All Dark Places (2011)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Jamie (Stephanie Fieger) and Christian (Joshua Burrow) are making a second effort to keep their marriage together. Jamie convinces herself everything is alright, that daddy's anger issue is over.Christian is a stock broker who works at home and plays horrible music with lyrics such as "I'm sick in love with you." He parties with his friend in the basement while they scheme of an illegal "pump and dump" scam to make money. Their six year old son Dylan (Dylan Mars Loff) believes dad still has his anger. A haunting clown appears whenever Dylan recites "Peter, Peter pumpkin eater..."Christian acts like an unshaven creepy Eric Roberts. We discover more about the clown as the movie progresses. The film has minimal blood and horror. It is a psychological thriller with the barely passable acting and script. Not for everyone.PARENTAL GUIDE: F-bomb, sex, nudity (Stephanie Fieger)

So down below (at the very end) I will briefly explain the plot.This movie was pretty well done, and the clown was creepy as hell. From the cover I thought it was going to be a typical killer clown movie, and then in the trailer you hear a character mention "the spirit of John Wayne Gacy" so I figured it was his spirit come to wreak havoc. The movie was very slow. It was almost agony in some spots, and I just wanted to fast forward. There was quite a bit that could have been cut out, but I felt like was left in there so this wouldn't be considered a short film. (This was the main reason I rated it so low).I did not like the mom's acting at all and the dad's was hit/miss scenario. The son and the clowns were amazing though. I didn't really understand why the dad wasn't in rehab... Like, if you are addicted to coke and alcohol and your therapist knows, why wouldn't they put you in rehab? The couple therapist was very unbelievable that anyone would actually give him a license to work with people.**SPOILER** is right below: If you are confused by the ending/movie in general I hope this will clear things up:The son is 6 years old and has obviously suffered abuse at the hands of his drug addicted father. Gacy's ghost (who apparently lingers around this house) tells the boy that he was also abused by his father but to a much worse extent. Gacey then torments the dad as a way to get back at him for being a horrible parent, but also hurts the mom since she took him back instead of getting Dylan out of this horrid situation. Gacy is slowly coaching the boy into taking his father's life, and when he thinks he is ready he helps the kid kill the dad. The mom doesn't die, the son calls an ambulance for her, the dad is dead, and the ghost of Gacy wanders off into the night.

I saw the paltry 2.4/10 rating this movie has received and felt compelled to write a quick bit on it. I found this movie to be enjoyable on a mental level. The box art and the inclusion of a clown would make one stereotype this movie as a clown slasher flick which it most definitely is not. In fact, and heed this well, if you are solely looking for a splatter-fest including clowns, look elsewhere. You will be sorely disappointed. For anyone looking for a surreal portrayal of a man's madness and its impact on his family, I'd say you could do a lot worse.There is a clown mixed into the proceedings and he is featured in a couple creepy scenes. The actor playing the clown oozes menace and does a good job portraying, well, a creepy, mean clown. The actors do an okay job, especially the little fellow. The wife's character is a little wanton with her accusations of lousiness towards her husband when she herself is no trophy wife (looks aside.) This is pretty mature subject matter for children (and nightmare inducing creepy clowns) so kudos to little man.As for the ending, I find it intriguing and thought-provoking. One of those 'take it as you will' types of endings left open to interpretation.

The viewing of a film is different to each and every eye. One thing is for certain: there are going to be many people out there who like this film for the same reasons I do.I've been a fan of film for a long time. I don't care what the budget is, just give me a cinematic experience that keeps me seriously involved and I'm good. Dramas, thrillers, horror and more specifically psychological horror are all within my realm and All Dark Places touches all these genres and more. At times it is even a comedy.The acting is very good across the board. It's a quality independent production from top to bottom. It says it was shot for 200K but it looks like a million bucks. No shaky-cam grainy video here. Nothing against Paranormal Activity, or Paranormal Activity 2,3 or 8 but this is a well-crafted film. Ladies and gentlemen this is cinema.The plot seems simple but is really multi-dimensional. This is a thought provoking film and when it was over I wanted to write this review right away so that true fans of good movies will know a little more about it and seek it out.The lighting is surreal at times and the soundtrack is weird and rockin in just the right way. This is, after all, a different world than most of us live in. It's the world of this specific film and it has its very own colors, shades and music.May not be for every viewer because its VERY dark in perspective but those who like it will probably REALLY like All Dark Places.