The Darkness

Name: The Darkness
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Released: May 13, 2016
Duration: 92 min
Rating: 27
Cast: David Mazouz, Kevin Bacon, Lucy Fry, Radha Mitchell

2016

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 61 Ratings

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2.4

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2.4	User Score Generally unfavorable reviews based on 61 Ratings

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The Darkness

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Movie Details & Credits

BH Tilt | Release Date: May 13, 2016 | PG-13

Starring: David Mazouz, Kevin Bacon, Lucy Fry, Radha Mitchell

Summary: As a family returns home from vacation at the Grand Canyon, they innocently bring home a supernatural force that preys off their own fears and vulnerabilities, threatening to destroy them from within, while consuming their lives with terrifying consequences.

Director: Greg Mclean

Genre(s): Thriller, Horror

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 92 min

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Critic Reviews

A.A. Dowd

May 13, 2016

It’s vaguely endearing to watch Bacon and Mitchell actually try to act their way through the film’s family drama, as though it weren’t a perfunctory pretext to jump scares. The Darkness needs their chops. It needs anything to distract horror fans from the fact that there’s nothing new here. Read full review

Edward Douglas

May 13, 2016

The Darkness offers very few new scares, mainly because it's so haunted by the ghosts of far better horror movies. Read full review

The Guardian Jordan Hoffman

May 13, 2016

Bacon, Mitchell and especially young Lucy Fry are all quite effective in these dramatic scenes. But this isn’t a drama. It’s a dumbass, inexpensive horror flick which means anything real is thrown away so that poorly rendered CG ghosts can hover about and smash up windows. Read full review

Scott Tobias

May 17, 2016

At some point in the production process, co-writer/director Greg McLean must have believed he was making John Cassavetes’ “Poltergeist,” but this odd fusion of psychodrama and supernatural hokum gets away from him. Read full review

Steve Davis

May 18, 2016

It’s like being haunted by outsized chimney sweeps that never bathe. And for the most part, it’s about that scary. Read full review

Chuck Bowen

May 13, 2016

This enterprise is so listless that one can't even work up a proper head of self-righteous steam over the spooky Native American clichés that drive the plot. Read full review

John DeFore

May 14, 2016

Amid the rarely very creepy buildup to the Amityville-ish showdown to come, the screenplay piles on more unrelated domestic drama than the picture can take. Read full review

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User Reviews

lukechristiansc

May 29, 2016

Greg McLeans' "The Darkness" is bland and so predictable and it has the clichés in a horror film, but I had fun with this film despite the problems I had with the script (which McLeans co-wrote the script along with Shayne Armstrong and Shane Krause) at least they made an interesting horrorGreg McLeans' "The Darkness" is bland and so predictable and it has the clichés in a horror film, but I had fun with this film despite the problems I had with the script (which McLeans co-wrote the script along with Shayne Armstrong and Shane Krause) at least they made an interesting horror film and made Kevin Bacon and Radha Mitchell likeable, but their the only people who I actually liked in the movie overall. Kevin Bacon and Radha Mitchell play a married couple, their on a vacation with their son Michael (David Mazouz) and daughter Michelle (Lucy Fry) in the Grand Canyon. While exploring into the Grand Canyon Mike fells inside the Grand Canyon and finds some weird ancient rocks. Mike takes the rocks with him as they leave the Grand Canyon and takes it home with him. Weird stuff starts to happen with the family. Despite idiotic characters and predictable scares I was still entertained and had fun with the film also Kevin Bacon and Radha Mitchell's performance were the only things I liked in the movie. 3 out of 4 stars… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

kuehnau

May 27, 2016

As a super natural, horror, thriller, The Darkness isn't a bad movie by any means, it is unfortunately very cliched. The movie movies at a slow pace, but the entire time, the audience is already aware of what's going on, they are just waiting to see what the end result is.

Classic themesAs a super natural, horror, thriller, The Darkness isn't a bad movie by any means, it is unfortunately very cliched. The movie movies at a slow pace, but the entire time, the audience is already aware of what's going on, they are just waiting to see what the end result is.

Classic themes such as a disconnected Father, problems at home and a crumbling marriage, it's all just really uninspired. The visual effects aren't bad, but they aren't something that would be compared favorably to today's standards.

I spent more time waiting for the movie to end then I was at the edge of my seat.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DirigiblePulp

Feb 25, 2017

Mostly bad, generic supernatural fluff. The ONLY remotely interesting part is how the family is infected by "the darkness" so that their pre-existing faults and secrets are exposed to all. Of course those wind up being just insignificant moments in a plot moving full steam ahead towards theMostly bad, generic supernatural fluff. The ONLY remotely interesting part is how the family is infected by "the darkness" so that their pre-existing faults and secrets are exposed to all. Of course those wind up being just insignificant moments in a plot moving full steam ahead towards the most boring and predictable Poltergeist-style house exorcism ending possible without much thought put behind any of it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Datamari

May 22, 2016

Nothing like a stupid and cliche name for a stupid and cliche movie.
The Darkness is directed by Greg McLean and stars Kevin Bacon and... wait what's their names again? It's yet another horror movie that the producers crapped out to the public to make a quick buck. It's a horror filmNothing like a stupid and cliche name for a stupid and cliche movie.
The Darkness is directed by Greg McLean and stars Kevin Bacon and... wait what's their names again? It's yet another horror movie that the producers crapped out to the public to make a quick buck. It's a horror film that's ashamed to be a horror film, with hardly any scares, anything to be scared of, and hardly any character development. Honestly. the only thing that's keeping me from giving this movie a 1/10 is the fact that Kevin Bacon and Radha Mitchell offered some decent performances. Otherwise, this movie is nothing more than a cliche horror film thrown together with little to no effort.

The Darkness gets a 2/10.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

BrianMcCritic

Oct 8, 2016

A horror film that isn't scary in the least. It's just cliche after cliche with a pretty poor script. I will give it points for a decent idea toward the 3rd act, but overall this one is pretty bad. D-

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

NavajoMan

Jun 19, 2020

I am Diné (Navajo) and I am giving this movie one star because the acting was good. But the story line is way off. First of all Anasazi to Navajo is “ancient enemy”, Second we don’t speak Spanish nor use Christian symbols for ceremonial purposes and third at least use a real Navajo and theI am Diné (Navajo) and I am giving this movie one star because the acting was good. But the story line is way off. First of all Anasazi to Navajo is “ancient enemy”, Second we don’t speak Spanish nor use Christian symbols for ceremonial purposes and third at least use a real Navajo and the one that is fluent in Diné Bizaad (Navajo language). I am sure they can find one person on the rez. We all still practice our culture and ceremonies (medicine men) to this day. Its funny they use Hopi Kachinas as Anasazi people. (Different) Haha, way way way off! Please better educate yourself Hollywood. And no Navajos don’t have teepees, we have Hogans.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

reviewer1234567

Jun 25, 2016

Welp. This is one of the funniest and most boring horrors of all time. I found it funny more than scary. But in a very bad way. Worst film in theaters now or maybe even ever.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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