It would be interesting to know how many UFO Alien encounters have been recorded by people from the US compared to the rest of the world. Especially scary stuff where aliens are sadistic & torture & terrify. I actually think fear is constantly in the culture of the US & probably goes back to its foundation in violence & slavery. The massive gun ownership of today. All the other movies & tv shows focused on violence, serial killers. The US is right out in front on all that stuff. To me this film is more of the same. Scary and not really enjoyable. This constant story that danger is out there & you are vulnerable gets tiring & does not serve humanity. I fast forwarded through most of this movie. I am tired of this dangerous alien idea. It is negative & just creates a state of caution & fear. Give me Close Encounters or ET. Now that's good cinema.
13 Reviews
Pedestrian and predictable but not altogether horrible
chaugnurfaugn-269-8301216 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Rider Strong plays Eric Rainer, a weird and sullen individual who seems to live with his girlfriend and appears to be involved in some kind of ongoing research into UFOlogy, abductions and alien encounters.
When his girlfriend disappears one night, Rainer teams up with 'goth girl next door' Beth (eye candy Danielle Keaton sporting a very annoying fringe) the niece of Rainer's neighbour, Harold, and learns that Beth's boyfriend has also disappeared. Like Rainer, her boyfriend had a scar on his stomach and suffered from strange nightly migraines.
Beth's intense interest in Rainer raises his suspicions and he becomes increasingly paranoid, as do we as flies on the wall in his road accident of a life.
Hard to describe much else without dropping some spoilers since this film is reliant upon the keeps-you-guessing format. Unfortunately the coming plot twists and surprises are far from unpredictable and if you're awake at all while you're watching, you'll probably guess where the story is going long before it gets there.
There's a pedestrian quality to Darkening Sky that tested my patience. Director Victor Bornia is clearly a fan of the dramatic silence and pre-amble, but really the characters are too shallow and lack the charisma essential when presenting quiet, sullen personalities as protagonists.
Production value is medium rare and the sets, special effects and makeup feel and look cheap. Acting from the youthful cast is stilted and a little forced, but nothing you wouldn't expect from ex members of Disney-esque teen dramas like 90210 and Boy Meets World. Performances from the older cast are frankly terrible for a medium budget production. Charley Rossman inappropriately hams it up as Raimer's 'King of the Hill' type neighbour and Suzanne Ford is so unsubtle as Raimer's college professor that she pretty much gives the entire plot away with the few lines that she has.
Overall an average movie that will probably draw viewers who like UFO/alien abduction thrillers but ultimately leave them disappointed.
When his girlfriend disappears one night, Rainer teams up with 'goth girl next door' Beth (eye candy Danielle Keaton sporting a very annoying fringe) the niece of Rainer's neighbour, Harold, and learns that Beth's boyfriend has also disappeared. Like Rainer, her boyfriend had a scar on his stomach and suffered from strange nightly migraines.
Beth's intense interest in Rainer raises his suspicions and he becomes increasingly paranoid, as do we as flies on the wall in his road accident of a life.
Hard to describe much else without dropping some spoilers since this film is reliant upon the keeps-you-guessing format. Unfortunately the coming plot twists and surprises are far from unpredictable and if you're awake at all while you're watching, you'll probably guess where the story is going long before it gets there.
There's a pedestrian quality to Darkening Sky that tested my patience. Director Victor Bornia is clearly a fan of the dramatic silence and pre-amble, but really the characters are too shallow and lack the charisma essential when presenting quiet, sullen personalities as protagonists.
Production value is medium rare and the sets, special effects and makeup feel and look cheap. Acting from the youthful cast is stilted and a little forced, but nothing you wouldn't expect from ex members of Disney-esque teen dramas like 90210 and Boy Meets World. Performances from the older cast are frankly terrible for a medium budget production. Charley Rossman inappropriately hams it up as Raimer's 'King of the Hill' type neighbour and Suzanne Ford is so unsubtle as Raimer's college professor that she pretty much gives the entire plot away with the few lines that she has.
Overall an average movie that will probably draw viewers who like UFO/alien abduction thrillers but ultimately leave them disappointed.
Not Too Awful for a Low Budget Movie
holyspiritdriven26 November 2012
I've seen movie with worse production, but The Darkening Sky does have a decidedly low budget feel to it. Eric Rainer is a student who enjoys studying UFOs and people who claim to have been abducted but does not believe in it himself. When his girlfriend disappears he meets Beth (played by the super hot Danielle Keaton)who's boyfriend recently also disappeared.
