It's better than Danzig's horror anthology, that's for sure. Would recommend if you're into this sort of thing as about half are good. One was particularly clever.
12 Reviews
Big swings in quality
aeongale26 January 2021
Rather mundane and boring anthology...
paul_haakonsen14 February 2021
When I sat down in 2021 to watch the "Dark Whispers: Volume 1", I had never even heard about the anthology. I liked the cover and found it interesting, thinking that there might be something enjoyable to this movie.
But it was a swing and a miss. "Dark Whispers: Volume 1" is listed as horror / thriller / drama. But there are a scary lack of horror and thriller throughout the course of this anthology. In fact, the anthology segments were of very varied worth, most of which were dubious at best. And yeah, that made for a very abysmal anthology.
There was nothing worthwhile to sit through in "Dark Whispers: Volume 1", so you might want to do yourself a favor and skip on this 2019 anthology, especially if you enjoy properly entertaining anthologies. And if you enjoy horror, like I do, then you most certainly want to skip on "Dark Whispers: Volume 1", because it was quite far away from being horror material actually.
And while each of the segments were worlds apart, there weren't really any red thread throughout the anthology, aside from the narrative story segment that bound the individual stories together. Would have been more interesting if there was a common element to the segments.
"Dark Whispers: Volume 1" was a massive swing and a miss. And it is definitely not something I would recommend you wasting your time, money or effort on. Some of us did, so you don't have to.
My rating of "Dark Whispers: Volume 1" settles on a mere three out of ten stars - and that is being rather generous, believe me. It is the production value of the anthology that ensured a rating of three stars from me.
But it was a swing and a miss. "Dark Whispers: Volume 1" is listed as horror / thriller / drama. But there are a scary lack of horror and thriller throughout the course of this anthology. In fact, the anthology segments were of very varied worth, most of which were dubious at best. And yeah, that made for a very abysmal anthology.
There was nothing worthwhile to sit through in "Dark Whispers: Volume 1", so you might want to do yourself a favor and skip on this 2019 anthology, especially if you enjoy properly entertaining anthologies. And if you enjoy horror, like I do, then you most certainly want to skip on "Dark Whispers: Volume 1", because it was quite far away from being horror material actually.
And while each of the segments were worlds apart, there weren't really any red thread throughout the anthology, aside from the narrative story segment that bound the individual stories together. Would have been more interesting if there was a common element to the segments.
"Dark Whispers: Volume 1" was a massive swing and a miss. And it is definitely not something I would recommend you wasting your time, money or effort on. Some of us did, so you don't have to.
My rating of "Dark Whispers: Volume 1" settles on a mere three out of ten stars - and that is being rather generous, believe me. It is the production value of the anthology that ensured a rating of three stars from me.
Zzzzzzzzzz
MikeHunt107527 January 2021
Like most anthology movies, it's a bunch of God awful shorts rammed together in hopes someone will watch this rubbish.
The stories are as entertaining as they are scary. Most of them don't even have a finish. It's mostly all artsy fartsy indie crap too.
Whoever was in charge of the sound on this film should never work again. Way too much bass in the voices and music and it makes the horrid experience of wasting your time watching this trash even more unbearable.
There's nothing artistic here, there's nothing scary, nothing entertaining, nothing memorable. Don't bother with it.
The stories are as entertaining as they are scary. Most of them don't even have a finish. It's mostly all artsy fartsy indie crap too.
Whoever was in charge of the sound on this film should never work again. Way too much bass in the voices and music and it makes the horrid experience of wasting your time watching this trash even more unbearable.
There's nothing artistic here, there's nothing scary, nothing entertaining, nothing memorable. Don't bother with it.
Please God, spare us from Volume 2
phantasmda27 January 2021
Is it just me or are these anthology films getting worse?
I've always been a fan of the formula, Creepshow 1 and 2, Tales from the darkside the movie and the VHS franchise, I love how if there's one story that's not very good, there's always another chance for the film to redeem itself with another. But this last few years nearly every anthology movie I have watched has been awful. This one, like another dire anthology film I watched last year called XX, has the twist that all the segments are directed by women.
