When the credits rolled after this film, I remembered what Johnny Rotten said at the Sex Pistols final performance. Rotten sarcastically remarked to the audience "ever get the feeling you've been cheated" before walking off the stage. These words rolled through my head as I walked from the theatre to the car with some friends and I listened to both positive and negative thoughts of the movie. I was going to write this review as soon as I got home but figured I had better sleep on it and reflect on both why I was engaged throughout the film and why the Rotten quote is still sticking with me today.

Kate Greenhouse stars as Samantha Goodman, a psychiatrist who has a reputation for being very cold in her treatment methods and has ceased to look at many of her patients as human beings but moreso as 'interesting' experiments. After a poorly handled encounter with a particularly violent patient, Samantha feels as though she needs to get away for a weekend. After failing to convince her husband, Harlan (Gordon Currie), to go to Vegas they end up with Samantha's younger sister Melody (Iris Graham) at their cabin. Before long, the patient from the opening sequence shows up and begins to make them participate in some of his own psychological assessments which involves much more than the Rorschach test and questionnaires. These games involve a gun, an axe, pliers, a shaving kit, and more.

The first film that came to mind when this movie was over was Haute Tension. Not so much for the plot but more in how it made me feel. Both films had their share of uncomfortable violence but where Haute Tension dropped the ball, I found The Dark Hours to be more effective. A lot of this has to do with Wil Zmak's script and the cleverness by which the plot jumps around on the timeline but most of this was to do with the disturbingly believable performances from the five key players. You are hooked as soon as they hit the cabin and you cannot take your eyes of the screen (especially Greenhouse and villain Aidan Devine who have a particularly intense chemistry). I also found Steve Cosens' cinematography to be tremendously effective as the camera seemed to be pushing in throughout the film drawing you into the madness. The slow zoom combined with interesting compositions evoked inescapable feelings of claustrophobia. Finally, Paul Fox's direction was imperative in keeping a potentially confusing story reeled in enough to not make the entire audience throw up their hands in frustration at key points in the films and feel like that Sex Pistols audience at Winterland.

I am not sure how effective this movie would be at home. The feeling of being in a theatre and watching the story develop on the big screen added an intensity that may be lost on video. This movie is definitely not for the squeamish and had a few nasty moments including a finale that made me cringe much more than normal particularly because the camera does not shy away from the events unfolding on screen. In today's sparse horror environment, this is a welcome change from the usual dreck but I still wish someone would make a balls out horror movie from start to finish without some sort of gimmick. That is what I was expecting during the first half and that is why I felt a little let down. After thinking about the way everything unfolded, however, I realize that I was wrong and that this movie paid off where others (I'm talking to you, Haute Tension), didn't. If you can go in with an open mind, I think this will be a rewarding experience in this age of scripts which seem to be written by football players in the locker room after practice.

This is a Canadian film and most of the lead actors are recognizable. Gordon Currie has been many movies with Blood And Donuts being one of the more notable ones. Horror fans will also recognize Dov Tiefenbach from Jason X. I knew I recognized Kate Greenhouse from somewhere and after doing a little research, I realized she played Don "The Dragon" Wilson's girlfriend in the direct to video action flick Terminal Rush. I have yet to see Micheal Haneke's Funny Games but apparently The Dark Hours has a number of similarities to it at least as far as the general idea goes.

Make sure you see this before reading too much about it. Spoilers will really spoil this one. (Josh Pasnak, 11/12/05)

Directed By: Paul Fox.
Written By: Wil Zmak.

Starring: Kate Greenhouse, Aidan Devine, Gordon Currie, Iris Graham.