SYNOPSICS
The Darkroom (2006) is a English movie. Michael Hurst has directed this movie. Shawn Pyfrom,Reed Diamond,Greg Grunberg,Lucy Lawless are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2006. The Darkroom (2006) is considered one of the best Horror,Mystery,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
A teenage boy befriends an escapee from a mental institution who sees visions of horrible murders being committed.
The Darkroom (2006) Trailers
Same Actors
Same Director
The Darkroom (2006) Reviews
Decent, Not What I Would Call 'Horror' Though
Aside from the main character's visions of monsters and gore, I would have to say this is a thriller. Pretty original plot concept and good acting as well. The story follows a man who is offered an experimental drug in hopes that he can remember why he was found on the side of the road covered in blood. The movie then leads you into his journey of finding these memories. Nice twist at the end, though I have a feeling most people will know what that twist is about 10 minutes before it happens, but it doesn't distract from the effect. Overall it's original, I like the concept, the actors were well suited and nothing really seemed out of place. A couple goofs here and there due to shoddy editing possibly, again, nothing that really distracts from the quality of the story. I rate this a 7/10. I give it 7 instead of 6 because of the lack of recognizable actors and how well the roles were played.
Good Mystery Thriller W/ Great Cast
Dark Room features an excellent cast, that hit all the right notes. Reed Diamond, Shawn Pyfrom, Lucy Lawless and Greg Grunberg of Heroes fame should be commended on a job well done. I did have one major issue with this film, however they made up for it in the end, with a very satisfying, and surprisingly happy ending. I definitely agree with the previous reviewer, that this is not really a horror movie. I was expecting something along the lines of Hostel, or other recent examples in the extreme horror revival, looking at the cover, but you certainly do not get that here. Other then some bloody trippy flashback moments, this is really more a mystery/thriller/drama about a man trying to recover his identity. The issue I speak of is what I was gearing up to slam this movie for, and thats the cop out ending. I won't reveal it here, but it's a classic example of recent genre features overdoing the twist, at expense of the majority of the film, leading up to it. It worked in the past with efforts like Sixth Sense, but it's becoming quite tiresome now. However Dark Room doesn't end on that note, and goes on to deliver a satisfying ending, that came full circle, and overall left me satisfied. I love extreme horror, but I'll judge this for what it truly is, a slightly above average mystery/thriller, with an A list cast, of extraordinary actors'.
Surprisingly decent low budget horror mystery.
The Darkroom starts in a hospital where an amnesia suffer (Reed Diamond) has spent the last 15 years, he was found wandering on a forest road covered in mud & blood & nobody has any idea who he is least of all himself. However a Dr. Allen (Ellie Cornall) who works for a private company has developed a new drug designed to help people remember & it's currently going through clinical trials & this guy has been chosen as a human Guinea pig, Dr. Allen administers the drug & the man has violent convulsions. When he recovers he claims not to remember anything & is taken back to his room, however on the way another patient attacks some members of staff & in the confusion he manages to escape the hospital. Once outside in L.A. he befriends a young boy named Stanley (Shawn Pyform), the more time he spends around Stanley the more he remembers as if Stanley was once part of his life all those years ago... Co-written & directed by Michael Hurst I actually thought The Darkroom was a pretty decent time waster, sure it ain't going to make anyone's top ten best films anytime soon but it's perfectly watchable in it's own right. The script by Hurst & producer Mark A. Altman which takes itself extremely seriously is basically one long build up to it's twist ending & not much more, I have to say I thought the ending was pretty good as it wasn't too over-the-top or silly & is pretty cool. I personally didn't see it coming until late in the film & I don't think it's twist which is too predictable either. I'm sure if you sit down & pick the film apart then you could probably find all sorts of plot holes but as an immediate out the blue twist I thought it worked very well. However, the film is maybe a touch on the slow side & the impatient among you may not last the ride, several things aren't exactly explained clearly & it tries too hard at the end to tie everything up together & give itself a feel good happy ending. I thought the character's were good as was the dialogue without being outstanding, I thought it was something just that bit different & overall I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked The Darkroom, I also thought the mystery elements were pretty engaging & they at least kept me watching. Director Hurst does alright, the film doesn't have much style but it's well made at least. I'm not really sure who the target audience for The Darkroom is as it's not really a horror film, I would struggle to call it a thriller as well so I'm not sure. This is a hard one to categorise as it has elements of both. This contains quite a few gory blood spurting slit throats which are quite graphic although they occur mostly during dream sequences & there's also a mud monster thing as well that turns up every so often. The special effects are fine with the slit throats looking particularly good & I'm pleased to report I didn't notice any awful CGI computer effects. Technically the film is good & a hell of a lot better made than many recent straight-to-video low budget horror themed junk out there, it's well made throughout with decent production values & it actually looks like a proper film. The acting is OK, Xena: Warrior Princess (1995 - 2001) star Lucy Lawless is the only recognisable cast member as far as I was concerned. The Darkroom is a good attempt at a psychological horror film with a twist & in that regard it's a watchable effort, it's nothing that will change your life but you could do a lot worse that's for sure.
Incredible acting by Lucy Lawless and a nice twist too.
I am not generally a "horror" fan. I admit, I watched this film so I could see Lucy Lawless's role as Cheryl, the alcoholic Mother of Stanley and the wife of Bob. Her portrayal of this once strong, confident and beautiful woman is devastating. She captures her spirit and pain seemingly effortlessly. Lucy has shown her unending range with this film, and I wish she had more scenes. Her character simply fascinated me, and would love to see a sequel for this one. I would have loved to see this character developed more, but I understand that the film is about the murders, and not Cheryl. I have watched this thing half a dozen times in five days. I guess I am addicted. I suppose I should mention the other cast, Reed Diamond (mental patient), Greg Grunberg (Bob), and Shawn Pyfrom (Stanley) were all very well cast. I watched the commentary, and it seems they had quite the time finding these actors for these roles. I won't give away what they said, but it was a miracle this movie was made at all. The story is very good, and plays out well. I do not want to give it away, so I won't. Nice twist at the end. They did a good job of not quite letting you know what was going to happen. One of the only things that I would have done was make this film longer. At 84 minutes, it seems too short. That would also have aloud more Cheryl development. All in all, an EXCELLENT movie! Michael Hurst (writer/director) ended up with a good film for all the hell it was to get made. Charis.xX 2006
not bad actually.....
I watched this movie not expecting anything too good since i had never heard of it before, but after viewing it i wasn't disappointed. The plot is easy to follow and the mostly unknown actors execute pretty well. I was majorly impressed by lucy lawless's performance expanding out of her usual role as the "badass, don't need a man to get crap done" type and taking on a more vulnerable character that shows indeed she is one of the most underrated actresses out there. The movie kind of does seem to slow down a little bit and if you have seen enough of these types of movies, the twist shouldn't come as a shocker. So if you have a free night and nothing to watch, check this out. You might actually like it.