There are some minor spooky parts with a little bit of unexpected events, but overall the movie is predictable and doesn't really bring anything new to the table in this genre.Fans of alien abduction type movies will probably enjoy it regardless.
There are some minor spooky parts with a little bit of unexpected events, but overall the movie is predictable and doesn't really bring anything new to the table in this genre.Fans of alien abduction type movies will probably enjoy it regardless.
All talk and no action
Leofwine_draca11 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
DARKENING SKY is nothing more than an indie science fiction movie which spends its entire running time hanging around in a house with a couple of emo characters. Sure, the subject matter is aliens, but they're only discussed rather than shown. There's no FX, no incident, no plot, and absolutely nothing to see. It's incredibly boring as a result.
Kept expecting more.
breez61200313 August 2020
ANOTHER EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE BY UNDERRATED RIDER STRONG
lukem-527603 September 2018
This is a very low budget psychological sci-fi drama & it's filmed in a raw almost documentary way & it works for the weird style of film this is at one point it's like a Horror movie & at times it's like a drama about lost lonely troubled people especially Rider Strongs character he's very lost & troubled & yet again another EXCELLENT performance by Rider who is a fantastic actor who seems to be constantly dismissed & underrated? Maybe it's because he's a regular in the Horror genre like Cabin Fever (2002),Borderland (2007),Tooth & Nail (2007) & Death Valley (2004) so he is definitely a Horror favourite but that doesn't mean he's not one hell of an actor!!!
Watch the terrifying true life Crime Horror Borderland (2007) to see just how BRILLIANT Rider Strong is as an actor!!!
Anyway back to this movie yes it's very low budget but it's a good moody film with a great performance by Rider.
Can't say too much about the plot or story just let it unfold & wait for a surprising end!!!
Above average, fairly well done (especially considering the subject...)
lathe-of-heaven18 February 2012
I just finished watching this and I honestly feel that it deserves a higher rating than it's current 4.3. I mean, MOST films rated that low here are SERIOUSLY horrible! But, I really enjoyed it and even though it was rather simple and clearly very low budget, still, I felt that they did a very good job not only in keeping one's interest but also in actually building some suspense as the story progresses.
At first, I didn't really care for the main guy very much; but, as the story continued without giving too much away, I could see some logic in why he came across that way (heh... is that vague enough...?) As I usually mention in my reviews here, COMPARATIVELY, as far as the general competence, writing, direction, and particularly the acting, which is the usual weakness with lower budget films, I truly felt that they did a good job in putting across a good story with some good Thriller aspects and a good ending. I think the narration was a nice touch, especially considering the direction that the movie took ultimately. And even though the visual effects were pretty simple, they did well with what they had to work with. Some of the camera work / editing were done obviously to mask the low cost of the film and to simplify what normally might be a difficult 'action' scene; but again, all things considered, I felt that they did a good job.
The overall true theme and direction of the film has certainly been done many, MANY times before. For me personally, again without giving too much away, I usually do not find this specific kind of story very satisfying because it indeed HAS been So overdone in recent years. So, the fact that it falls within that general category and I still enjoyed it, says a lot, at least from me. With the exception of a few films that do this well (and NO, I am not gonna ruin it by naming them : ) I normally find the way that this type of film is handled usually comes across as rather clichéd with the ending being sort of a cop-out to explain things. In this film they do it MUCH better than usual, although I do believe this is the first film that I have seen this done where the story has been based upon an Alien / Abduction type sub-theme. I also REALLY liked that the ending was done in such a way as to leave you a perfectly balanced choice as to what was really going on... (thus the refreshing lack of it 'necessarily' having the usual obvious, cop-out ending)
So, FOR WHAT IT IS and as I have said almost in EVERY review that I have written here, compared to the literal TSUNAMI of crap that passes for entertainment these days, I am inclined to give a little low budget film like this a lot of slack where many others will simply dismiss it, as long as it is executed well, the actors don't drive me up the wall, the script is competent, and ABOVE ALL... a decent mood is set. Oh, btw, I really did like the sound design and I felt that it really added to the effectiveness of the film and made up quite a bit for it's low cost. I REALLY liked the closing song; I wish that it had lasted longer before they faded in the harder theme.
Overall I definitely give it a 6-7; certainly more than it is rated here...
