6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In remote, quiet Maiden Woods, something stirs in the dark forest surrounding the isolated community. After a logging company clears an area 90 miles above the town, Sheriff Paul Shields and his deputy confront a threat that may be older than humanity itself.
Starring: Kevin Durand, Lukas Haas, Bianca Kajlich, Nick Damici, Sabina GadeckiHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
With every new creature feature, one usually hears the same complaint: "The monster is no good!" Viewers have become so finicky that one has to wonder whether any of the classics of yesteryear, from Frankenstein to Alien, would pass muster today. (My guess is no.) It's a particularly difficult challenge for independent filmmakers, who don't have summer tentpole budgets for expensive animatronics and cutting-edge CGI. The smart ones—like writer Tyler Hisel and director Jack Heller, who made Dark Was the Night—know enough to focus on the basics of story and character. They probably remember that some of the most memorable creatures were those that were seen the least, like the shark in Jaws or the title character in Alien. In both those classics, it was the terror of the human characters that made the creature real, because they were characters you believed in, felt for and cared about. Dark Was the Night is one of the best independently made creature features in recent years, because it gets those essential elements right. Whatever one thinks of the creature when it finally appears (and it's pretty good, especially if you pay attention to the hints about its origin), by that point the film is more about the people than the thing they're fighting. Hisel's script first attracted attention when it made the 2009 Hollywood Blacklist of the top 100 unproduced screenplays under the working title "The Trees". A consortium of production companies joined to fund the project, which began filming in 2012 under Heller's direction. The film premiered at L.A.'s annual Screamfest in October 2014, where it won awards for special effects and visual effects. After a limited theatrical release in July 2015, Image Entertainment is issuing the film on Blu-ray, initially as a Best Buy exclusive with general release to follow in November.
Dark Was the Night was shot on Red by cinematographer Ryan Samul (Cold in July). Post-production was completed on a digital intermediate, from which Image Entertainment's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray was presumably sourced by a direct digital path. The Blu-ray image is sharp, detailed and often very dark by design, with deep blacks into which people peer for a glimpse of whatever is causing a disturbance and see either nothing or something that moves too quickly to make out. The film's palette has the grayish, desaturated pallor of late winter in a northern climate, which suits the emotional state of the two main characters. Indoor scenes are lit with a yellowish glow, but the color never becomes truly warm. Noise, distortion or interference were not present. Image has mastered Dark Was the Night with an average bitrate of 19.98 Mbps, which is adequate for Red-captured footage, assuming the compression has been carefully done, which certainly appears to be the case here.
Dark Was the Night arrives with an atmospheric 5.1 soundtrack, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA, in which sound effects and the expressive score by Darren Morze (The Blackout) blend to create a near-constant state of unease. Dynamic range is wide, bass extension is deep, and the entire mix is sufficiently loud that you may want to turn down the volume a few db from your standard setting. While the surround channels are not used for noticeable rear channel effects, the mix is thoroughly enveloping, while voices remain anchored in front. The sound design is yet one more example of how Dark Was the Night makes the most out of its limited budget to accomplish its goals.
I have kept the feature discussion short and general, because Dark Was the Night deserves to be seen on its own terms. From the moment Kevin Durand appears on screen, he commands attention, first with his sadness, and then, with his determination to protect his family and his town. Whatever one's opinion of the film's monster when it finally appears in full, it is Durand's portrayal of the sheriff's struggle with his inner demons that makes Dark Was the Night a memorable experience. Durand observed during the Screamfest Q&A that he rarely gets an opportunity to play the hero, but on the strength of this performance, that should change. Highly recommended.
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