Horror Reporter: Reviews - Dark Corners

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Reviews

Dark Corners

Sub-Genre: Suspense, Thriller
U.S. Release Date: 2007 (Straight to DVD)
Running Length: 1 hr. 32 min.
MPAA Classification: Unrated (some violence, gore, and language)
Cast: Thora Birch, Toby Stephens, Christien Anholt, Alan Perrin, Oliver Price
Director: Ray Gower
Screenplay: Ray Gower

Report Card: C+

Dark Corners Dark Corners is about a young woman named "Susan Hamilton" (Thora Birch of American Beauty, Ghost World) who starts to have strange dreams about an alter-ego named "Karen Clarke". Mrs. Hamilton lives in a bright and cheery world with her loving husband "David" (Christien Anholt), while Miss Clarke lives alone in a dark and dreary world, and is being stalked by a serial killer named "Needletooth" (Oliver Price).

Believing that these dreams are somewhat related to her inability to become pregnant, Susan goes to a hypnotist for therapy. The treatment initially appears to be a success, but eventually the dreams return and are even more disturbing than before.

The story moves at a moderate pace, and the plot is somewhat slow at times. There are intermittent story shifts between the "light" world of Susan Hamilton and the "dark" world of Karen Clarke, which I found to become somewhat tedious after awhile. The audience is left in the dark throughout most of the film wondering what the hell is going on, and the story ends with a rather weak plot "twist" that was similar to another horror film I've seen.

On a positive note, director Ray Gower does an excellent job a creating a dark/gothic atmosphere in the world of Karen Clarke, with the proficient use of ominous music and a drab set design.

There are a couple of disturbing scenes of gore, with a couple scenes left to the imagination. While a far cry from the likes of "Freddy Kruger" or Jason Voorhees", Needletooth nonetheless maintains a menacing presence and a chilling demeanor.

Overall, I consider Dark Corners to be slightly better than your average horror flick. If you're looking for something a little less mainstream, Dark Corners might be worth checking out. But be forewarned, however. The plot is slow (and confusing) at times, and the end of the film might leave you wondering "WTF?".


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