Flickfeast Review of “The Darkness Within”
Jul 11
By Kevin Matthews on July 1, 2010 at 6:24 am
When you’re watching low-budget, independent cinema there often comes a time when you have to make a choice: just how much leeway do I give this film because of the limitations it struggles to work against? With Dom Portalla’s feature debut you get to ask yourself that question on a few occasions but the movie, thankfully, manages to win your favour in each of its three main acts.
The plot sees Chad Morgan (Jimmy Scanlon) and his lady, Ashley (Michelle Romano), moving into a new apartment in a new town. It’s not long before Chad starts to become paranoid about his neighbour, Mr Reed (a fun, slightly creepy turn from Ken Flott), as he starts to sense someone invading his privacy while things start to disintegrate around him.
As mentioned above, The Darkness Within is a movie in three distinct acts. The first act (after a very brief, pre-credits, teaser giving us a glimpse of things heating up, to say the least) is one of domestic bliss only slightly sullied by suspicion and unease. It’s not a bad start but really only livens up during one particularly memorable scene depicting Chad and Ashley debating how to dispose of a horribly big spider. Still, I have seen far worse.
The second act really kicks things into gear and brings in a number of elements that may seem extraneous at first but that certainly end up deserving their place in the movie. We get some more characters (including an all-too-easygoing landlady, wonderfully played by Stephanie Maheu, who tempts Chad into some old bad habits), an escalation of the paranoia and helplessness that Chad feels and a real feeling of things swiftly unraveling towards something that can only end unpleasantly.
The third, and final act, really rewards the viewer and ties everything up nicely. It also does enough to elevate the entire movie to something much more than its basic framework. The execution throughout may not be perfect but the material is solid.
In the acting stakes, I must say that I enjoyed Jimmy Scanlon’s performance but was pretty irritated by Michelle Romano. I’m sure that Romano meant well and did her best but, sadly, it wasn’t good enough and many of her scenes felt as if they had been inserted straight from, let’s face it, the storyline padding a dodgy adult movie. Thankfully, Scanlon, Flott, Maheu and Sean Pierce (playing a friend of Maheu’s character) all do pretty good considering that they’re certainly not full-time, worldly wise thespians.
Made for $3,000 on a mini-DV cam and set in his own apartment, does Dom Portalla make this movie worthy of the time you invest in watching it? Striving to rise above the many obstacles in his path, I’d have to say that he does. It’s the strength of the material that shines through and helps to raise this to a slightly above-average psychological thriller. Personally, I also liked the little nods to other movies in there (I sincerely hope the Halloween-like synth moment when Chad thinks there are more trick or treaters at his door was intentional) and the mix of dark humour in there with the more serious mind-meddling.
Sadly, the audio levels, static nature of the camera (most of the time) and pacing of the majority of the scenes slightly undoes a lot of the good work gained elsewhere. Necessity is the mother of invention and it’s clear that Mr. Portalla had to be very inventive indeed to even get his film made. He deserves some praise for that alone but, for this final judgment, I have to say that the movie would certainly benefit from some major spit and polish work.
DIRECTOR: DOM PORTALLA
STARS: JIMMY SCANLON, MICHELLE ROMANO, STEPHANIE MAHEU, KEN FLOTT, SEAN PIERCE
RUNTIME: 90 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: USA
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The Liberal Dead Review of “The Darkness Within”
Jul 11
Review: “The Darkness Within” written and directed by Dom Portalla, Is a prime example of a well written and edited horror / thriller. Going into this movie I must say I was pretty excited based on what I had seen in the trailer, After viewing the actual film I find myself blown away and excited to hear the reactions of others after they have a chance to see it as well. With a $3000 budget and a mini-DV cam Dom Portalla takes the viewer on a journey that many million dollar Hollywood directors will only dream of ever achieving during their careers, weaving elements of horror, suspense, and even a dash of slacker comedy that draws you in and keeps you focused on the beautiful cinema experience that is unfolding before your eyes. This is not your average indie film and truly shows that you don’t have to spend a small fortune in order to make a great movie.
“The Darkness Within” is a very engrossing film, I found myself unable to turn away due to the fact I was so curious to what was going to happen next and afraid I would miss some small detail or one liner if I strayed for even a moment. The acting was very solid and believable some of the best I’ve seen as far as indie horror goes Michelle Romano (Ashley) and Jimmy Scanlon’s (Chad) onscreen interaction will be very relatable to any couples who have lived together both the comedic and serious moments that arise had me saying “been there before”.
The overall visual quality of this movie is also not what you expect from such a low budget, it’s very easy on the eyes and crystal clear, even a few old school horror camera effects are tossed in to give it a very Hitchcock era feel at times. There are also some very interesting camera angles, one being a early scene involving a spider in the bathroom that I loved from both an angle perspective and a dialog perspective truly memorable scene I’m sure I’ll quote from for years to come as a known spider fearing person.
“The Darkness Within” is well written and at times the definition of creepy on behalf of The Liberal Dead I give “The Darkness Within” a well deserved 8 out of 10 and recommend you put the name Dom Portalla on your name radar if he keeps up such a solid display of ability.
