In the Dark Half (2012) User Reviews

One strange movie coming up

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 19 September 2012]

It is a really tough movie to describe. I'm not going to use spoilers, though even if I did it'd be very difficult to catch the essence of it. It is a very spiritual movie. Of course it might feel fake for some, quite a few may see where this is heading (at least a general direction), but it's still a ride worth taking.

If you like low budget cinema/drama (with a touch of horror) that is. The acting is really good (the kid is supposed to be annoying and especially unnerving) and the story has this vibe to it that strangely attracted me to it. It's not perfect by all means, but I do think the fact that it tries to be different and especially "feel" different, sets it apart from some other movies (in a good way).

Intriguing

[donb-519-335075 · 6/10 · 4 May 2013]

The acting is terrific - Marie (Jessica Barden) reminds me of a young Christina Ricci - has that haunted look and Filthy (Tony Curran) is great as the bereaved father. This film mixes emotions of loss, grief, with the (seemingly) supernatural as the actors (and actresses) work through their grief at the loss of a little boy - for no apparent reason.

In the mix is a strained relationship with the mother (read Prozac Nation review), some weird bunnies (you'll swear they are the reincarnated dead boy) with various sightings of the dead and communications with the spirit world. All in all a very interesting movie - beautifully shot in a brooding atmosphere - which held my interest the entire way. This film goes to show that you do not have to spend millions of dollars/pounds on famous actors and actresses to produce an excellent movie. But it does take good writing, an interesting plot, good cinematography, and good acting. This movie has all those elements. I liked the very touching ending with the bereaved father.

Certainly worth your while (unless you are a Bruce Willis fan - then skip it.) DonB

Great direction, weak story

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 17 April 2017]

IN THE DARK HALF is a low budget British horror movie all about mood and atmosphere; in terms of physicality, you don't really get to see anything as this isn't about the visceral or even concrete action. Instead it's a mood piece looking at how the death of a child affects the family members left behind. There are hints of a haunting and witchcraft, but most of all this is a psychological journey.

I really liked this film's direction and the visuals throughout are great; not many films put across rural life very well but the director does so here. Unfortunately I found the main actress, Jessica Barden, a bit disappointing as the lead character; she's limited to one expression throughout and that soon gets wearying. The reliable Tony Curran is very good, though, as the disturbed father, and it's nice to see ROME's Lyndsey Marshal in a contemporary role.

Atmospheric low budget film

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 22 October 2017]

Sullen teenager Marie (Jessica Barden) suffering from teenage angst is more troubled when the neighbour's young son she is babysitting suddenly dies. Her mother is unhinged, the neighbour goes shooting rabbits at night, the townsfolk hold him responsible somehow for his son's death.

Marie is friendless and is drawn to the woods where she feels the dead boy's presence.

This a low budget film shot in and around Bristol, the supernatural element is hinted but it does not have a pay off. It is atmospheric but ends rather disappointingly.

Worth Watching

[andyetris · 7/10 · 26 February 2013]

This is a really impressive piece of filmmaking until the end, when it just sort of splinters into a lot of random bits (including what look like stray cuttings from PRINCESS KA'UILANI?) It's too bad, because otherwise this might have been an eerie masterpiece standing alongside, instead of shadowing, SIXTH SENSE.

Jessica Barden is AMAZING as Marie; a weird 15-year-old living in a depressed suburban tract that backs onto "the hill," a large tract of undeveloped land that includes an abandoned bunker where she conducts burials for kills she steals from her poacher neighbor Filthy (Tony Curran.) Filthy entertains both Marie and his young son Sean with myths and folktales, but when Sean dies while Marie is babysitting, Filthy loses control while Marie becomes convinced that she is in communication with the dead. Increasingly estranged from her only friend Michelle (Georgia Henshaw) and erratic mother (Lyndsey Marshal,) Marie becomes convinced that Sean wants her to draw his father into the bunker.

