The Dark (2005 film)

Last updated

The Dark
Thedark.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by John Fawcett
Screenplay by Stephen Massicotte
Based on Sheep
by Simon Maginn
Produced by Paul W. S. Anderson
Jeremy Bolt
Steve Christian
Robert Kulzer
Starring Sean Bean
Maria Bello
Richard Elfyn
Maurice Roëves
Abigail Stone
Sophie Stuckey
Caspar Harvey
Cinematography Christian Sebaldt
Edited byChris Gill
Music byEdmund Butt
Production
companies
Distributed byConstantin Film (Germany) [1]
Momentum Pictures (United Kingdom) [1]
Release date
  • May 2005 (2005-05)
Running time
93 minutes
Countries Germany
United Kingdom
LanguagesEnglish
Welsh

The Dark is a 2005 folk horror film starring Sean Bean and Maria Bello and directed by John Fawcett. It is based on the 1994 novel Sheep by Simon Maginn. [2] The film was shot on the Isle of Man. [3]

Contents

Plot

While in Wales visiting her husband James (Sean Bean), Adèlle (Maria Bello) tries to fix her relationship with her daughter Sarah (Sophie Stuckey). By the side of a cliff, they see a strange memorial with evidence of a plate missing and with the name "Annwyn" marked on it. A local man Dafydd (Maurice Roëves) explains that, according to traditional Welsh mythology, Annwyn is a sort of afterlife.

Later, Sarah vanishes on the beach, and another similar looking girl, named Ebrill (Welsh for "April"), appears in her place. Ebrill is the long-dead daughter of a local shepherd who also served as the town's pastor fifty years prior. When Ebrill, who was a sickly child, died, her father gave her to the ocean, sending her to Annwyn. He then convinced his followers to throw themselves into the ocean, claiming that it was the way to Paradise, while he privately hoped that their sacrifice would return Ebrill to him from Annwyn. Ebrill did come back, but, something came back with her. Her father tried to draw the evil out of her, through trepanning and locking her in her room. Dafydd was one of the followers who did not throw himself off the cliff, though both his parents did. Ebrill's father took him in, and when Dafydd could no longer bear witnessing the shepherd hurting Ebrill, he set her free, which in turn allowed the evil within her to lash out and shove her father over the cliff.

Adèlle makes the connection that Ebrill is back once more because she has found a living substitute in Sarah. In an attempt to rescue her daughter, Adèlle throws both herself and Ebrill over the cliffs, despite James' protests, and sends them both to Annwyn, a sepia-toned, misty version of reality. While in Annwyn, the film reveals that (prior to the events of the film) Sarah attempted suicide following an argument with her mother, resulting in their trip to Wales. Adèlle begs for a second chance with her daughter. Ebrill informs her that the dead don't get second chances. Ebrill and her father perform trepanation on Adèlle, to draw out the evil within her. Adèlle eventually escapes her bonds and rushes to find Sarah, who is locked behind a door. Adèlle finds a key and tearfully apologizes for being so selfish. In unlocking the door, Adèlle is able to rescue Sarah from Annwyn, though, in doing so, Adèlle sacrificed herself, only to realize too late that the Sarah she brought back was tainted by the same evil that had tainted Ebrill all those years ago.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

The Dark has an approval rating of 40% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews, and an average rating of 4.4/10. [4]

DVD

The DVD was released on 11 April 2007. The soundtrack features a song by Stream of Passion sung by Marcela Bovio.

Related Research Articles

Sweep is a series of young adult fantasy novels written by Cate Tiernan, the first of which, Book of Shadows, was published in 2001. The series follows a teenage girl, Morgan Rowlands, who discovers she is the descendant of a long line of witches, and possesses powerful magic of her own.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Tati</span> French mime, filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter (1907–1982)

Jacques Tati was a French mime, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter. In an Entertainment Weekly poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted the 46th greatest of all time, although he directed only six feature-length films.

<i>National Treasure</i> (film) 2004 film by Jon Turteltaub

National Treasure is a 2004 American action-adventure heist film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was written by Jim Kouf and the Wibberleys, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by Jon Turteltaub. It is the first film in the National Treasure franchise and stars Nicolas Cage in the lead role, Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Justin Bartha and Christopher Plummer. In the film, Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian, along with computer expert Riley Poole and archivist Abigail Chase, search for a massive lost Freemason treasure, which includes a map hidden on the back of the United States Declaration of Independence.

<i>The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor</i> 2008 American action adventure film

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a 2008 American action adventure fantasy film directed by Rob Cohen, written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and produced by Stephen Sommers, Bob Ducsay, Sean Daniel, and James Jacks. The film is set in China rather than Egypt and focuses on the Terracotta Army's origins. It is the third and final installment in The Mummy trilogy. It stars Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Luke Ford, Anthony Wong, and Michelle Yeoh.

<i>Darkness</i> (2002 film) Film by Jaume Balagueró

Darkness is a 2002 supernatural horror film directed by Jaume Balagueró and starring Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Giancarlo Giannini and Fele Martínez. The film was produced by Julio Fernández and Brian Yuzna. The film's plot follows an American family who move into a house in the Spanish countryside, where six children disappeared during an occult ritual forty years before; the teenage daughter and young son of the family are subjected to increasing disturbances in the house.

Characters of the <i>Silent Hill</i> series

The survival horror video games series Silent Hill features a large cast of characters. The games' player characters are "everymen", in contrast to action-oriented survival horror video game series featuring combat-trained player characters, such as Resident Evil. The games are set in the series' eponymous fictional American town.

