Number Rolled: 93
Movie Name/Year: Beneath
the Darkness (2012)
Genre: Thriller
Length: 96
minutes
Rating: R
Production Companies:
Raincreek Productions, Sunset Pictures, BTDARK
Executive Producer:
Scott Mednick, Bruce Wilkenson, Janie Wilkinson, Jenny Wilkinson
Director: Martin
Guigui
Writer: Bruce
Wilkinson
Actors: Dennis
Quaid, Aimee Teegarden, Tony Oller, Stephen Lunsford, Devon Werkheiser, Brett
Cullen, Dahlia Waingort, Conrad Gonzales, Wilbur Penn, Amber Bartlett, David
Christopher
Travis is a peculiar high school student. He’s had it rough,
though. His sister died when he was younger, and things never quite went back
to being normal. When his friends decide to check out the strange town
mortician, he goes along for the ride.
Selina’s Point of View:
This was not an example of one of Dennis Quaid’s (Vegas, What to Expect When You’re Expecting,
The Day After Tomorrow) best acting performances. He got sufficiently
creepy at times, but there was no real connection shown between him and his
character. In fact, there seemed to be a disconnect between all the actors and
their roles. Nothing was believable.
The beginning of the movie took away the majority of the
thrills for the rest of the film. The script was predictable and
interchangeable for any TV movie thriller out there. Those Bad Lip Reading guys on YouTube could make this movie more
interesting easily.
There was only one reason this film got more than a score of
1 for me.
As strange as it sounds, it was comforting. Not good, no,
but the feel of Beneath the Darkness
was that of an old 80’s horror/thriller. It had less jump scares, subtle
horrors, strange observations… in fact, this movie could have been an instant
classic if the writer and director had gone in a different direction. If they
had played with the mystery more, engaged the viewer.
Instead, they put together the movie version of a
grandparent with dementia. At times comforting, but more often heartbreaking.
Cat’s Point of View:
I’ve been a fan of Dennis Quaid (Movie 43, Legion, Footloose) since seeing him in Enemy Mine (1985) when I was little. I
was excited to see what he’d do with the role of Ely, the murderous mortician.
The film didn’t keep you waiting for the train to crazyville. Right out of the
gate, there’s a glimpse into his malignant broken psyche.
I liked that he was set up as damaged and malicious from the
beginning. It added to the sense of dread when he was interacting with others,
as the film progressed. When was he going to unhinge again? What was this thing
that poor guy at the beginning did to him?
Every town has their ghost stories and creepy citizens. For
the small town in this film, it made sense that the two would converge with the
mortician that just hasn’t been the same since his wife died. Toss in a liberal
dash of ‘meddling kids’ and blend well.
Some of the dialogue between the teen friends felt a little
off, but the film did a decent job setting up their dynamic with each other and
their individual identities.
I was also happy to see Aimee Teegarden (Prom, Scream 4, Call of the Wild) in
this movie. I really enjoyed her in the
Starcrossed (2014) TV series, which was cancelled before its time. She had some really good chemistry with Tony
Oller (The Purge, I Flunked Sunday
School, Field of Vision).
Quaid’s character was frightening, and there were several
scenes that had me on the proverbial edge of my seat. Overall, I enjoyed this
movie. I’d watch it again, if I caught it on TV.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 5%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 15%
Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 2.6/5
Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 1.5/5
Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 3/5
Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score
– 3.5/5
Movie Trailer: (If you intend to watch the movie, don't watch the trailer. It's got all the pay-offs and spoilers in it.)
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