At first, I didn't really care for the main guy very much; but, as the story continued without giving too much away, I could see some logic in why he came across that way (heh... is that vague enough...?) As I usually mention in my reviews here, COMPARATIVELY, as far as the general competence, writing, direction, and particularly the acting, which is the usual weakness with lower budget films, I truly felt that they did a good job in putting across a good story with some good Thriller aspects and a good ending. I think the narration was a nice touch, especially considering the direction that the movie took ultimately. And even though the visual effects were pretty simple, they did well with what they had to work with. Some of the camera work / editing were done obviously to mask the low cost of the film and to simplify what normally might be a difficult 'action' scene; but again, all things considered, I felt that they did a good job.
The overall true theme and direction of the film has certainly been done many, MANY times before. For me personally, again without giving too much away, I usually do not find this specific kind of story very satisfying because it indeed HAS been So overdone in recent years. So, the fact that it falls within that general category and I still enjoyed it, says a lot, at least from me. With the exception of a few films that do this well (and NO, I am not gonna ruin it by naming them : ) I normally find the way that this type of film is handled usually comes across as rather clichéd with the ending being sort of a cop-out to explain things. In this film they do it MUCH better than usual, although I do believe this is the first film that I have seen this done where the story has been based upon an Alien / Abduction type sub-theme. I also REALLY liked that the ending was done in such a way as to leave you a perfectly balanced choice as to what was really going on... (thus the refreshing lack of it 'necessarily' having the usual obvious, cop-out ending)
So, FOR WHAT IT IS and as I have said almost in EVERY review that I have written here, compared to the literal TSUNAMI of crap that passes for entertainment these days, I am inclined to give a little low budget film like this a lot of slack where many others will simply dismiss it, as long as it is executed well, the actors don't drive me up the wall, the script is competent, and ABOVE ALL... a decent mood is set. Oh, btw, I really did like the sound design and I felt that it really added to the effectiveness of the film and made up quite a bit for it's low cost. I REALLY liked the closing song; I wish that it had lasted longer before they faded in the harder theme.
Overall I definitely give it a 6-7; certainly more than it is rated here...
is it aliens or is it psychosis?
phenomynouss11 August 2018
I'm a complete and utter sucker for these types of movies which (without delving into spoilers) not only play with a paranormal/supernatural concept in such a way as to be explained by something mundane, but also leave the mystery intact by not fully explaining everything to us, and framing the story in such a way that it could easily be either one or the other.
This film has a bit of a goofy start, very plainly obviously low budget and some of the acting drops to some questionable quality. This is not the major problem, but the style of the film doesn't do much to try to overcome this low-budget feel, and so a lot depends on the viewer being able to latch on to the characters, Eric and Beth, to navigate them through the early parts of the film which play coy with the concept ---- Eric is studying "modern mythology" and leans heavily towards being a skeptic with regards to alien abductions, and has to be dragged into that realm of possibility in more and more convenient ways.
The film has something of a twist ending, but the best part about it is that the twist ending isn't something that comes out of seemingly nowhere or requires you to have been taking notes all throughout the film; the inevitability of it is very slowly and gradually brought up all throughout the last 30-40 minutes of it.
Even the most casual of viewer can start to pick upon the idea that a whole lot of the conflict and conversation, even down to mundane events like Eric's former professor paying him a visit the day after a call in which he expressed interest in returning to school to work on his doctorate, starts to become more and more easily ascribed to paranoia rather than aliens.
and yet when the ending hits, it does so in a way which does not nail down one resolution over another, but instead escalates the conflict in a much more complicated way, in which it becomes even less clear what the truth really is, not because the case for either explanation is flimsy, but because the seed of doubt can completely break down either one.
This film has a bit of a goofy start, very plainly obviously low budget and some of the acting drops to some questionable quality. This is not the major problem, but the style of the film doesn't do much to try to overcome this low-budget feel, and so a lot depends on the viewer being able to latch on to the characters, Eric and Beth, to navigate them through the early parts of the film which play coy with the concept ---- Eric is studying "modern mythology" and leans heavily towards being a skeptic with regards to alien abductions, and has to be dragged into that realm of possibility in more and more convenient ways.
The film has something of a twist ending, but the best part about it is that the twist ending isn't something that comes out of seemingly nowhere or requires you to have been taking notes all throughout the film; the inevitability of it is very slowly and gradually brought up all throughout the last 30-40 minutes of it.