Directed by Alastair Siddons, In The Dark Half is wonderfully weird, with terrific performances by everyone, atmospheric music, and effective cinematography. The script is a little all over the place from the beginning but this works at first, keeping the audience guessing as to the film's intentions; I thought this really worked for a while as it allowed the supernatural elements to creep in. Unfortunately it all began to fall apart once they are plainly in place, simultaneously telegraphing "the twist" without really setting up the rest of the finale to make sense. That doesn't necessarily make it a terrible film; it just left me feeling kind of disappointed.

slow and boring pacing

[av-spam · 4/10 · 23 February 2020]

Doesn't make a lot of sense and, even allowing for it being a supernatural film, never rings true. Maybe if I watched it straight through twice, after seeing the twist it might make more sense but I barely made it through once and I could not stomach a 2nd sitting. The lead actress is also extremely annoying; if that was her intent, well done on achieving it!

Many Good Things

[samkan · 7/10 · 9 September 2013]

In the age of streaming video, if I watch a film to the end there must be some merit. If I don't even consider turning the film off there's got to be some magic. ITDH definitely casts a charming spell. There is, at various points, some frustration regarding where the film wants to go. But the mood and tone of the English grey skys and the circumstances become intoxicating. Our young actress gives a performance many Hollywood people could not touch. The ending makes sense of sorts but had this viewer wishing that there had been more clues, fewer tangents. Maybe I should watch the film again. If you like the notions of film making, acting direction and dialog, don't miss this film.

Slow!

[andreamoss-98642 · 1/10 · 6 August 2020]

Very slow story. It was beautifully made and the acting was great! Shame the actors weren't part of better storyline.

Interesting movie but felt too long.

[dlmyst-29813 · 6/10 · 22 July 2020]

This is about a story about a girl that should be running in a padded cell instead of the woods;) That's a joke but the movie represents loss and how one deals with it. though at some points the movie dragged for like ever and I thought two hours passed when only 38 mins passed. This is why I can't give it a better score than 6. Since the character Marie was a puzzle I wanted to solve. However, the movie at the end unravels without giving us enough clues to solve the puzzle that is Marie. The symbolism with the house breaking apart by the mom and how Marie is dealing with it wasn't enough.

psychological horror of the more bleak and incoherent kind

[myriamlenys · 4/10 · 4 March 2018]

The acting is excellent. The young female protagonist deserves particular praise for a very mature and accomplished performance : I look forward to watching her again, in a variety of roles. Sadly the movie is thwarted by an incoherent and slow-moving screenplay : events move at a glacial pace and each new development negates, modifies or obscures what came before. I can't speak for every viewer, but I was completely lost by the time the ending arrived and I don't suppose I was, or am, the only one.

Next to the acting, about the only thing I admired was the superb nature photography - green has rarely been this green. For the rest I can't recommend "In the dark half", although there might be some kind of niche audience consisting of people a) who think that the movies of Ken Loach or the brothers Dardenne aren't bleak enough and b) who like rabbit-based metaphors.

Mesmerizing

[astralxromance · 10/10 · 21 May 2014]

The word I feel most appropriately suited for this film is "beautiful". During the first fifteen minutes, I wasn't quite sure what was happening but after a little, we get to it. Unbeknown to us, we take on the view of a pretty young woman named Marie and we are taken into a world of conjectural spiritual phenomenon. Tragedy then strikes and from then on, it takes on even more of a somber mood. It is not until the end that the truth all surfaces and young Marie and Filthy recognize and embrace their similar circumstances. This film is truly remarkable and I feel there must be some brilliance embedded in both the director and writer. I can't even fathom how anyone would dislike this movie unless they don't generally like slow-paced films.

