By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats
Director: Lluís Quílez
Country: colombia, spain, united_states
Year: 2015
Running time: 102
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4572856
Kyle says: “OUT OF THE DARK starts with a thunderstorm, as a man hurriedly packs a suitcase, interrupted on his way out first by a phone call instructing him to burn what look like medical files, then by persistent pounding on the front door, then by things that go bump in the night, such as bedraggled children between flashes of lightning, then by his plunging off the balcony with a scalpel through his heart. Ghosts? Zombies? Medical experiments left over from Nazis in THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL? No, because this is Colombia. Years later, an attractive young couple Sarah and Paul, played by Julia Stiles and Scott Speedman, arrive to take over a factory from her father, Jordan, played by Stephen Rea, with their adorable little girl named Hannah, played by Pixie Davies. I already wanted to turn it off.
“Since we already know the home and grounds are haunted, since we have seen countless numbers of these movies, we know that Hannah is going to wander off at every sound and ghostly apparition, which her parents do not believe in because she is a little girl with a fanciful imagination. But they soon will. It seems that centuries ago, the Conquistadors kidnapped local children for ransom, and even though the ransom was paid, they burned down the building with all the children locked inside. In modern times, they have an annual festival in celebration of the memory of the immolated children, who provide a convenient excuse to blame any mischief or mayhem on. I think these silly genre titles used to be better made, or perhaps there were just fewer of them to endure. Perhaps I have just lost all patience for their convenient disregard of narrative conventions and consistencies. If you like this sort of thing, go for it. 2 cats
“Tuesday, August 25, 2015, on Netflix, New York.”