from Film Forum, 01/06/05A horror film that has been sitting on a shelf somewhere for two years has just been released in theatres. In spite of the participation of such fine actresses as Lena Olin (Chocolat, TV's Alias) and Anna Paquin (X-Men), critics are saying Darkness should never have been brought out into the light.
Tom Neven (Plugged In) says, "[It's] so poorly lit and dimly directed, and … the plot is so incoherent that at times you must literally guess what is happening. Mistaking leaden pacing for suspense, director Jaume Balagueró has perhaps done us all a favor: made a really, really bad—bad—movie. As another reviewer has noted, your 95 minutes could be more profitably spent simply sitting in a darkened theater."
Douglas Downs (Christian Spotlight) says, "This is a very dark, depressing movie about submitting to death and destruction. The acting is so-so. The filming is dark and mediocre. It won't take viewers long to see why this movie was held back. It might take you a little bit longer to figure out why it was released at all."