Lone Teenager's Despair and Confusion in the face of Death

[arthurcrown · 7/10 · 14 February 2019]

Alistair Siddon's film of Lucy Catherine's screenplay presents the despair and unfathomable confusion in the life of grief-stricken teenager Marie (Jessica Barden) as she confronts the sudden, inculpable death of neighbour Filthy's (Tony Curran) child Sean (Alfie Hepper). Ill-equipped and reeling from other problems in her life, she clings to wreckage in a shipwreck that is not of her making. Mother Kathy (Lyndsey Marshall) and father Steve (Simon Armstrong) seem unable to support her through the torment of guilt and grief at the death of a child she is minding. Even her schoolfriend Michelle (Georgina Henshaw) is too wrapped up in her own life to throw a lifebelt to the drowning Marie.

Marie, however, tries unsuccessfully and at serious risk to her own life to support the grieving father Filthy whose name belies the strength and magnitude of his character in the face of a loss of the most acute kind.

A well-crafted and thought-provoking film, which opens a new chapter on the textbook of human suffering.

Chills as characters try to come to terms with grief

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 16 August 2020]

Not all is as it seems in this low budget chiller. Fifteen year old Marie lives with her mother and occasionally babysits for her neighbour 'Filthy'. He is a poacher who tells Marie and his son, Sean, tales of fairies who live in a nearby hill. One night as she is babysitting Sean dies. Filthy wants somebody to blame and Marie blames herself but doctors assure them that nobody is to blame. As they try to deal with their grief Marie starts to believe that Sean is still there, living on the hill.

This film won't be for everybody but I rather enjoyed it. It is hard to pin down to a genre; it hints at the supernatural but it could be that this is just what characters believe. The pace isn't fast but that adds to the atmosphere. There is a good sense of mystery concerning what is really going on and some genuine twists. The cast is impressive; most obviously Jessica Barden, who is great as Marie; Tony Curren, who impresses as the grief-stricken Filthy and Lyndsey Marshal as Marie's mother Kathy. The locations used are effective; especially the old pillbox where Marie believes Sean is now. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to film fans looking for something a little different.

See This One!

[twelve-house-books · 10/10 · 24 July 2020]

There's a common belief that any film given below seven stars on IMDb is not worth seeing. That may have been true at one time when purposefully poor reviews or deceptive great reviews weren't posted simply because the idiots hadn't discovered they could manipulate the numbers. All that said, this film--this majestic example of directory genius and superb storytelling--I gave five Amazon stars to because it deserved every last one of them, and I give 10 stars here on IMDb, something I reserve for flawless films. I stepped into this story not sure I really wanted to know about it. Poor housing developments in some part of a Wales that I like to imagine is only made up of hills and dales and out-of-the-way pubs owned and operated by cute, snappy-eyed, broad smiling Welsh beauties. And wait'll ye see their daughters! Anyway, the Wales of this film is nothing like I imagine, but is desolate and cold and weird and unimpressive. But I watched anyway, and was soon enough caught up in the seamless storytelling and brilliant photography with perfect, telling angles (you'll need to see the film twice to see what I mean--the shots hang a certain way, and that is a first and major clue to what you will see as really the center of the whole tale). I'd tell you much more, but I don't want to spoil anything. If you are a fan of masterful storytelling in film as well as a lover of all things Celtic and Welsh and British and what have you, then see this one. You won't regret it.

Hypnotized

[ckepel · 8/10 · 26 February 2020]

Yes, I also wasn't sure where the movie was heading, but I didn't mind it at all. From the first moment on it had a firm grip on me because of the eerie atmosphere, intriguing takeoff and beautiful cinematography (a joy for the senses and the stomach to NOT have to endure the documetary style restless camera. A pitty the wonderful engaging steady cam is mostly found in horror/thriller. Longing to see more of it in other genres too.)

There was a moment I felt a little annoyed by the girl because she didn't seem able to change her expression. Or say anything sensible at all. Was ready to dislike the actress (Barden) but all became clear in the end and her character was really, REALLY very troubled so the apathy turned out to be good acting. Thank goodness. What really surprised me was that it started rather unearthy, morphed into quite chilling, but ended up as a deeply sad and strangely comforting movie. Very nice.