sometimes be off-putting to American audiences.
09/02/05
It's unfortunate that the film is called Darkness because this means it will soon be relegated to the Wal Mart bargain bin next to 2003's stinker Darkness Falls.
06/15/05
It's a bad sign when a horror movie is released on Christmas Day.
12/29/04
Too many plot and character lapses for comfort, even in the traditionally logic-flouting horror genre.
07/07/05
All of this, of course, would be forgivable if it added up to a scary movie or made even a lick of sense (chunks appear to have been cut out of a longer cut of the film), but Balaguero manages to disappoint on every possible front.
01/08/07
We know that the house is haunted, because the family who's just moved in has to deal with the lights always flickering out. They should have called the movie The Fuse Box Horror.
01/05/05
Top CriticOne can only imagine how much scarier some of Balagueró’s images would be without the abrasive soundtrack.
05/09/04
This is one movie that's definitely dead on arrival.
01/15/05
This baffling, unintentionally sidesplitting horror show has opened just in time to qualify as the worst film of the year.
08/07/08
This is one of those horror flicks that's determined to show how serious it is by having almost nothing happen for about half its length.
01/07/05
It's unoriginal, frequently incomprehensible and cheaply made, and moviegoers should avoid theaters that show this film just to eliminate the chance of walking in accidentally.
12/29/04
Top CriticThough pic boasts decent perfs, potent atmospherics and eye-catching visuals, both psychology and plot are bargain-basement.
12/27/04
Top Critic[T]he only scary thing about Darkness is how shockingly inept director Jaume Balagueró is...
12/31/04
As in most bad horror flicks, intimations of unspeakable evil are supposed to distract us from the yawning gaps in story logic and character motivation.
01/08/07
Top CriticLatest News for Darkness
November 01, 2005:
New Distributor Makes a "Fragile" Purchase
You might not be familiar with the name "Bauer Martinez" just yet, but if you're a frequent moviegoer, you'll know it soon enough. Bauer Martinez Distribution is a... More...
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