This should be a positive thing to give a platform for female directors to show that they can go shoulder to shoulder with the men when it comes to making horror films. But instead, all they've showcased in XX and this monstrosity, is that women shouldn't be allowed near a camera when it comes to making horror. In both of these films all of the stories revolve around relationships, break ups or kids and none of them are scary in the slightest.
XX was absolutely awful in every way possible and this film somehow manages to be even worse.
There's 10 stories in this one, all of them are, judging by the accents, Australian. There's no scares, no special effects to speak of, unless you class sharp teeth and green make up in one of the segments as effects. Most of them have absolutely zero point to them, the first story is just a woman with obvious mental issues getting into a lift and her dead/imaginary daughter gets in with her and asks her a bunch of questions about her past birthdays, That's it. terrifying eh? It's about 5 minutes long, it so boring and pointless and just sets the tone of what to expect from the rest of the film.
1 of the segments is subtitled and another one is stop motion animation (and trust me, it's weird as hell and ugly as sin to look at)
There were 1 or 2 of the 10 tales that had a glimmer of potential but then they just stop and that's it. The one with the Native Australians and the witch in the mangroves could have been really good but just as it gets interesting, it stops. The acting ranges from just about passable to absolutely Godawful, the camera work and lighting are so poor that the whole film looks like some kind of collage project. The music, OMG the music, it really has to be heard to be believed, it's probably the worst movie score I have ever heard in my life. The music plays over everything, like a backing track and is so out of place that it kills any chance there is of building tension or dread. Usually, in an anthology film, there's at least one redeeming story to watch, but here there is absolutely nothing worth watching. It's so bland, boring and just downright stupid.
Not THE worst anthology film I've watched in recent times but it's definitely up there with the worst of them.
Do not waste your time.
I've always been a fan of the formula, Creepshow 1 and 2, Tales from the darkside the movie and the VHS franchise, I love how if there's one story that's not very good, there's always another chance for the film to redeem itself with another. But this last few years nearly every anthology movie I have watched has been awful. This one, like another dire anthology film I watched last year called XX, has the twist that all the segments are directed by women.
This should be a positive thing to give a platform for female directors to show that they can go shoulder to shoulder with the men when it comes to making horror films. But instead, all they've showcased in XX and this monstrosity, is that women shouldn't be allowed near a camera when it comes to making horror. In both of these films all of the stories revolve around relationships, break ups or kids and none of them are scary in the slightest.
XX was absolutely awful in every way possible and this film somehow manages to be even worse.
There's 10 stories in this one, all of them are, judging by the accents, Australian. There's no scares, no special effects to speak of, unless you class sharp teeth and green make up in one of the segments as effects. Most of them have absolutely zero point to them, the first story is just a woman with obvious mental issues getting into a lift and her dead/imaginary daughter gets in with her and asks her a bunch of questions about her past birthdays, That's it. terrifying eh? It's about 5 minutes long, it so boring and pointless and just sets the tone of what to expect from the rest of the film.
1 of the segments is subtitled and another one is stop motion animation (and trust me, it's weird as hell and ugly as sin to look at)
There were 1 or 2 of the 10 tales that had a glimmer of potential but then they just stop and that's it. The one with the Native Australians and the witch in the mangroves could have been really good but just as it gets interesting, it stops. The acting ranges from just about passable to absolutely Godawful, the camera work and lighting are so poor that the whole film looks like some kind of collage project. The music, OMG the music, it really has to be heard to be believed, it's probably the worst movie score I have ever heard in my life. The music plays over everything, like a backing track and is so out of place that it kills any chance there is of building tension or dread. Usually, in an anthology film, there's at least one redeeming story to watch, but here there is absolutely nothing worth watching. It's so bland, boring and just downright stupid.
Not THE worst anthology film I've watched in recent times but it's definitely up there with the worst of them.
Do not waste your time.
Tedious, Boring and most definitely not horror.
aelthric29 January 2021
This is a collection of stories that instead of showcasing what female directors are capable of in the genre of horror merely showcases the pretentiousness of those female directors that took part in this snore-fest of below mediocre, beige, bland and ultimately meaningless collection of occurences (Calling them stories would be giving them too much credit).
