The Horror Show
The Dark Room
by Jason Stutter
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. On that premise, judging a horror movie by its synopsis could be undeservedly misleading, as in the end it all comes down to the cast, cinematography and performances. These are the elements that make a horror movie worthy of our time and ideally of our nightmares.
In the case of The Dark Room, however, the final outcome is as generic and mundane as its synopsis. Jason Stutter’s story follows a distraught New Zealand family who abandons their country house they’ve known as home after being terrorized by ghostly phenomena. Enter a trio of ghost investigators.
The team of ghost hunters bring along their high-tech equipment and a strong zest for the paranormal, aiming to uncover the dark secrets behind the house’s evil ambiance. Are they skilled enough to combat what’s residing in the property before it’s too late?
Well, it doesn’t really matter. The paranormal sub-genre has been repeatedly beaten down by flicks lacking inspiration and sporting the same tiresome clichés; unexpected banging of doors, vicious tossing of objects across rooms, and of course, shadowy figures lurking in dark corners. The Dark Room is no exception. Easily plotted jump scares and generic bits of the spectral world yield some fairly unimpressive results.
Unfortunately, The Dark Room is a haunted endeavor that fails to succeed on several levels, with the lack of ambition doing the biggest damage. Jason Stutter’s effort to make us feel uneasy was apparently not enough to make it stand out from the unpleasant genre generics.
So you might want to stay away from this one, unless you are up for a bit of disappointment and a tad of regret.
Maria Kriva, HMS
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