Official Synopsis
“Dr. Michael Cayle thought leaving the chaotic lifestyle of New York City for the quiet, small town of Ashborough would bring his family closer together. Soon after arriving, however, he discovers the town’s deepest secret: a terrifying and controlling race of creatures that live in the darkness of the woods behind his home.”
Let’s face it, there are a lot of films like Deep in the Darkness. A fish out of water tale about people from the big city getting more than they bargained for in the scary small town. It takes something unique and extremely well executed to pull off something that hasn’t been done before.
Dr. Michael Cayle (Sean Patrick Thomas) already senses something is amiss when he arrives in Ashborough with his wife Cristine (Kristen Bush) and daughter. The townsfolk are a bit stand-offish, all except Phil (Dean Stockwell) whose warm manner makes the family feel more at home.
Michael begins to realize something is amiss. People act strangely around him, whispering things amongst themselves.
Finally, Phil leads Michael out into the woods along a forgotten path. Their destination is a sacrificial altar that Phil explains is used to make sacrifices to an ancient tribe of hill people that lived in the area and still do to this day. Michael must make regular sacrifices to please them, to allow him and his family to live peacefully among them. This of course sounds ridiculous to Michael, and he refuses to be taken in by such superstitious nonsense.
Mysterious things start to happen around the town that Michael can’t explain. Strange packages sent from his predecessor containing a wide array of deadly diseases, his wife becoming pregnant, a sudden death of a citizen who confided in him. All point toward a horrific truth that he can’t accept.
This film has an interesting feel to it. From the cover and lack of wide theatrical release you would be quick to dismiss it, but if that old adage were updated to “you can’t judge a film by its cover”, it would certainly apply here. The acting is top notch, genuinely good performances from everyone, highly uncharacteristic if you were to categorize this as a B-Horror film. The make-up and costumes were impressive, as was the cinematography and everything about the production. I particularly liked it because it had the same feel as The New Daughter, which is similar to this film in many aspects.
As impressed as I was by this film, there are a few issues looming over the third act. Many story lines seem to be cut short, and certain characters meet their demise too quickly, making it seem as though the writers just wanted to wrap things up as fast as they could. Certain geographical and logistical issues also arise. Why can’t this family leave the town? If one road is blocked, surely there are others? These are questions that need answers, otherwise, the story is too unbelievable.
Video
The video is presented in 1080p 1.78:1. In my initial viewing, a portion of the menu bled over onto the film itself, leaving a red line at the bottom of the screen. I’m not sure if this is a common problem with the disc or my player, but attempts to recreate it were unsuccessful. Otherwise, the video looks good. Colors are rather muted giving this a very earthy feel.
Audio
The audio is presented DTS Master Audio Stereo. There are no problems noticeable with the audio and overall unremarkable.
Special Features
Not much here, very atypical of a Shout! Factory released title. You’re going to get:
Trailer
TV Spots
Meet the Makers – this is just a series of short commercials that were promos for the film.
Deep in the Darkness delivers a story with many strong aspects that go above and beyond expectations. Although it has a few problems at its core, it still manages to entertain and is worth a viewing for anyone who is a fan of horror.