DVD Review: The Darkroom

DVD Reviews

By Jeff Swindoll Jan 2, 2007, 13:25 GMT

The team behind Room 6 reunite for another go round and the result is at least on par with their earlier effort. The Darkroom is in the same vein of Room 6, but with a little less of the horror element.

The Darkroom is in the same vein of Room 6, but with a little less of the horror element. Dr. Allen (Ellie Cornell) needs a guinea pig to test out her new drug that is supposed to help recover memories. Fifteen years before, a man (Reed Diamond) was found wandering the highway with his hands covered in blood.

Alex and Stanley

He didn’t know who he was (he’s taken the names of game show hosts he sees on the telly, he’s currently Alex – as in Alex Trebek) and still has no idea who he is or why he had blood on his hands. He wants to know the answers and volunteers to take the drug. He doesn’t remember anything, but is soon plagued by visions of a gruesome creature covered in mud with deadly claws. The beastie attacks a patient in the hallway and in the confusion Alex escapes the institution. He blends into the homeless population, but is still having visions of the monster and bloody nightmares. He comes across teenager Stanley (Shawn Pyfrom) and saves him from getting beat up by some thugs. Stanley feels gratitude to Alex for saving him and hides him in the shed behind his house. Stanley’s home life is not exactly the greatest. His mother Cheryl (Lucy Lawless) is starting to drink again and his stepfather Bob (Greg Grunberg) leaves the house every night for parts unknown. Stanley begins to think that his stepfather is up to no good and recruits Alex to help him uncover what he’s up to. The Darkroom reunites writer Mark A. Altman and director Mike Hurst. They were the team behind Room 6, which was an okay little horror movie. They try again and provide the same decent results as with Room 6.

The mud monsters push the movie towards horror territory

I’ll try not to give too much away, but Darkroom also goes for the same “twist” ending as was provided in Room 6. Darkroom is not exactly a horror film though it is marketed as such. The inclusion of the “mud monster” really pushes the film towards horror territory. Without it, the film might be more of a drama. The cast performs well, but some poor old age makeup at the film’s conclusion loses some of the performance since you concentrate on how bad it looks. Some folks will see the “twist” from a mile away (depending on how many movies you may have watched before). Darkroom is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features are generous and include a commentary from writer/directors Mike Hurst and Mark A. Altman. Next is the 20 minute “The Darkroom Exposed.” It has interviews with director/co-writer Michael Hurst, producer/co-writer Mark A. Altman, producer Chuck Speed, Shawn Pyfrom, Lucy Lawless, Greg Grunberg, Reed Diamond, co-producer/stunt coordinator Danny Wayne, special makeup designer Robert Hall, and makeup supervisor Jason Collins. Finally there are 15 minutes of deleted, alternate, and extended scenes. The Darkroom is in the same vein of Room 6, but with a little less of the horror element. If you liked that film then you’ll find something to like in Darkroom. It doesn’t really plow any new ground, but is a decent film. Cheryl and Bobs marriage is on the rocks