Of all the independent short films and features I’ve seen; Of Darkness is one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of viewing. It’s funny because most of the independent film I’ve reviewed always have certain elements that make them fall short of being a good movie. Most of them look rushed, or were made for the simple fact of the producers wanting to get their name out there for reasons of.. well there are a lot of reasons, but most of them are not good choices. That’s not the case with Of Darkness. Every second, every shot, act, lighting and effect looks like it was planned out perfectly.
For a short film, the story has a lot to offer, although the plot is simple; the script is very effective, and gets the point across simple and quick. The pacing is perfect, each part of the script plays out with intelligence and fear. Short films are not meant to have or be full of good character development or great stories. There usually meant to just either tell a story or get a point across. In the case of the script for this film, it plays out each element of importance in making a great movie.
The plot is simple. At the beginning of the film we see two brothers putting a trunk away in the basement of their house. The trunk belongs to their grandfather, and as the two are putting down, it falls over and opens up. Inside the trunk are an allure of cult items. Voodoo dolls, dark masks, and a little book of black magic. The youngest of the brothers picks up the book and seems to get attached to it quickly. The lights dim. Later that night, with none of their parents home. The oldest of the brothers decides he wants to go out with his friends for a while. He tells his younger brother to vouch for him should their mother come home early. He agrees somewhat. So the older brother leaves and the younger brother decides to have a few friends over. While they are over he takes out the book he found in his grandfathers chest, and all hell breaks loose.
Here’s the thing, as far as acting goes in this flick I have to say that director Gary Irwin took young inexperienced actors and molded them into their characters. You can pick up on certain little flaws in the acting, but overall, everyone in the film was pretty dam good. I was kind of surprised at how well some of the young kids acted in this film, because usually actors around the age of fourteen or so, tend to mess around more on sets than they do acting. These kids knew the script and they knew it well.
Here’s where the film gains it’s most appreciation from myself; the overall effects and production value. Rarely do we get a film maker who makes a short film, whom spends the time and effort making sure the production value if his film is just important as the script. Although it’s basic, the production value is top notch. The special effects are another key item in which makes this film so effective. There is not much use of blood for most of the film until we get to the very end. And at the end of the film we are treated to some nice bloody shots. However the blood is not the highlight of the effects in this film, but rather a few dimmers that were used to make all the lights in the film flicker and fade so effectively. Every little lighting effect was planned so perfectly, and it is honestly what makes this film what it is.
Overall, Of Darkness is one of the best produced short films I’ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing. The feel of the film left me as scared as I was when I was five years old and saw Poltergeist for the first time. Gary Irwin has perfected the art of making a short horror film. I recommend anyone who claims to be a horror film maker or who wants to be one, to try and get their hands on a copy of this film or go see it at some of the film festivals it’s playing at. This is a true gem, when it comes to horror shorts.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
