Dark Corners

Hell Awaits...
I enjoy movies that I can't figure out immediately. I also like movies that are a bit odd, off-kilter so to speak. You know, films like MEMENTO, HEADSPACE, JACOB'S LADDER, CARNIVAL OF SOULS, etc. Well, DARK CORNERS fits right in with these other classics of bleakess and dread! Thora Birch (American Beauty, Ghost World, The Hole) plays the dual role of Susan- in the sunny, happy world of light, and Karen- in the darkworld of nightmare. I was perplexed by what connection there could possibly be between these two women. I was pleasantly stunned by the answers at the end! The last movie to make my jaw drop (in a good way) was HIGH TENSION. DARK CORNERS had that same twisty, grabber of a finalé for me. So, if you are a fan of the macabre, weird, or creepy, then this one will be a treat...

Better than average horror cheap flick with GREAT nightmares
I sometimes have really vivid nightmares that are similar to the somber world the protagonist finds herself in when she sleeps. Those sequences come closer to the look and feel of the sort of nightmare where everything seems sort of off key and grotesque than anything I've seen except maybe parts of Jacob's Ladder. If your significant other tends towards dreams of peaceful meadows with happy bunnies (OK, I admit I'm being sarcastic), but never has nightmares, and just doesn't understand why you sometimes wake up shaking and on the edge of tears from a harmless little dream, show him this.

I noticed the director is British. I wonder if a little of that is flavored by C.S. Lewis's Great Divorce, such as the bus trip with one end in Hell.

Strong Women in Peril - Again
Thanks to Thora this is much better than average. A weird dual world theme is explored in this clever but not great scare film. The script and direction are just okay. Nice look too. Not too graphic, more of a suspenseful mind game. A good example of the lead raising the whole production. Also see the obscure "Left in Darkness" for another good but not great film with a strong female part.

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