Each occurence is written, directed and acted with all the skill and understanding of adolescent poetry, the sort of poetry that at the age of 13 you thought was so deep and meaningful, the sort of codswallop that as you reach adulthood you realise it was just a load of meaningless shallow twaddle and merely a source of embarrasment that you could ever have been that naive.
It absolutely astounds me that anybody could categorise this as "Horror", even in these days of safe spaces and snowflakes and generally weak and pathetic people it is hard to believe that anybody could find any of these segments the least bit scary let alone deserving of the label horror.
Best that the directors stick to directing rom-coms and leave horror to those that know what horror should be.
Each occurence is written, directed and acted with all the skill and understanding of adolescent poetry, the sort of poetry that at the age of 13 you thought was so deep and meaningful, the sort of codswallop that as you reach adulthood you realise it was just a load of meaningless shallow twaddle and merely a source of embarrasment that you could ever have been that naive.
It absolutely astounds me that anybody could categorise this as "Horror", even in these days of safe spaces and snowflakes and generally weak and pathetic people it is hard to believe that anybody could find any of these segments the least bit scary let alone deserving of the label horror.
Best that the directors stick to directing rom-coms and leave horror to those that know what horror should be.
This deserves better reviews
Will_Kill_2314 June 2021
Not sure what's going on with the extreme negativity here (well actually it's pretty obvious if you read between the lines, or some cases, just read the lines themselves). This is a decent bunch of indie shorts with a good wraparound story that works as well as it has to in holding the segments together.
From the get-go it's clear this is not something like Creepshow, which was made with one holistic vision, or even like the VHS anthologies, which were intended to run together. Most of the segments in this anthology seem to have been made at different times, with different aims, and as such they generally all have a different voice, a different style. So it's less an anthology and more like a presentation of short films that can loosely be lumped together as dark fiction with a twist.
As that, it's very successful at showcasing these disparate film makers, who all show promise in one way or another. They're all names to keep an eye on, for sure.
If you expect this to be polished Hollywood stuff you're looking in the wrong place. This is pretty raw, but it's full of honest, authentic, creatively told stories. Nothing more, nothing less.
Personal highlights: the twists of The Man who Caught a Mermaid, the atmosphere of Storytime, the concepts of Grillz, the tone of Little Sharehouse of Horrors, and the overall vision and uniqueness of White Song.
People need to stop calling things "bad" just because it's not what they want it to be.
From the get-go it's clear this is not something like Creepshow, which was made with one holistic vision, or even like the VHS anthologies, which were intended to run together. Most of the segments in this anthology seem to have been made at different times, with different aims, and as such they generally all have a different voice, a different style. So it's less an anthology and more like a presentation of short films that can loosely be lumped together as dark fiction with a twist.
As that, it's very successful at showcasing these disparate film makers, who all show promise in one way or another. They're all names to keep an eye on, for sure.
If you expect this to be polished Hollywood stuff you're looking in the wrong place. This is pretty raw, but it's full of honest, authentic, creatively told stories. Nothing more, nothing less.
Personal highlights: the twists of The Man who Caught a Mermaid, the atmosphere of Storytime, the concepts of Grillz, the tone of Little Sharehouse of Horrors, and the overall vision and uniqueness of White Song.
People need to stop calling things "bad" just because it's not what they want it to be.
Female-Centric Horror Anthology
rossboyask-117 January 2022
There are some great chapters in this dark, occasionally funny horror anthology including one with Anthony LaPaglia and Ed Speleers, a stop-motion animation and one about a man who has caught a mermaid (maybe...). Lovely to see so many short genre tales from talented female creatives.
Not as bad as some reviews here say
sandrakazocar6 December 2021
This is a low budget independent film, with its obvious constraints that come from that, which should be taken into consideration before watching it. However, if you pass that, you will find that its heart is in the right place. I really enjoyed it, because it presented something novel, different visions of the many fears and troubles that women face daily. There were tragic and funny stories, and all the spectrum in between, different ways to narrate the varied experiences of women told through women's perspective. There are subtleties and sensitivities that might appear "boring" to some (I suspect men), but if you enjoy these type of style, you will love it.
*My favourite was the last one and the one that involved plants.
I hope there will be a volume 2, so we can see more of the work of female directors.
*My favourite was the last one and the one that involved plants.
