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Darkness

Play trailer Poster for Darkness PG-13 2004 1h 28m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
6% Tomatometer 53 Reviews 31% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Paul (Stephan Enquist) and his older sister, Regina (Anna Paquin), unpack and settle into their new country home with their mother (Lena Olin) and father (Iain Glen). An atmosphere of dread slowly becomes evident in the house, and, before long, strange things are happening within its walls. As the supernatural occurrences get more intense and threatening, Regina looks into the house's dark history and struggles to uncover the reason behind the macabre presence.
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Darkness

Darkness

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Critics Consensus

Yet another predictable variation on the hoary old haunted-house movie, Darkness is an illogical, portentous mess.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Jan 8, 2007
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. Go to Full Review
Nathan Rabin AV Club Sep 26, 2005
A plodding, portentous horror thriller in which a spooky child figures prominently and people speak in hushed tones about sinister doings. Go to Full Review
Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness May 30, 2005
D
There's nothing very frightening about this shallow, stupid spookfest. Go to Full Review
Alistair Lawrence Common Sense Media Jun 30, 2022
1/5
This haunted house horror has all the ingredients for a decent supernatural thriller but ends up overcooking all of them. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Dec 18, 2019
1.5/4
Nothing even remotely interesting occurs. Go to Full Review
Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Apr 29, 2009
There's the draw from the audience of potential scares and the good cast, but there's nothing ever delivered to us. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Gi S @Gistevenn Feb 27, 2026 It started out ok but then it put me to sleep somewhere around the middle of it. See more
Jenny B. @jennyanne412 Jan 10, 2026 I actually really like this movie The pacings a little weird but I like the idea of it. It's a decent watch I don't hate it it kind of fits the genre of horror movies in the 2000s. If you grew up in that time. You know what I'm talking about See more
Terrika T @RT69813594 Jan 24, 2025 I'm not sure why there is so much hate for this movie; it is one of my horror go-tos. To me, nothing is scarier than the realization that you've been tricked into being used as a pawn in a grand evil scheme and there's nothing you can do about it. And there's something so sinister about using love to accomplish evil. And the utter hopelessness that comes knowing the "bad guys" or evil has won and everything you've done or tried to do was completely useless??? That's horror jackpot to me. It's more psychological horror than physical horror. Total loss of the ability to control a situation which descends into chaos and destruction and the unknown is my own personal nightmare hell. I guess if that kind of hopelessness doesn't make you feel some sort of way, then this movie isn't for you. But if it does....oh boy, you're in for a treat. See more
Emilliano Jr S @emill_santos Aug 28, 2024 More of family drama than horror with shaky camera. See more
Jun 19, 2021 Exceptional synopsis. See more
Nov 10, 2020 I can't believe you gave this movie such a bad review. You think something is bad because you read what someone has said about it? I remember when it came out on video--I saw it 2 or 3 times and thought it was just fine. It was actually very good. It's not formulaic, and I enjoyed the performances of the actors. Giving this movie such a bad review makes me suspect your other critiques.... See more
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Darkness

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Cast & Crew

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Jaume Balagueró

Director

Anna Paquin

Regina

Lena Olin

Maria

Iain Glen

Mark

Giancarlo Giannini

Albert Rua

Fele Martínez

Carlos

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Darkness

A scene from the film "Darkness." A scene from the film "Darkness." A scene from the film "Darkness." A scene from the film "Darkness." A scene from the film "Darkness." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Paul (Stephan Enquist) and his older sister, Regina (Anna Paquin), unpack and settle into their new country home with their mother (Lena Olin) and father (Iain Glen). An atmosphere of dread slowly becomes evident in the house, and, before long, strange things are happening within its walls. As the supernatural occurrences get more intense and threatening, Regina looks into the house's dark history and struggles to uncover the reason behind the macabre presence.
Director
Jaume Balagueró
Producer
Julio Fernández, Brian Yuzna
Screenwriter
Jaume Balagueró, Fernando de Felipe
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Fantastic Factory (Filmax), Via Digital, Castelao Producciones S.A., Dimension Films, Filmax International
Rating
PG-13 (Intense Terror Sequences|Disturbing Images|Language|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$22.2M
Runtime
1h 28m
Sound Mix
DTS, Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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