Darkness (2002)

Directed by: Jaume Balagueró | 102 minutes | horror | Actors: Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Stephan Enquist, Fele Martínez, Fermi Reixach, Craig Stevenson

‘Darkness’ is about an American family that moves into an old house in Spain, a house that has not been inhabited in forty years. It soon becomes clear that something is wrong with the house. Ghosts of children wander about and a mysterious creepy man stands in the dark and in the rain watching the house. The son is suddenly terrified of the dark and wakes up with bruises, the father gradually goes mad and the mother seems to do nothing. The only one who seems to be clear-headed is the daughter, Regina. The director seems to have pulled out all the horror clichés, but still has some surprises in store for us.

‘Darkness’ is not an original horror film, but the slowly built tension keeps you on the edge of your seat. The star of the film is undoubtedly Anna Paquin, who comes across very convincingly as Regina, the daughter of the house. She adores her brother Paul, and wants to protect him from all the evil that lurks them. The role of the mother, played by Lena Olin, is less good. She comes across a bit flat, as if she suppresses her emotions and can actually act better.

Admittedly, the swimming scenes don’t add much to the story, but they do occasionally put you on the wrong track, because you fear that something bad is about to happen in the pool.
But you don’t see the plot changes coming and that makes the film interesting. It’s a simple, but well-developed script. The oppressive feeling that the film leaves behind remains for a long time. You have to force yourself not to cover your eyes when things get too exciting, because you might miss an important scene! The effects with which Jamue Balaguerò scares us may be simple, but very effective.

A wonderful horror film, admittedly with elements from older and recent horror films, but the ending is so phenomenal that it more than makes up for it.