I hope there will be a volume 2, so we can see more of the work of female directors.
Nifty horror anthology from Down Under
Woodyanders21 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Young lass Clara (well played by Andrea Demetriades) inherits a strange book of macabre stories called the Book of Dark Secrets. Clara's life depends on reading each and every last story in said book.
"Birthday Girl" - A strong and poignant tale of a mother talking to the sweet ghost of her deceased little girl in an elevator.
"The Man Who Caught a Mermaid" - Excellent, with a strikingly hideous mermaid and a disturbing twist.
"Gloomy Valentine" - Cool animated pip with lots of strikingly grotesque imagery.
"Watch Me" - Middling tale of a vain actress who thrives on attention.
"Storytime" - This one benefits substantially from a flavorsome Aussie outback setting and a gnarly and original monster.
"The Ride" - Very amusing and engaging affair with a great performance from Anthony LaPaglia as a blithely unhinged motorist.
"White Song" - Incredibly grim and depressing stuff.
"Grillz" - Funny vignette about a fetching female vampire who uses a dating website to find victims.
"Little Share House of Horrors" - Another quite funny comic outing about killer vegetation.
"The Intruder" - Sharp and tense little thriller.
The wraparound segment ends on a pleasing positive note. Recommended for fans of omnibus horror films.
"Birthday Girl" - A strong and poignant tale of a mother talking to the sweet ghost of her deceased little girl in an elevator.
"The Man Who Caught a Mermaid" - Excellent, with a strikingly hideous mermaid and a disturbing twist.
"Gloomy Valentine" - Cool animated pip with lots of strikingly grotesque imagery.
"Watch Me" - Middling tale of a vain actress who thrives on attention.
"Storytime" - This one benefits substantially from a flavorsome Aussie outback setting and a gnarly and original monster.
"The Ride" - Very amusing and engaging affair with a great performance from Anthony LaPaglia as a blithely unhinged motorist.
"White Song" - Incredibly grim and depressing stuff.
"Grillz" - Funny vignette about a fetching female vampire who uses a dating website to find victims.
"Little Share House of Horrors" - Another quite funny comic outing about killer vegetation.
"The Intruder" - Sharp and tense little thriller.
The wraparound segment ends on a pleasing positive note. Recommended for fans of omnibus horror films.
Good watch
jjvolturno8 November 2019
Highly enjoyable anthology effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder6 February 2020
A woman arrives at her mother's house and finds a strange book inside, causing her to read stories from its pages.
The Good Stor(ies): Birthday Girl-Meeting a strange girl in an elevator, a woman begins talking with her inside but the incessant questions the girl keeps asking to begin to fracture her already fragile mind. There was a lot to like with this one. The minimalist set-up and eerie look of the setting inside give off an eerie tone, much like the resulting implications from the girls' incessant questions which is where this one starts to get creepier. While the final reveal tends to downplay the horror aspect without much going for it, the entire feature being used as a metaphor for grief makes this ghostly tale quite interesting.
The Man Who Caught a Mermaid-Heading off on a fishing trip, an elderly man stumbles across a live mermaid and takes it home, resulting in far more trouble than he imagined. This is quite an intriguing offering. Continuing to expand upon Australia's cultural fascination about mermaids, the scenes of him out on the docks with his rod-and-reel or in the shed with the captive creature and his attempts to keep it sedated enough not to alarm others of its presence, speak nicely to their beliefs regarding their existence and how the creatures' existence is just a fact of life more than the general shock about the legends being true. With some nice touches of comedy sprinkled in here, some nice make-up effects on the creature and a solid twist, this one proves rather enjoyable overall.
Storytime-Journeying deep into the Mangroves of a local swamp, two kids looking to prove the local legend of a wicked woman in the Mangrove swamp find the legend all too real. This was a solid and enjoyable segment. The folklore behind the segment, with the kids talking about the various incarnations of the tale about the woman and the local flavor it showcases, give this a great setup alongside the outright eeriness of the swamp they decide to explore. These give this plenty to enjoy before getting to the terror of the final bits involving the realization of what's going on which makes this a wholly intriguing effort that could be expanded further quite easily.
