A Dark Song

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🎙️ EPISODE 320: 02.11.2021 The best part of A Dark Song is how its menace is constantly shifting: from grief and sadness; to the threat of this strange man in the house, who might be an inept imposter or a malevolent freak (and who's to say which is worse); to the protagonist's uncontrollable spite, fury and rage; to–you know–actual demons and shit. The story concerns a woman who can not get over the loss of her murdered son. So she turns to an occultist to perform a ritual to connect with him and right off the bat he just seems like the worst guy for the job: a schlubby, easily annoyed drunk who looks like an I.T. dork. She rents a remote country house in Wales to perform the ritual and pays the dorky occultist some $80,000 to be her spirit guide. It's a wild premise but it's presented as nothing more than getting into any other hobby post-tragedy; she could have just started doing yoga.

I found this film to be truly terrifying in the way I suppose most people want a horror movie to feel. I'm not sure what I want when I watch 'scary movies' because I kind of hate being frightened in the jump scare way. I guess I'm more interested in the dread of not knowing what's behind the door, instead of what's actually behind the door. The eerie soundtrack and general indie vibe (minimal CGI) all adds up to what feels like requisite stock material of the new prestige horror film. But it's easier said than done. Most, if not all, successful films in the genre strike an emotional chord; the creepiness should be in service of that, not vice versa. And that's surely the case here. It's a slow build toward an absolutely horrifying conclusion.

The ultimate ending, however, if I described it, would sound so unbelievably goofy, I fear I'd risk cheapening the whole affair. But it works because the tension leading up to it is so dark. It's a miraculous relief, and full of an almost childlike wonder. There's also some ambiguity surrounding the closure that I appreciated. The film was a puzzle featuring two incredibly unreliable lead characters, and the end should follow suit. Writer-director Liam Gavin crafted a real winner here with this debut, and I hope he makes another film soon.

CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ EPISODE 319 - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 321 ⫸

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