Down a Dark Hall

 



Director - Rodrigo Cortes (Red Lights, Buried)
Starring - AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Soul Surfer), Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill), and Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan, The Hunger Games)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Horror/Thriller
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     With Christmas quickly approaching I decided to pull out all the Christmas oriented movies I needed to review and knock them out.  While doing so I found the supernatural horror film Down a Dark Hall stuck in the wrong spot in my collection.  This was a new one sent my way not long ago from the fine folks over at Lionsgate.  I was intrigued when I saw that it starred Uma Thurman but I had my doubts when I saw that it was produced by the folks that brought the world the Twilight Saga.  I'm glad I gave it a shot because it was actually a pretty fun supernatural thriller.

     The film follows Kit (Robb) who is a troubled youth.  She is suspected of arson and is repeatedly kicked out of school.  Her mother and step-father can no longer handle her so they sign her up for a boarding school designed to handle teens like her.  The headmistress Madame Duret (Thurman) is a strange woman hiding a dark secret from the young girls but Kit is hell bent on uncovering the truth of the boarding school and the supernatural presence that she seems to feel but no one else notices.

     I went into this one expecting a mediocre horror thriller with absolutely no redeeming qualities. I will say that this film does tow the line of mediocrity but it does offer up a rather intriguing story.  The acting in this one is alright but nothing amazing.  In fact, I would say that it is a little underwhelming when you consider the cast.  We have screen legend Uma Thurman in what I would consider her most lackluster performance.  She is one of the greatest actresses to ever grace the television screen and this is what she brought us?  Bit of a let down.  We also get a bland performance from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory star AnnaSophia Robb.  Her character is very layered and in depth but her portrayal of her is almost boring to watch.  The story for this one really pulled me in.  This supernatural thriller uses the perfect gothic setting to spin its ghostly tale with a pretty solid story.  It works for the most part but its full potential is never released on the screen.  Once the film hit the final act we are left with more questions than answers. Finally, this is not a bloody film but it does have some visual effects.  In a few scenes the effects are decent but in others they were horrible.  Direct to video visual effects are usually are on the shotty side and this one is no exception.  Overall, Down a Dark Hall is a film that could be easily forgotten  but the story does stick with you.  This could have been an unforgettable film and something worth noting but just falls a little flat.  Nonetheless, it still deserves a watch so check it out.