Out of Darkness is getting a limited release on Feb. 9, but I was able to see it early on Jan. 28 at AMC Scream Unseen.
The film takes place 45,000 years ago, where a group of early humans are being hunted by a monstrous, unknown entity.
I really wanted… and tried to like this, but it just did not work.
The first 15-20 minutes of Out of Darkness are devoid of anything compelling. This resulted in my interest level plunging very quickly. Because of this, I found it hard to get invested in the story, or even the intense and suspeseful scenes that followed.
In this initial stretch, we never get a proper grand introduction to the mysterious figure that is plaguing the group. The threat surrounding them is evident, but I never felt the true danger that should’ve been present.
Out of Darkness’ biggest problem — it’s boring. Horror filmmakers like Jordan Peele and Ari Aster have perfected the use of lingering shots that build up suspense. Here, however, the film completely overindugles in that technique. It feels like every shot lasts longer than it should, and this is an endless cycle that repeats itself over and over and over. In all honesty, I think probably 20-30 minutes could’ve been cut from this film that is only 87 minutes long.
The film thinks it is pulling a smart and surprising reveal in the third act, but in reality it goes in almost the least interesting direction possible. The movie’s conclusion was anticlimactic, and wasn’t fulfilling at all after SLOWLY building up to it.
Out of Darknesses’ main positive is the sound design. You don’t always need a visual of something to be frightened. This effectively uses sound to assert the presence of danger, which is the most effective aspect of the movie. Something else of note is that the language spoken in the film was developed specifically for the project. There are pieces here that show the passion poured into the flick, but unfortunately, it never comes together storywise.
Overall, Out of Darkness is very bland and forgettable. By the end of the film I was just completely uninterested in what was happening on screen. It unecessarily lingers on shots for far too long, the interesting parts of the story are under-explored and the ending is dissatisfying. You’ll be fine passing on this one.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
