The horror genre is always difficult to rate as not everyone enjoys the same kind of horror. But I can see why there are so much positive reviews about this movie. For once it's totally different, you would almost feel sympathy for evil, or at least for what the little girl is supposed to be. Personally I would not have gone that healing way and just left it at a lost soul due to the early abuse. The acting isn't bad at all, what makes this horror flick worth a watch. As for the gore it's well proportioned, just enough to not turn it into a slasher. An interesting and unique story make The Dark worth the detour.