The Horror Show
Darkroom
by Britt Napier
The concept of being held captive by a maniac, singular or plural, is a common one in horror films. Whether it's the pure murder lust of Hostel or the philosophical basis of Jigsaw, it's something that has been dealt with in various forms. Even if it's not always in execution, it's a fairly realistic concern. There have been plenty of cases of serial killers (and the like) kidnapping innocent people for their own reasons.
Darkroom is a recent film in this tradition and is of the “moral high ground” captor variety. The film concerns Michelle (Kaylee DeFer), a young woman who is finishing up a stint in a mental hospital after she causes a car accident that leads to the death of several people. How such an event leads to an asylum is anyone's guess. She is recommended a job by her counselor Rachael (Elisabeth Rohm) that leads her to a large mansion on a supposed modeling gig.
After a while it becomes clear that something isn't right and Michelle soon finds herself trapped in a small room with only a chair and a television set (sound familiar?) and discovers that she is being held captive by a group of siblings who are all about religious-based torture and murder. They get supposed “sinners” to purge their sins, which essentially breaks down to the siblings torturing a “confession” out of them and then killing them.
Michelle discovers that a friend of hers from the mental facility is also a forced resident in the mansion, and things get going from there. It inter-cuts between her current predicament and footage from how she wound up in the hospital, alongside a look into the siblings’ collective pasts.
Despite my jabs about lack of originality with certain aspects, it is a neat concept. Sure, there are some familiar things: the religious fanatic killers, the simpleton sibling who doesn't understand what he's partaking in, etc. but overall it feels fresh enough to be worth exploring. The captor characters are incredibly loathsome. I'm not saying I condone psychopaths killing people just for the fun of it, but there's something especially irking about killers who think that they are the morally superior ones.
There isn't really much of an explanation as to why all the victims are female. If the killer was an Ed Gein type who was told by his mother that girls were then it would make sense, but it is made clear that the siblings (mixture of male and female) were all told they were sinners and bad, so you would think they would find sins in both genders. Even if a mostly female facility gives the killers their victims, you would think someone who truly believes they are doing God's work would limit themselves to practicality and convenience. To Darkroom's credit, I was invested enough to be interested in what would happen and to want to see the main character get the best of her tormentors.
There are a few frustrating aspects. At one point, Michelle exits through a room full of possible weapons without taking a hammer or screwdriver with her. Considering I had already been imagining myself fashioning a weapon out of the chair and stabbing anyone who entered the room earlier in the film, this was especially hard to watch.
The acting competency fluctuates but none of it is particularly bad. Kaylee DeFer does a good job with her role and carries the story. The sibling characters can be a little heavy handed and it can be hard to believe their motivations are authentic at times. None of it is too distracting, however, and it's still entertaining to watch things play out. It takes a while to get into but if you're like me, your desire to see the captors meet their ends is enough to keep you going. It isn't nearly as brutal and violent as most movies of the type, but it's dark enough.
All in all, Darkroom isn't perfect, but it doesn't embarrass the sub-genre. It has its moments and handles itself in a respectable enough manner. If you like this type of film then it's worth checking out. You may just like it, but you also may find yourself forgetting about it fairly soon after. I've seen better, but more-so, I've certainly seen worse.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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