If one is looking purely for middling fare, one can find it in Darkroom, a slasher film released in 1989. Starring nobody of any note and directed by Terrence O’Hara, the movie fails at having any of the hallmarks of a good slasher, much less a horror flick. Almost all of the murders are incredibly tame, though a little blood is shown here and there, but it does not make up for the lack of fright or at the very least any form of suspense. If there had even been a little tension or anything, the film would have been much improved but as it is, it seems more like a Lifetime movie one would watch on a Tuesday night rather than a scary horror film on dark and quite possibly, stormy night.
If there is one thing that O’Hara does at the very least, it is to try and swerve the audience into thinking that the killer is one person while in fact, it is another. That being said, it comes to a point in the movie where it is plainly evident just who the murderer is which spoils the rest of the picture, though one still wants to see just who is going to live and who is going to die.
If there is one word that perfectly describes this film, it is average. It is not all that great and not all that bad and when it begins, it holds a lot of promise as it focuses upon some creeper photographing a beautiful woman who audiences just know is going to die. Sadly, that first promise of impending fright never materializes and just sort of lumbers on until those final few scenes where the killer is revealed and the crazy happens.
2 out of 5
Categories: Horror, Movies and Film
There was a TV anthology show called “Dark Room” where I think James Coburn was the host. Never heard of this film….
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