White Song-After losing her husband in a car accident, a lonely and heartbroken widow is visited by a vengeful ghost who are each unaware of the others' true intentions. For the most part, there's a lot to like here. The shorthand montage of their relationship that signals the heartbreak and grief to come starts this well enough, much like the resulting scenes explaining the power and origins of the ghost through the interaction with her husband and child that caused her to become a ghost. The problem is that there are so much backstory and history to get out as for what's going on that it glosses over everything in huge swathes of voice-over narration to get the same point a feature-length adaptation could've told without that, giving it points for the attempt but is strangely in the wrong format as an anthology short.
Grillz-Going on a new date, a vampire using social media to hunt for prey stumbles upon a date that she can't get rid of. This one has some pretty enjoyable aspects. The opening scenes of the various hunting montages brings about some solid hunting scenes involving the girl out on the apps and killing off her prey while the time spent with the new boyfriend comes off as a nice change of pace. It's a bit short and ends abruptly but beyond that is quite fun.
Little Sharehouse of Horrors-Buying a new houseplant for her loft, a woman brings it back to her disapproving roommates only to suddenly find themselves in a frantic fight for their lives. This was a rather strong and stylish effort. The focus early on with the roommate problems and their lifestyle together sets up the latter half when it turns into a bonkers genre effort about the out-of-control plants taking over the house. Attempting to turn this into a high-energy action scene when the result is a glorified pruning session is hilarious and the outcome is a delirious slice of black comedy that makes for a fun effort.
The Intruder-Staying home alone during a thunderstorm, a teen comes to believe a stranger trying to break in only to learn someone more dangerous might want to invade her life. This one has plenty to enjoy about it. The effectively dark and Gothic-styled house, with the lightning flashes illuminating the darkness at intermittent intervals, creates a great atmosphere while the short-hand notices that something has happened in the past, let the chills build with the potential for more to come. The Gothic atmosphere extends to the second half, featuring the majority of the scenes coming by candlelight illumination that provides this one with a stellar and shocking final twist.
The Bad Stor(ies): Gloomy Valentine-After a break-up with the man of her dreams, a woman begins to lament her loss as she tries to heal her broken heart. This was a pretty weird segment. The concept of doing this as a stop-motion animation segment tends to take priority over this one for the most part, as the creative and creepy visuals are solely due to the bizarre look of everything, including the titular dolls which is exemplified by the creepy finale. Beyond those impressive creative forces at play, there's not much to this one.
Watch Me-Obsessed with her image, an aging actress will do anything to ensure that people never take their eyes off of her. There wasn't much to this one. The idea of what she's going on performing for people, wearing outlandish clothing at low-key places, taking the phone into the bathroom to record herself urinating or focusing on bizarre rituals for sleeping or other weird behaviors which are solely to do something we're not told of the importance towards her desires and behavior. By the time it finally makes sense it's too little too late.
The Ride-Heading back into town, a teen picks up a ride to his university from an enigmatic stranger that changes his life for the worse. This was a pretty underwhelming effort. The idea behind the two getting caught up in their predicament could've been far more tense and serious than the two-line exchange we get here that constitutes the entirety of the drama in this one which is where this falls flat. Toying with the idea of who the driver is doesn't generate any suspense at all, and the entire wrong-headed way this is handled lacks the chills or suspense similar setups have done in the past, rendering this a watchable if puzzling inclusion.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.
The Good Stor(ies): Birthday Girl-Meeting a strange girl in an elevator, a woman begins talking with her inside but the incessant questions the girl keeps asking to begin to fracture her already fragile mind. There was a lot to like with this one. The minimalist set-up and eerie look of the setting inside give off an eerie tone, much like the resulting implications from the girls' incessant questions which is where this one starts to get creepier. While the final reveal tends to downplay the horror aspect without much going for it, the entire feature being used as a metaphor for grief makes this ghostly tale quite interesting.
The Man Who Caught a Mermaid-Heading off on a fishing trip, an elderly man stumbles across a live mermaid and takes it home, resulting in far more trouble than he imagined. This is quite an intriguing offering. Continuing to expand upon Australia's cultural fascination about mermaids, the scenes of him out on the docks with his rod-and-reel or in the shed with the captive creature and his attempts to keep it sedated enough not to alarm others of its presence, speak nicely to their beliefs regarding their existence and how the creatures' existence is just a fact of life more than the general shock about the legends being true. With some nice touches of comedy sprinkled in here, some nice make-up effects on the creature and a solid twist, this one proves rather enjoyable overall.
