Cultcuts Magazine mini-capsule review of “The Darkness Within”

Cultcuts Magazine mini-capsule review of “The Darkness Within”

Mar 22

THE DARKNESS WITHIN
2009 – NR – 89 Minutes
D: Dom Portalla
S: Jimmy Scanlon, Michelle Romano, Ken Flott, Stephanie Maheu, Sean Pierce, David Wilson
DVD Courtesy ofDoor Eleven Productions
Widescreen/Stereo
Extras: Teaser, Trailer, Gag Reel, Music Video, Short Subjects

Chad Morgan and his fiancée Ashley move into a new apartment. It’s small, rather dumpy, but affordable and a place where they can begin a new life together. Or at least they think they can. Within a short time they discover the place has a spider infestation and a strange landlord situation, plus Chad has an unpleasant run-in with a neighbor named Mr. Reed, who just might be a Peeping Tom and possibly worse. But all that is just the tip of the iceberg. When Chad learns what’s really going on and why he actually ended up moving into the apartment, his entire world starts to fall apart. Writer/director Dom Portalla does an admirable job mounting the suspense in this SOV thriller. From a technical standpoint, there are a few problems, with the constant crossing the line during over-the-shoulder shots being the most repetitive one. But perhaps that is a deliberate distraction revealing how off-balanced the world is in the story. And the world here sure isn’t what it’s supposed to be. This is a tale of an unhinged mind and it works on that level. While the acting isn’t great, it’s not from a lack of effort. Jimmy Scanlon does a good job revealing Chad’s arch from a happy man with a seemingly upbeat future ahead to an angry, desperate soul trying to sort out situations that simply cannot be happening. Scanlon and Michelle Romano have decent chemistry as the young couple, Ken Flott is appropriately ambiguous and creepy as Mr. Reed, while Stephanie Maheu and Sean Pierce are engagingly weird as the upstairs landlords. Overall, this is an entertaining thriller with a cool but not necessarily unexpected twist at the end. Recommended. – Craig Hamann

Source

Pick up a copy of “The Darkness Within” Special Edition DVD by clicking the link below!

Planet Of Terror Podcast!

Planet Of Terror Podcast!

Mar 16

Writer/Director Dom Portalla talks with Geof Capodanno (head blogger at Enter The Man-Cave) and host Cortez the Killer about his independent film, “The Darkness Within”, on Episode 3 of the
Planet of Terror horror podcast

Other topics include “A Serbian Film”, Monster Mania Horror Convention and old school Nintendo games.

Check it out!

Pick up a copy of “The Darkness Within” on DVD!

“The Darkness Within” named among top films of 2010!

“The Darkness Within” named among top films of 2010!

Dec 29

Ted “Ritualistic” Brown of The Liberal Dead & James Cortez of The Blood Sprayer have included “The Darkness Within” among their favorite films of 2010! Check out what they have to say below.

“Drama, horror, suspense, and comedy all blended into a tight knit package that delivers in every way.”

-Ritualistic’s Top Five Flicks of 2010

“The Darkness Within is a great slice of psychological horror with more than a few passing nods to some of the genre’s greatest films (most notably, The Shining).”

-Cortez The Killer’s Year End List-O-Rama!

The Limited Special Edition DVD’s have also been reduced to $8.99, so don’t forget to pick up a copy!

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From Midnight, With Love review of “The Darkness Within”

From Midnight, With Love review of “The Darkness Within”

Nov 15

FMWL Indie Spotlight – The Darkness Within
by From Midnight, With Love on November 12, 2010

(2009, Dir. by Dom Portalla.)

Like most independent horror films out there that are fighting for their chance, I had no knowledge of The Darkness Within until it showed up over at Planet Of Terror – the place where independent horror films come to light. Thanks to a giveaway on that site via the illustrious Cortez the Killer, a copy made its way to my doorstep and I sat down with the film by writer/director/editor Dom Portalla.

The Darkness Within starts off by introducing us to a happy young couple, Chad and Ashley, who are starting a new life in a new town. They seem to be very in love with each other and don’t have a care in the world – except that Ashley is terrified of spiders and Chad thinks the neighbor is spying on them. The neighbor, played by Ken Flott quickly dismisses any concerns Chad has, and his young landlady and her friend with benefits – a couple of foul-mouthed, pot-smoking gamers – don’t see anything strange going on either. Chad becomes increasingly frustrated with his escalating predicament, and the film builds tension through his reaction to the predicament. Is there someone watching him, or are there bigger demons that go bump in Chad’s night?

The cast primarily consists of inexperienced young talent, but I found myself pretty pleased with them across the board. They know this isn’t Shakespeare, and these actors and actresses do a fine job of presenting realistic dialogue that helps the film seem authentic. I was especially fond of Stephanie Maheu as the foul-mouthed young landlady who, along with Sean Pierce as her cohort, did what was necessary to present all of the improper traits you’d expect from modern youngsters who don’t bother being politically correct. I’ve dealt with plenty of imbeciles professionally, and these two hit the spot in that regard. Michelle Romano, as Ashley, seems to be forcing a little in the early scenes of the film, but by the end of the film her performance turned around quite nicely. A similar commentary could be made regarding Jimmy Scanlon, who leads the film as Chad. Both characters don’t seem quite right in the early going, but as the plot unfolds the doubts I had about their performances began to make sense. Like many horror films of late – the Paranormal Activity films come to mind – the twists in the plot change our perspective regarding the characters. In this case, I found myself recognizing a lot of the things that made sense about these performances as the credits rolled.

It’s obvious that Portalla put this film together on the cheap (the sound quality of the film makes this very evident, but is a small price to pay for what the rest of the film has to offer), but it’s easy to see that he knows his way around the camera. While a lot of independent filmmakers settle into certain angles from which they’ll always shoot certain areas, Portalla keeps the view fresh and changes the angle of view often, which is necessary for a film which wants to keep us considering the psyche of its characters. The film is edited well, running briskly through 90 minutes of screen-time with little filler. I already mentioned the everyday realism of the dialogue, but it bears repeating that Portalla has created a world that a viewer should easily relate to.

As the plot twists and turns to the finale, there might be some moments of disdain from the trained viewer, and I could see where one would think that it tries too hard to get an extra twist or two in. But after some thought, I’m pretty content with what Portalla was selling. I don’t think the film treads a lot of new ground, and it’s prone to the same traps that most independent films fall into, but there’s something really endearing about it. This is a bold piece of independent filmmaking that succeeds within its resources and provides solid entertainment. Portalla and crew know how to tell a story and make it memorable, which means The Darkness Within should keep you thinking long after the finale.

In a bold move, the final scene ties us into two of the greatest chillers ever made – but I think that confidence fits the film and its crew perfectly. The Darkness Within is a horror film with heart; the kind whose creators must have always known where they were going with their project. I’m glad I was here to find it, and definitely recommend it.

If you want more info on The Darkness Within, check out Portalla’s company’s website, Door Eleven Productions – where you’ll find more info on how you can see the film and the people behind it!

Midnight Review by The Mike

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“The Darkness Within” Special Edition DVD’s are now on sale! Purchase a copy by clicking the link below!