It seems like horror fans are being blessed with a wave of amazing indie horror films from exciting new directors in the past year. I have been wowed by, recently, by TRAIN TO BUSAN and THE DEVIL'S CANDY, and now we get A DARK SONG, though I am going to say right off the bat that this is probably not a movie that is going to appeal to everyone, or even to every horror fan. The majesty of this film lies in the careful crafting of its' spell, both figuratively and literally, weaving an intricate pattern of subtle nuance that builds power as it goes, until the spell is ready to unleash its' true nature.
Okay, enough with the hyperbole and bad metaphors. The plot summary pretty much sums this up for you. A woman seeks out a man who is skilled in the "dark arts", asking him to help her craft a spell that will give them each their one, true desire. This is true occultism, too, real Aleister Crowley, mid-90s issue of HELLBLAZER type of stuff. We are not talking about the weird goth in your class who calls herself Wiccan. This isn't THE CRAFT or some other teenage understanding of bookstore wizardry, not is it the red cloaks and devil head ceremonies of a movie like THE DEVIL RIDES OUT. No, this feels real right from the beginning. The spells they are seeking, the methods they choose to obtain it. All of it feels real. It's very important to the nature of the film because the entire setup depends on this spell.
This is where the patience is required. Many scenes have little action to them, but we are building towards something. We are learning about our characters, who they are and the lengths they will go to achieve their ends. We are learning about the spell, the sacrifice it requires of each of them and the dedication to it. Horror fans love to talk about the "slow burn" and this definitely fits that description, but many films pigeon holed into that category are interminably slow, with a five minute payout. This movie starts to reap rewards sooner and have them last longer. There is a creeping edge to this movie that lingers under your skin. The anticipation of what is coming, of what lurks in the shadows, draws the viewer in so stealthily that there were scenes that I was, quite literally, waiting with baited breath to see what was going to happen, tensed at the fear of what I was about to see.
The final twist, like any twist, will either agitate viewers or enrapture them, but in my opinion is a fitting coda to everything that preceded it. The movie is about the dedication to achieving what we truly want. Sometimes, we don't really understand what it is that we want. Sometimes, we are surprised by our truest desires.
This is a smart, well-crafted movie that not all horror fans, or film fans will enjoy. If you are willing to give it the space to breathe and the time to tell its' tale, and seek it with an open mind, it really is worth the investment.
Okay, enough with the hyperbole and bad metaphors. The plot summary pretty much sums this up for you. A woman seeks out a man who is skilled in the "dark arts", asking him to help her craft a spell that will give them each their one, true desire. This is true occultism, too, real Aleister Crowley, mid-90s issue of HELLBLAZER type of stuff. We are not talking about the weird goth in your class who calls herself Wiccan. This isn't THE CRAFT or some other teenage understanding of bookstore wizardry, not is it the red cloaks and devil head ceremonies of a movie like THE DEVIL RIDES OUT. No, this feels real right from the beginning. The spells they are seeking, the methods they choose to obtain it. All of it feels real. It's very important to the nature of the film because the entire setup depends on this spell.
This is where the patience is required. Many scenes have little action to them, but we are building towards something. We are learning about our characters, who they are and the lengths they will go to achieve their ends. We are learning about the spell, the sacrifice it requires of each of them and the dedication to it. Horror fans love to talk about the "slow burn" and this definitely fits that description, but many films pigeon holed into that category are interminably slow, with a five minute payout. This movie starts to reap rewards sooner and have them last longer. There is a creeping edge to this movie that lingers under your skin. The anticipation of what is coming, of what lurks in the shadows, draws the viewer in so stealthily that there were scenes that I was, quite literally, waiting with baited breath to see what was going to happen, tensed at the fear of what I was about to see.
The final twist, like any twist, will either agitate viewers or enrapture them, but in my opinion is a fitting coda to everything that preceded it. The movie is about the dedication to achieving what we truly want. Sometimes, we don't really understand what it is that we want. Sometimes, we are surprised by our truest desires.
This is a smart, well-crafted movie that not all horror fans, or film fans will enjoy. If you are willing to give it the space to breathe and the time to tell its' tale, and seek it with an open mind, it really is worth the investment.