News

‘Down a Dark Hall’ is an Exquisite Paranormal Thriller

Published

6 years ago

September 9, 2018

A couple of weeks ago, Down a Dark Hall quietly made its way onto Amazon and other Video on Demand services. I remember seeing it available and thinking that I would get to it eventually.

This weekend, I finally did and I could kick myself for waiting so long.

Based on the novel of the same name by Lois Duncan, the woman behind the novel on which I Know What You Did Last Summer was based, Down a Dark Hall tells the story of Katherine “Kit” Gordy (AnnaSophia Robb), a troubled young woman whose mother and stepfather have decided to send to an elite boarding school in the hopes that it will turn the girl’s life around.

Upon arriving, Kit and her fellow students soon begin to flourish in ways that they never expected excelling in art, music, literature, and mathematics where there had been little talent before.

Of course, there’s a catch to this sudden excellence, and as they delve into the secrets of the school and their mysterious headmistress, Madame Duret (Uma Thurman), they find themselves in a fight for their lives against forces far more powerful that they expected.

Madame Duret (Uma Thurman) with faculty and staff in Down a Dark Hall (Photo via IMDb)

Down a Dark Hall is, at its core, an original, genuinely creepy thriller with an embarrassment of riches both in front of and behind the camera.

Writers Michael Goldbach (Mary Kills People) and Chris Sparling (The Atticus Institute) plumb the depths of Duncan’s source material, updating elements to bring the 1973 novel into the 21st century while never losing its unsettling, slowly building tension.

Meanwhile director Rodrigo Cortes, who previously wowed audiences with his paranormal thriller Red Lights, once again showcases his attention to detail and his gift for drawing impressive performances from his actors. Every moment leads organically to the next without a step missed.

And then there’s that amazing cast!

AnnaSophia Robb proves once and for all that she has grown into the talent that was present from the first time we saw her in films like Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She is at once confident and vulnerable, raw and reserved, completely open and shielded.

In her hands, Kit becomes a complex and capable protagonist standing against Thurman’s Madame Duret.

Speaking of Uma Thurman, it was good to see her throw caution to the wind and really become the villain of the film. Duret could easily have been a caricature, stalking the halls and demanding the students bend to her will. Instead, she turns in a measured performance, balancing moments of quiet, predatory power with over-the-top, scenery melting treachery and somehow makes it all seem believable.

Isabelle Fuhrman, Victoria Moroles, Taylor Russell and Rosie Day round out the cast as Kit’s fellow students, working together as a talented ensemble, though Furhman (who fans might recognize as Esther from Orphan) and Moroles could easily steal any scene with a look or turn of phrase.

The students arrive in Down a Dark Hall (Photo via IMDb)

As you must have realized by now, Down a Dark Hall is a story about women, and it was refreshing to see characters who were more than stereotypes. Of course, there is conflict, but it never felt out of place nor as though it was written because “that’s how women/girls act”.

It also evened out the playing field to have a female villain whose womanhood wasn’t the sole source of her villainy. Don’t get me wrong, Madame Duret is plenty evil, but that evil is rooted in power and wealth in much the same way that we’ve seen male villains written in the past.

Does that make the film more socially progressive? I’m not certain, but I am certain that it will be the topic of discussion after many socially-minded viewers watch this film!

I would remiss in this review if I did not bring up the film’s brilliant score composed by Victor Reyes (Grand Piano). It is decadent and lush and harrowing, amplifying the fear one moment while softly underscoring the tenderest feelings of love and loss in the next.

In fact, one of the most memorable moments in the film comes when Kit sits down at a piano, overcome by the power surrounding her and begins to play a wild and maniacal waltz that would make Liszt green with envy. The music, in that moment, is utterly transcendent of time and space and radiates emotion far more powerful than words could express.

And then there’s the school itself!

Its palatial presence is foreboding; its shadows keep secrets, and its twisting hallways are dizzying and as the title implies, sinister and dark. Every good haunted house film needs an excellent location and Cortes hit a gold mine here.

Down a Dark Hall is currently available to rent on Amazon, Fandango Now and iTunes. Check out the trailer below and watch it today!

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

18 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

2 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

4 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.