Even the most casual of viewer can start to pick upon the idea that a whole lot of the conflict and conversation, even down to mundane events like Eric's former professor paying him a visit the day after a call in which he expressed interest in returning to school to work on his doctorate, starts to become more and more easily ascribed to paranoia rather than aliens.
and yet when the ending hits, it does so in a way which does not nail down one resolution over another, but instead escalates the conflict in a much more complicated way, in which it becomes even less clear what the truth really is, not because the case for either explanation is flimsy, but because the seed of doubt can completely break down either one.
Pretty decent movie
philpip16 December 2011
Let me start off by saying I have seen many awful movies on this subject. This one was pretty good and deserved a better rating. It held my attention, piqued my interest, and had an interesting twist at the end.
Is it about an alien abduction? Eric Rainer seems to think so. He has flashbacks of strange events which start off when he was a little boy, and have haunted him throughout his life. He's been collecting 'evidence' to try and put the pieces of this mystery together. His girlfriend Cindy thinks it is nonsense and is ready to leave him, until the night she disappears.
Eric hooks up with the new neighbor's niece, Beth, who is also looking for her BF who mysteriously disappeared; and together they try to find out the truth about the aliens.
I don't want to give too much away, so I'll stop here. Watch and enjoy the movie, so we can discuss the ending on the boards......
Is it about an alien abduction? Eric Rainer seems to think so. He has flashbacks of strange events which start off when he was a little boy, and have haunted him throughout his life. He's been collecting 'evidence' to try and put the pieces of this mystery together. His girlfriend Cindy thinks it is nonsense and is ready to leave him, until the night she disappears.
Eric hooks up with the new neighbor's niece, Beth, who is also looking for her BF who mysteriously disappeared; and together they try to find out the truth about the aliens.
I don't want to give too much away, so I'll stop here. Watch and enjoy the movie, so we can discuss the ending on the boards......
ABOUT LAST NIGHT
nogodnomasters20 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The movie opens with what appears to be a grainy film of a routine child alien abduction. Years later Eric (Rider Strong) is living with major league babe Lisa (Ninja Cheerleader Maitland McConnell). Lisa is paying for Eric's education which has changed from a medical degree to one in cultural anthropology which includes UFO studies. For some strange reason she is having doubts about the relationship and is as moody as Eric.
Then one night, Eric dreams that an alien has abducted her. Lisa is missing. Eric then teams up with the goth chick next door, Beth (Danielle Keaton) who claims her boyfriend was abducted too. They search for answers as there appeal to be shape shifting reptoids among us!!!!
I enjoyed the film which is why I gave it 4 stars. It is not a four star quality film for most people. I liked the characters. I liked Lisa wanting her space in a convincing manner. I also enjoyed the neighbor Harold (Charley Rossman) and all the other fruitcakes in the movie.
There is a considerable amount of first person narration throughout the film on the history of UFO abductions...Betty and Barny Hill for example. I liked the drone sound track which makes more sense toward the end of the film. The shape-shifting special effect was cheap, but I thought it worked.
A few F-bombs, sex, no nudity (Danielle Keaton naked back) Bad film that I liked.
Then one night, Eric dreams that an alien has abducted her. Lisa is missing. Eric then teams up with the goth chick next door, Beth (Danielle Keaton) who claims her boyfriend was abducted too. They search for answers as there appeal to be shape shifting reptoids among us!!!!
I enjoyed the film which is why I gave it 4 stars. It is not a four star quality film for most people. I liked the characters. I liked Lisa wanting her space in a convincing manner. I also enjoyed the neighbor Harold (Charley Rossman) and all the other fruitcakes in the movie.
There is a considerable amount of first person narration throughout the film on the history of UFO abductions...Betty and Barny Hill for example. I liked the drone sound track which makes more sense toward the end of the film. The shape-shifting special effect was cheap, but I thought it worked.
A few F-bombs, sex, no nudity (Danielle Keaton naked back) Bad film that I liked.
Darkening Sky
knyghtwolf5315 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
The movie was interesting from a total psychologist point of view. Having viewed the movie without the premise of knowing what it was truly about, I would have had a field day of DSM-IV diagnosis on this particular movie. Eric seemed to me, schizo type, level 2 and perhaps a bit paranoid delusional as well. Reality for him was a conceptual term at best while the good doctor continuously examined what appeared to be MRI or PET scans of Eric's brain. I still contend that schizophrenia can produce co-morbidity issues related to organic disorders that can lead to the a proficient Serial Killer, living two lives and totally unaware of also being or having a Dual Identity Disorder. Great flick though, he would have also been a great politician as well in today's society with the same disorders.