Storytime-Journeying deep into the Mangroves of a local swamp, two kids looking to prove the local legend of a wicked woman in the Mangrove swamp find the legend all too real. This was a solid and enjoyable segment. The folklore behind the segment, with the kids talking about the various incarnations of the tale about the woman and the local flavor it showcases, give this a great setup alongside the outright eeriness of the swamp they decide to explore. These give this plenty to enjoy before getting to the terror of the final bits involving the realization of what's going on which makes this a wholly intriguing effort that could be expanded further quite easily.
White Song-After losing her husband in a car accident, a lonely and heartbroken widow is visited by a vengeful ghost who are each unaware of the others' true intentions. For the most part, there's a lot to like here. The shorthand montage of their relationship that signals the heartbreak and grief to come starts this well enough, much like the resulting scenes explaining the power and origins of the ghost through the interaction with her husband and child that caused her to become a ghost. The problem is that there are so much backstory and history to get out as for what's going on that it glosses over everything in huge swathes of voice-over narration to get the same point a feature-length adaptation could've told without that, giving it points for the attempt but is strangely in the wrong format as an anthology short.
Grillz-Going on a new date, a vampire using social media to hunt for prey stumbles upon a date that she can't get rid of. This one has some pretty enjoyable aspects. The opening scenes of the various hunting montages brings about some solid hunting scenes involving the girl out on the apps and killing off her prey while the time spent with the new boyfriend comes off as a nice change of pace. It's a bit short and ends abruptly but beyond that is quite fun.
Little Sharehouse of Horrors-Buying a new houseplant for her loft, a woman brings it back to her disapproving roommates only to suddenly find themselves in a frantic fight for their lives. This was a rather strong and stylish effort. The focus early on with the roommate problems and their lifestyle together sets up the latter half when it turns into a bonkers genre effort about the out-of-control plants taking over the house. Attempting to turn this into a high-energy action scene when the result is a glorified pruning session is hilarious and the outcome is a delirious slice of black comedy that makes for a fun effort.
The Intruder-Staying home alone during a thunderstorm, a teen comes to believe a stranger trying to break in only to learn someone more dangerous might want to invade her life. This one has plenty to enjoy about it. The effectively dark and Gothic-styled house, with the lightning flashes illuminating the darkness at intermittent intervals, creates a great atmosphere while the short-hand notices that something has happened in the past, let the chills build with the potential for more to come. The Gothic atmosphere extends to the second half, featuring the majority of the scenes coming by candlelight illumination that provides this one with a stellar and shocking final twist.
The Bad Stor(ies): Gloomy Valentine-After a break-up with the man of her dreams, a woman begins to lament her loss as she tries to heal her broken heart. This was a pretty weird segment. The concept of doing this as a stop-motion animation segment tends to take priority over this one for the most part, as the creative and creepy visuals are solely due to the bizarre look of everything, including the titular dolls which is exemplified by the creepy finale. Beyond those impressive creative forces at play, there's not much to this one.
Watch Me-Obsessed with her image, an aging actress will do anything to ensure that people never take their eyes off of her. There wasn't much to this one. The idea of what she's going on performing for people, wearing outlandish clothing at low-key places, taking the phone into the bathroom to record herself urinating or focusing on bizarre rituals for sleeping or other weird behaviors which are solely to do something we're not told of the importance towards her desires and behavior. By the time it finally makes sense it's too little too late.
The Ride-Heading back into town, a teen picks up a ride to his university from an enigmatic stranger that changes his life for the worse. This was a pretty underwhelming effort. The idea behind the two getting caught up in their predicament could've been far more tense and serious than the two-line exchange we get here that constitutes the entirety of the drama in this one which is where this falls flat. Toying with the idea of who the driver is doesn't generate any suspense at all, and the entire wrong-headed way this is handled lacks the chills or suspense similar setups have done in the past, rendering this a watchable if puzzling inclusion.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.
See also
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