looking for horror movies about the dark

[james438]

Hi,

I am trying to remember some movies that I watched a while ago. In particular I am looking for any movies that you can think of that deal with the theme of darkness and horror. For example:

Darkness Falls
Boogeyman

both qualify. I suspect Dark City, and Pitch Black falls into that category as well, but I am hesitant to mention them as they do not seem quite like horror. I would love to hear any titles you can think of either domestic or foreign.

[jscheuer1]

Hoards of alien creatures hell bent on devouring all life in their path isn't horror? Oh, and they only come out at night. That's not so bad. But now it's night all the time. Almost like a Sunday picnic.

I guess Pitch Black isn't horror. What do you need? A ghost? Let's throw in Casper for the remake.

[james438]

hehe, well, maybe it is horror ;). imdb says that it is Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller, but not horror. I would say that is pretty accurate. More like intense sci-fi.

Sooo, did you like Pitch Black? I really enjoyed it and the sequels as well.

[jscheuer1]

IDK, seriously - what does it need to be horror? A chainsaw? It certainly has some horrifying moments.

Anyways, what sequels? Chronicles of Riddick is the only one I'm aware of, though there is/was talk of two more of those from Vin himself. The first didn't do too well. I loved it. I don't usually watch anything first run and don't keep up with new releases, so its possible something came out and I missed it.

Both movies have character development, and taken together form quite a story arc. I like that. But witness the recent smash hit, Avatar. I guess character development and plot don't sell.

[james438]

I really did not like Avatar. I'll leave it at that. The only other sequal to the Pitch Black is the animated one.

The movie I am trying to find is a horror movie where darkness is the mode of transport for the antagonist.

In this movie there are 5 or so people in their 20's who are disappearing. They are beginning to remember the time some years ago when they vanished and had tracking devices implanted in their skulls. The creatures that are hunting them flee from any light, but can use darkness or shadows to travel from their world to ours. They can also manipulate electronics to make it dark, such as turning off headlights or other lights nearby. It is unclear whether the protagonist is imagining all of this or whether the fear is real.

The movie was made in mid to later part of the last decade. I am guessing around 2007. I am unsure if this was a theatrical release or direct to video. I did enjoy the special effects that were used though.

[djr33]

Not what you're looking for, but lots of vampire films relate to this, especially 30 Days of Night and that type.

[james438]

Yep, that certainly qualifies. While it is not quite the movie I am looking for I am also interested in others that fall into this category.

[Web Developer]

Most movies about Vampires are related more or less to " the dark" cuz vampires don't like the light. How about "The Descent"? All the time in the deep cave without the sunlight.

[molendijk]

I'm DRACULA..... (http://www.let.rug.nl/molendyk/dracula.html)!
===
Arie.

[molendijk]

And how about Dr. Faust and Mephisto (http://www.youtube.com/v/zFE8l7MU0yY?version=3&autoplay=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&autohide=0)?
===
Arie.

[james438]

I wouldn't say that "The Descent" qualifies since it is a movie that takes place in the dark as opposed to a movie which preys on the fear of the dark. Admittedly, I have not seen "The Descent", so I could be wrong. Movies about Dracula and vampires do qualify, because in that genre the villains are only powerful in darkness or the night.

The theme I am looking for involves darkness, or the total absence of light, from which the antagonist is free to work about mischief.

[djr33]

The Descent fits very well, since most of the film is about the unseen creatures. Lights go out, people get eaten, plot doesn't get much further than that. (Decent for a horror film though.)

[pcregistryguru]

try session 9 I really like it, pretty creepy and intense

[james438]

good movie, pcregistryguru, not so sure about the ending though on that one. I don't think that fits the horror movie criteria I am looking for where the primary medium through which the antagonist operates is darkness though.

[james438]

Found it! The movie is called They (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283632/). It was silly, but I have spent many many hours over a couple of weeks looking for this movie. I'm not saying it was any good, but the sheer otherness of the creatures intrigued me and the story felt somewhat Lovecraftian.

The two other similar movies that I know of with very similar story lines are Darkness Falls (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0282209/) and Boogeyman (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357507/).

Here is the quote that describes the movie a bit better than I did and which pointed me in the right direction:

Can anyone tell me what movie I'm thinking of here. It's a similar "Boogeyman/closet monster" theme about a young woman who begins to get stalked by monsters from a different plane of reality that come through when the lights are out. She and other victims are marked by them at a young age when they insert these long, talon-like things into their skulls (and she can be seen pulling it out in one scene in a bathroom). It starts with a friend of hers meeting her at a cafe and freaking out when the light above them goes out and him saying something like "when the lights go out, that means they're coming" or something like that. ref: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357507/board/flat/129863565?p=1#129863565