8 / 10
- Ted “Ritualistic” Brown
Cynical-Cinema Review of “The Darkness Within”
Jul 11Rach’s Words:
I am very, very slow on updating about this film as it was sent to me to review months ago. ALL APOLOGIES.
Despite the delay, I am SO glad I finally sat down to watch it. This is the second independent film effort from Dom Portalla. His first, Duality, had the makings of a solid foundation for a new filmmaker but was buried beneath too many obvious influences. With The Darkness Within, Portalla is really starting to find his own voice–his own loud, creepy, spine-tingling voice.
The story in this film is a pretty standard “everything seems perfect and then it all starts to unravel” tale, but it packs a wallop of an ending. I’m reluctant to go into the plot with much detail, so as not to give anything away but, suffice it to say, Dom’s writing is engaging and this tale he has spun will leave you befuddled and chilled. Another plus: his dialogue is believable and quirky. There are a few rough spots–attempts at witty banter that go on just a tad too long and fall flat–but overall the script is well-written with a flow that carries the viewer through a twisting and turning plot like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (the scariest ride of all the Disney theme park rides. For crying out loud..I cried for 2 solid hours afterwards when I w
as 8 years old.)
As for performances, the breakout, hands down, was Jimmy Scanlon as the lead. He reminded me of Sharlto Copley in District 9: starting the film with a quiet, everyman quality that peels away to reveal something so much more intense. He was not without his flaws (a few moments scattered throughout the film of disengaged delivery), but when he’s good…he’s GOOD. I hope this was more than just a lark for Mr. Scanlon and he is working on developing that burgeoning talent. With some work, he could pull off some great performances in the future. Honorable mention goes to Ken Flott, who plays “creepy” so damn well.
What really shines in this film, though, is Dom Portalla’s direction and editing. As I said, he is finding his voice. And while it retains some Lynchian echos, the final effects are all attributable to his own creativity. There were at least two or three moments that gave me chills as a direct result of his inventive blocking, cuts and use of lighting. For a sophomore effort, this film is solid and shows that Portalla is only gaining a firmer grasp on his own talents and honing in on how best to use them. I can’t wait to see what else he has up his sleeve.
Mag Fest review: The Darkness Within by oxfordfilmfreak
Jul 11
There are plenty of minor things I could be critical about with “The Darkness Within,” but the plain truth is despite its low-budget flaws (and I mean, the thing was made for $3,000 on a mini-DV cam!) , it’s still a captivating psychological drama that had me completely hooked. With a film such as this, it just goes to show, it is not about how much money or what camera or crew you have, but how effective you are at telling a story.
Chad (Jimmy Scanlon) and Ashley (Michelle Romano) are starting their new lives together, recently engaged and moving into a new apartment that Ashley likes to call a coffin – a small basement apartment with too many spiders. We know that Ashley is a bartender but we are not quite sure what Chad does besides looking for a job and playing with lots of video equipment. However, he also likes to spend a lot of time over at his landlord’s apartment, getting high and drunk and watching she and her boyfriend play video games. He’s a real catch.
In his free time, he also shares with his new friends his concerns over the peeping tom in the neighborhood. In trying to not share this with Ashley, Chad appears to begin losing his mind as the mystery unravels as to whether someone is daily breaking into his house and opening the blinds and watching him at night, or not. His neighbor, Mr. Reed and the possible peeping tom, pops up in unsuspecting moments, watching quietly.
Portalla does this in a quiet yet effective manner. The first time we see him looking in the window is a long drawn out scene where Chad is peeing. There is no score that gives away that Reed is looking in. There is no camera zoom in on his face. Instead, he just is there, quietly watching. We notice out of the corner of our eye and it is the more shocking for it. Yet Mr. Reed’s denials during the day make Chad question what is real. Maybe it is not him that we see. Maybe it is someone else.
Writer/Director Dom Portalla effectively uses some red herrings that even this obsessive psychological horror fan didn’t pick up on until the big reveal at the end. It takes a craftsman to truly carry the viewer’s suspense all the way thru until you want to let them in on the truth. Although the twist ending has been overused over the past few years to the point of most audiences realizing what’s coming long before the filmmaker can get you there (yes you “Shutter Island”), “The Darkness Within” still manages to surprise.
Portalla said that when he was deciding on creating a horror film, he wanted the feeling of claustrophobia and a single location. Using his own apartment and some guerilla style filmmaking with a very small cast and crew, he manages just that – an evocative tale that takes you down an unexpected road (which I would love to examine fully but hate to kill the ending for you, so instead, just see it).
The film recently played at the Magnolia Film Festival in Starkville. Check the Facebook fan page for updates on where to see it next.
Keep Me Conscious
Jul 11
“THICKER THAN BLOOD”
Music from the motion picture “The Darkness Within” [2009]
Shot, Edited & Directed by | Dom Portalla
“STUCK IN A MURDER SCENE”
Live from Dodge St. [2009] | Salem, MA.
Shot & Edited by | Dom Portalla
“CARS COLLIDED”
Live from Dodge St. [2009] | Salem, MA.
Shot & Edited by | Dom Portalla
“WAITING”
Live | Montage [2009]
Shot & Edited by | Dom Portalla
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