Beneath The Darkness is ultimately very forgettable. Director Martin Guigui failed to put a distinct mark on the film. I had to go back and re-watch several scenes to finish the review, because it didnt make much of an impression on me. Its the kind of movie that I will forget the name of by tomorrow and forget having seen at all in six months. It doesnt bring any fresh ideas to the thriller genre and it definitely doesnt meet the qualifications to be classified as a horror film. The majority of the movie is a rehash of better films. Screenwriter Bruce Wilkinson borrows noticeably from both Psycho and The Vanishing.
From this point on, there are spoilers, so be warned!
The pacing in Beneath The Darkness is up and down. It does a fair job of creating tension in a couple of scenes. The segments where the teens sneak in to Elys home are spooky. Unfortunately, the sequences of genuine tension are too infrequent to carry the movie. As a result, most of the film drags and never finds a consistent pace.
Dennis Quaids performance as Vaughn Ely is the best of the bunch. Although Quaids character isnt entirely original, his performance isnt bad. He pulls sadistic off, pretty well. Quaid lends a socially awkward quality to the role that I enjoyed. Seeing Quaid dancing around with his dead wife, as if it is the most normal thing in the world, was one of the high points of the movie. Quaids character always has a self satisfied look on his face, while he is doing the devils work. His character has a perverse sense of morality that Quaid effectively translates to the screen. The teens deliver forgettable performances. Aimee Teegarden is obnoxious as Abby. Her performance is dull and uninspired. She recites most of her lines in a distant monotone. Even being buried alive doesnt warrant much of a reaction from her character, Abby. Tony Oller isnt any better as Travis. His performance is two dimensional and instantly forgettable.
The character development is minimal. We get some back story on Quaids character, but the film never sheds any light on the origination of his psychosis. The obligatory explanation of what goes on inside the killers mind that drives him or her to kill is noticeably absent from Beneath The Darkness. As for every other character in the movie I had to check the credits to learn their names. Lack of character development is okay and even expected in films with a high body count, but Beneath The Darkness only kills off one of the main characters. Were stuck with the rest of them for the entirety of the film and none of them really do anything to warrant their survival.
There arent a lot of effects to comment on. There is nearly no blood in the film. The one kill scene is well executed. Seeing Vaughn Ely stomp one of the teens heads had me hopeful that we would see more violence. A few more death scenes would have been a welcome addition.
Unfortunately, Quaids performance isnt enough to make Beneath The Darkness more than a below average entry in the already saturated psychological thriller genre. Beneath The Darkness hits DVD and Blu-ray February 28th. You can check it out then, or just take my word for it and pass on this one.