Great concept but lite on action
dm-9219410 June 2022
A combination of science fiction and supernatural ideas. Alien abduction versus dreams. The gorgeous actress Danielle Keaton reminds me so much of the character, Death in The Sandman comic books written by Neil Gaiman. As a matter of fact her character name in the movie is, Beth. Same exact look and hairstyle.
Another Surprisingly Good Low Budget Sci Fi Flick
ukproject26 March 2023
Maybe I've just become so jaded by the type of 'sci fi' that is pumped out by big budget studios nowadays that I'm just finding anything even slightly off the wall far more interesting and engaging.
And by using sci fi in commas I mean just that. Alot of big budget sci fi simply isn't sci fi, but a highly polished, test audience approved, generic, safe, play it by the numbers bland, kid friendly, boring fantasy flick.
Darkening Sky is far from an original movie. In fact it reminded me abit of The Arrival (1996) starring Charlie Sheen. But the what Darkening Sky does extremely well is opt for a more psychological route with a massive dose of paranoia. In fact you could even make the case that this isn't so much a sci fi flick but rather a psychological thriller against a sci fi backdrop.
Whether you believe in alien abductions or not, what you can't deny is the phenomenon of people claiming to have been abducted by aliens.
I certainly do not believe that humans have ever been abducted by aliens but at the same time I do like to have my beliefs and assumptions challenged. Darkening Sky does a pretty good job of putting you in the shoes of someone claiming to be an abductee. Assuming that someone claiming to have been abducted by aliens isn't being disingenious, you only have two feasible explanations. They're either deluded or suffering from psychosis, or they were in fact truly abducted.
Darkening Sky maintains the balance between explanations throughout very well. The acting by the two leads especially Rider Strong is pretty good for a low budget movie. I don't really recall seeing him in anything else but he certainly didn't come across as your typical B grade low budget incapable actor.
The low budget obviously shows in the quality of the effects, but the last thing to impress me about a movie is the quality of CGI. For me if you have a poor movie, top notch CGI just amounts to putting lipstick on a donkey. It's meaningless.
The music is sombre and suspensful, the direction is of a reasonable standard, the dialogue is realistic and doesn't come across as forced.
All in all Darkening Sky is a pretty decent movie, so if you're into low budget sci fi flicks don't miss it. If on the other hand you're more into your big studio releases and can't stand a movie that doesn't adhere to the cheery hollywod ending formula then this movie definitely isnt for you.
And by using sci fi in commas I mean just that. Alot of big budget sci fi simply isn't sci fi, but a highly polished, test audience approved, generic, safe, play it by the numbers bland, kid friendly, boring fantasy flick.
Darkening Sky is far from an original movie. In fact it reminded me abit of The Arrival (1996) starring Charlie Sheen. But the what Darkening Sky does extremely well is opt for a more psychological route with a massive dose of paranoia. In fact you could even make the case that this isn't so much a sci fi flick but rather a psychological thriller against a sci fi backdrop.
Whether you believe in alien abductions or not, what you can't deny is the phenomenon of people claiming to have been abducted by aliens.
I certainly do not believe that humans have ever been abducted by aliens but at the same time I do like to have my beliefs and assumptions challenged. Darkening Sky does a pretty good job of putting you in the shoes of someone claiming to be an abductee. Assuming that someone claiming to have been abducted by aliens isn't being disingenious, you only have two feasible explanations. They're either deluded or suffering from psychosis, or they were in fact truly abducted.
Darkening Sky maintains the balance between explanations throughout very well. The acting by the two leads especially Rider Strong is pretty good for a low budget movie. I don't really recall seeing him in anything else but he certainly didn't come across as your typical B grade low budget incapable actor.
The low budget obviously shows in the quality of the effects, but the last thing to impress me about a movie is the quality of CGI. For me if you have a poor movie, top notch CGI just amounts to putting lipstick on a donkey. It's meaningless.
The music is sombre and suspensful, the direction is of a reasonable standard, the dialogue is realistic and doesn't come across as forced.
All in all Darkening Sky is a pretty decent movie, so if you're into low budget sci fi flicks don't miss it. If on the other hand you're more into your big studio releases and can't stand a movie that doesn't adhere to the cheery hollywod ending formula then this movie definitely isnt for you.
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