John Maurice Roëves was a Scottish actor. He appeared in over 120 film and television roles, in both the United Kingdom and the United States. His breakthrough performance was as Stephen Dedalus in the 1967 film adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses. He was a regular fixture on BBC and BBC Scotland programmes, often portraying what The Guardian called "tough guys, steely villains or stalwart military figures with directness, authenticity and spiky energy".

David Platt (<i>Coronation Street</i>) Fictional character from Coronation Street

David Platt is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 26 December 1990. He was played by Thomas Ormson from his first appearance until 15 March 2000 when Ormson left. Jack P. Shepherd took over the role and made his first on screen appearance on 26 April 2000. In July 2019, Shepherd took a four-month break from the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Grimshaw</span> Fictional character from Coronation Street

Eileen Grimshaw is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Sue Cleaver, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 3 May 2000. Her storylines have often included her relationships with Dennis Stringer, Ed Jackson, Pat Stanaway, Jerry Morton, Jesse Chadwick, Paul Kershaw, Adrian Mortimer and Michael Rodwell, as well as her marriage to serial criminal mastermind Pat Phelan.

<i>Butterfly on a Wheel</i> 2007 Canadian film

Butterfly on a Wheel is a 2007 thriller film directed by Mike Barker, co-produced and written by William Morrissey. A British-Candian joint production, it stars Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler, and Maria Bello. The film's title is an allusion to a line of Alexander Pope's poem "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot": "Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?" The line is usually interpreted as questioning why someone would put great effort into achieving something minor or unimportant, or who would punish a minor offender with a disproportional punishment.

<i>Ys</i> (anime) Two Japanese anime series

Ys are two different anime series, released as original video animation series, both of which are based on the video game series Ys. The first series spans seven episodes and covers the general plotline of the first game of the series, Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished. The plot centers on Adol Christin as he journeys to the island of Esteria in search of adventure. Upon arrival, he learns that a dark priest known as Dark Fact has been tearing the island apart in search of six mystical tomes of power, the Books of Ys.

Abigail Lucy Cruttenden is an English actress. After beginning her career as a child, she went on to play opposite Sean Bean as his character Richard Sharpe's wife Jane in several episodes of the TV series Sharpe. She has since become known for her roles in sitcoms, which include Kate Weedon in the ITV comedy series Benidorm (2007–2009), and Anna in the BBC sitcom Not Going Out (2014–present).

<i>Revenge of the Musketeers</i> (1994 film) 1994 French film

Revenge of the Musketeers is a 1994 French swashbuckler adventure film directed by Bertrand Tavernier and starring Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, Claude Rich, and Sami Frey. Set in the seventeenth century, the film is about the daughter of the renowned swordsman D'Artagnan who keeps the spirit of the Musketeers alive by bringing together the aging members of the legendary band to oppose a plot to overthrow the King and seize power. Revenge of the Musketeers was filmed on location at the Château de Biron in Biron, Dordogne and the Château de Maisons in Maisons-Laffitte in France and in Portugal with a budget of $9.1 million.

<i>Mirror Mirror</i> (film) 2012 comedy fantasy film by Tarsem Singh

Mirror Mirror is a 2012 American fantasy comedy film based on the fairy tale, "Snow White", collected by the Brothers Grimm. The film follows a young princess named Snow White, who uses the help of a band of seven thieves as well as a prince, to reclaim her throne from her wicked stepmother, the enchantress Clementianna.

Wait Till Helen Comes is a 2016 Canadian film directed by Dominic James and written by Victoria Sanchez Mandryk. It is adapted from the book by Mary Downing Hahn. It stars Maria Bello with biological sisters Sophie Nélisse and Isabelle Nélisse, who play stepsisters in the film. The film was released in multiple Canadian cities on 25 November 2016.

<i>Lights Out</i> (2016 film) 2016 American supernatural horror film

Lights Out is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by David F. Sandberg in his directorial debut, produced by Lawrence Grey, James Wan, and Eric Heisserer and written by Heisserer. It stars Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Alexander DiPersia, Billy Burke, and Maria Bello. It is based on Sandberg's 2013 short film of the same name and features Lotta Losten, who starred in the short.

The thirty-fourth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 17 August 2019, one week after the end of the previous series. The series consists of 43 episodes. Lucy Raffety continues her role as series producer, while Simon Harper continues his role as the show's executive producer; this is Raffety's final series as producer, and she was replaced by Loretta Preece. Production on the series was postponed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also resulted in multiple transmission breaks. A single episode was also pulled due to comparisons between its content and the pandemic; the episode was broadcast as the final episode of the series at a later date. The theme of the series is reflecting how the National Health Service (NHS) is "under pressure", with elements focusing on "the hierarchy of pressure on the doctors". The series is also promoted through multiple trailers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloe Harris</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Chloe Harris is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Jessie Elland. She made her first appearance on 20 August 2021. Chloe was introduced as the sister of Gemma Harris, a dead teenager whose heart was given to Sarah Sugden in a transplant. Elland was attracted to the role as she felt that Chloe is a well-written character and she felt a responsibility to do the role justice when she was cast. Chloe is characterised as a sweet and genuine person who is secretly struggling with feelings of sadness, anger, and frustration. This is initially explained through her grief for her dead sister, but later into her tenure, it is revealed that she has a controlling father who is in prison. Chloe's family home is installed with several cameras and her father hires numerous people to watch over her. Eventually, Kerry Wyatt, her housekeeper and secret biological mother, helps her to escape and invites her to live with Kerry in the Emmerdale village.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Elley, Derek (25 August 2005). "The Dark". Variety . Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  2. "The-Dark". archive.ph. 11 August 2013. Archived from the original on 11 August 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  3. "Leading film role for Abigail, 12". BBC News. BBC. 9 June 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  4. "The Dark". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 25 August 2021.