Dark Skies – Film Review
Director: Scott Stewart
Starring: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo, Kadan Rockett and J.K. Simmons
Released: 5 April, 2013
Dark Skies, a modern, high-budget horror film, is the latest project from the producers that brought you similar scream-fests such as Insidious and Sinister. Like those films, Dark Skies is set in an idyllic neighbourhood that is just begging for disaster to fall upon it. Sure enough, the focus is on an American family who find their home being invaded by an Insidious presence, with Sinister intent. Unlike those films however, Dark Skies really shakes up the established formula……by having two words in the title.
The family, who are suffering from financial troubles, among other things, find themselves the victims of a series of cruel and unusual attacks. Their burglar alarm goes off regularly in the night, small items are stolen from the house and kitchen utensils are arranged in impressive yet impossibly bizarre ways. These pranks start off as unsettling but soon slide into the nightmarish when Lacy (Russell) begins to feel that there is a malevolent presence somewhere within the house. Despite her husband Daniel’s (Hamilton) skepticism, she begins to investigate a presence that she feels may be from another world…
To give credit where credit is due, Dark Skies is a more reserved film than the likes of Insidious. It plays its hand close to its chest, emanating a distinct sense of discomfort rather than a carnival ride of sporadic jump-scares. With the exception of one ill-timed early glimpse, we don’t really see the alien creatures at all until the chaotic final act. The film is just a barrage of increasingly creepy occurrences that the family struggles to explain away without breaking down hysterically. On a side note, the use of sound and music in this film is truly excellent and worthy of mention. The relatively slow pacing adds an extra layer of tension that, unfortunately, never fully piques as it feels it should.
It’s a pity, then, that a horror film that has enough self control to not rely entirely on cheap tricks and CGI doesn’t quite grasp the ‘scary’ aspect of the genre. In fact, the triumphs and failings of the film can be directly attributed to the central actors in the family. While the performances are solid for the most part, it’s the now customary ‘creepy kid’ who is well out of his element. Rockett, who plays the not-quite-there, sleepy n’ creepy Sam just can’t make his lines work. “The Sandman told me not to tell you…” he whispers in a mock sing-song voice, while staring, vacant eyed at Lacy. Tell us what, kid? That you have all the acting talent of a tin of peas? Don’t worry, we know.
In a surprise move, neither Lacy nor Daniel are as paper thin characters as one might expect. Daniel is unemployed when we meet him first, and his frustrations with not being able to find work emerge in some interesting ways as he tries to maintain control in the more frightening situations. Simultaneously, he is forced to deal with the success of Lacy, who is struggling to balance her duties as both mother and bread-winner, which amounts to a great deal of stress, hence Daniel’s later skepticism. It really is such a shame that a mainstream horror film finally delivers some fully fleshed out characters and then refuses to take a chunk out of that flesh in a really terrifying and satisfying way.
Despite this, while the scares aren’t as intense as one might hope, the story itself plays out in a weirdly satisfying way. There is a very interesting commentary on the role of the family, as well as ‘who does what’ in the family unit. This is made most apparent by the fact that Daniel refers to himself as a ‘stay-at-home husband’, and the effect this has on everyone else. The film plays around with things like this before bringing the neon Sledgehammer of Obvious down on the Ming Vase of Subtlety. When J.K. Simmons shows up in the small but nuanced role of extraterrestrial specialist, he proclaims that “Only by standing together as a family can you hope to beat [the aliens].” Well, natch.
How you feel about Dark Skies will depend on how you like your horror. If you like the spooks jumping out of closets screaming “A boogie boogie boo”, this may not appeal. However, if you like the closet door to just open by itself when there’s nothing inside, this should be more your taste.
It’s definitely a cut above the likes of Insidious and Sinister. However, it’ll take more than replacing demons with aliens and adding one extra word to really make these films stand out. Maybe for their next movie, the studio will go that extra mile when they release It’s the Middle of the Night and There’s a Dinosaur in my Kitchen
Score: 3/5
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