Darkness Rising

Director - Austin Reading (Death Valley, House of Style)
Starring - Tar Holt (Z Nation, American Horror Story), Katrina Law (Arrow, Spartacus: War of the Damned), and Bryce Johnson (Willow Creek, Son of Zorn)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The house knows what you're thinking"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I like a good haunted house flick but the horror section has been filling up with them in recent years with the success of Paranormal Activity and The Conjuring.  I didn't care for Paranormal Activity but I did enjoy The Conjuring so seeing clones of this is welcomed.  Some of these clones follow similar stories with very little variations while some abandon the story completely but try to keep the look of those films.  Some are able to do so and others fail miserably.  Several months back I received the press release for the IFC Midnight and Scream Factory release of Darkness Rising.  The film looked fantastic so I reached out to my friends at Scream Factory and they were kind enough to send over a review copy.  Thank you guys!
     The film follows a young woman who is struggling mentally with a traumatic childhood that left her without her parents and an obsession with the number 5.  She decides to visit her childhood home with her friend and boyfriend.  While there they encounter a supernatural presence along with the real reason behind her obsession with the number 5 and her parents.  Will she be able to escape with the child she is secretly carrying in her belly or will they both fall prey to the evil in the house?
     The press release and artwork for Darkness Rising had me excited.  I was under the impression that I was in for a moody and suspenseful treat but in reality the film is a mess.  The movie is inconsistent, poorly constructed, and bland.  The acting for this one is awkward.  I hate saying that about a cast but the cast in this one delivers some of the most awkward scenes I have ever laid my eyes on.  Their emotions are way out of check resulting in unnecessary yelling and screaming with blank expressions on their face.  I've seen no budget back yard productions that had better and convincing performances.  The story for this one has potential but throws new twists and spins at the few after the fact.  As the film progresses we learn more and more about the young woman.  After each revelation we are then revealed the reasoning or cause behind it just moments later.  These things should be established at the beginning of the film.  It literally takes away from the impact of the discovery if we learn about something and then the reasoning behind it is explained in the next scene.  The film has a great idea but suffers from sloppy writing.  Finally, the film has some solid effects and a little blood but nothing new.  With that being said, there was several gags done in the film that stood out.  Honestly, the effects in this film are great especially the bleached eyes scene.  Overall, Darkness Rising is a tough one to sit through.  The acting is choppy and the writing is sloppy but I did enjoy some of the effects so it wasn't a total waste of time.  If you want something fun to watch I can recommend several other IFC Midnight/Scream Factory releases but not this one.