Search - The Dark Hours on DVD

Squirmy Goodness

Farffleblex Plaffington | Parnybarnel, Mississippi | 07/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Director Paul Fox' The Dark Hours does one thing extremely well that is a staple of horror--it makes you squirm. This is a very disturbing, occasionally hard to watch film. Viewers with sensitive constitutions should be forewarned.



It's not so much that it's gory--although it is a bit, but Fox understands that the key to the effect he's shooting for is character development. So this is ultimately a small ensemble film--five characters in a couple of rooms, and we get to know all of these characters very well, thanks to both the writing, by Wil Zmak, and a fine set of performances. The characters are fully fleshed out and we can either identify and/or sympathize with them, so when some of them do terrible things to others, it has a lot more impact, and even when it's only a threat and there's nothing graphic about it, we feel it almost as if these events were happening to friends. The Dark Hours is very literally a psychological film, a fact reflected in its main character's occupation and the circumstances of the villainous characters.



It's also a "rubber reality" film--those are defined partially through "shifting" realities, where we as an audience, usually along with at least some characters, don't know quite what was real, if anything. After the recent spate of rubber reality films that all used essentially the same plot--including Stay (2005), The Jacket (2005), November (2004), The I Inside (2003), and eight or nine others going at least all the way back to Jacob's Ladder (1990) and the short The Awakening (1990)--The Dark Hours very refreshingly uses different kinds of twists in its questionably hallucinatory succession of scenes. The ending of the film is clear enough while still being nicely ambiguous. There is also an alternate ending on the DVD that is less ambiguous, but I don't think it works nearly as well. More ambiguity is better in a film like this.



And if you want themes and subtexts, Fox has them here in spades, including the desperation of those who know they're dying, the classic "who's crazy" conundrum between psychiatric professionals and their patients, and the turmoil of disintegrating relationships.



But you don't have to pay attention to that stuff to enjoy this excellent film. Just sit back and squirm."

I was very pleased...

monster trucker | 02/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't understand why this movie isn't more popular. It, honestly, is one of the best thrillers I've seen in a while. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and it definitely kept me captivated. Everything is really good: the acting, the directing, the cinematography, the music, everything. Kate Greenhouse plays her role perfectly and Paul Fox does a great job putting this film together. And the plot is simple yet it's really creative (the twists totally caught me off guard). All in all, if you're looking for a thriller, this is one of the better ones out there."

Intelligent Psychological Thriller

R. Schultz | Chicago | 10/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is generally a worthwhile thriller, although for a little while I was afraid it was going to degenerate into just another repugnant case of sadistic home invasion. However the larger context rescues the film from that slush pile and advances it into some interesting psychological territory.



Similarly, I was leery of the fact that the bonus materials on the DVD listed "alternative endings." Alternative endings usually signal to me that the people who made the movie had no semblance of a coherent artistic vision, but were only interested in gauging what would sell the most tickets. However it turned out that the alternates here aren't a testing of wildly different conclusions, but are varying extensions of the same basic conclusion. It was just a question of how far to elaborate the one idea. So there was no compromise of integrity, casting about here, there, and everywhere for the biggest fish.



There are some lapses of logic along the way, and I'm not sure the surprises could stand close analysis. Nevertheless, the film held my attention, concentrating me into a dark place of anger and despair

"

Good and Disturbing

punkkskatrr2 | 02/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dark Hours is a chilling, utterly terrifying look into the mind of a madman. In my opinion, the scariest movie are always the ones that could really happen. The movie begins as an inexperienced doctor (Kate Greenhouse) and her husband and sister arrive at her family's winter cottage to spend a peaceful weekend. But what starts out as a pleasant weekend getaway turns into a night of unadulterated horror. One of her father's patients, Harlan Payne (Aidan Devine) a violent sex offender, has returned to exact revenge and he doesn't care who from. This movie graphically shows what terrible evil the night may hold and gives all who see it good cause to spend their "dark hours" huddled in fear."