Mikes Film Talk

The 2014 production of Out of the Dark is a slow moody morality tale. Emphasis on the slow. It is the partial brainchild of writers/directors Dave and Alex Pastor.

If the names sound familiar then you may have seen their 2009 apocalyptic feature Carriers. It starred Chris Pine and Emily VanCamp. Carriers is also a sort of morality tale. Out of the Dark is definitely a morality tale, albeit, a slow and moody one.

The Story

A younger couple and their daughter move to South America to take over the family business. They arrive. Before they can unpack their bags, problems erupt.

The Out of the Dark Cast

Julia Stiles is Sarah.

Scott Speedman is Paul.

Stephen Rea is Roland.

Pixie Davies is Hannah.

Plot Threads

There are two plot threads running concurrently in this film. An ancient incident that resulted in the fiery deaths of the Colombian village’s children. Conquistadors kidnapped the youngsters and held them for a ransom of silver. Once they receive the ransome they burn the castle where the children are being held. Each year a festival commemorating their murder is held. This is when statues of the burnt victims are taken to the local church.

The other incident is not so old. 20 years previously the old paper mill leaked mercury into the river. This killed local children in the most horrible manner. Paul, Sarah and Hannah Harriman all move to the village of Santa Clara. There Sarah’s father has set up his only daughter to run the family company based in the small town.

Keep an Eye On

Davies, as Hannah, is a brilliant little actress and she is a little natural in front of the camera. This youngster already has eight credits to her name. These include Out of the Dark and she is in the 2015 television series Humans. This little actress shines in her part and is a delight to watch.

Solid Performances

The rest of the actors give solid performances as well. Vanesa Tamayo, in her first feature film, is spot on as the nanny Catalina. She is hired by the Harriman’s to help look after Hannah. The child gets sick after coming into contact with a ghost-child in the dumbwaiter in their new home. When the very solid wraith touches Hannah, something that looks like an insect crawls onto the little girl. She soon develops a rash and temperature. Later in the film, what the “insect” is becomes painfully and tragically clear.

As her parents try to find out what is wrong with their daughter she is kidnapped by ghost children. Judging from the comments, and the low score, on IMDb, the film was not well received by many. Obviously the languid pace and the mystery of what was going on did not appeal slasher film fans.

There are not many “jump scares.” Gore is nonexistent.  However, the suspense is well handled and the pieces of the film slot into place by the end. There are few things that do not logically pan out. There is one point in the film where Styles’ character suddenly sports a bandage on her hand. When and how the injury occurred is never shown and nor explained.

The Verdict

Regardless of the odd plot hole the film delivers and does not deserve the low score on IMDb. This low-key horror/mystery film does deliver and it entertains.  3.5 out of 5 stars. Out of the Dark is streaming on Prime, Peacock and other streaming channels

The trailer

Michael Knox-Smith