Out of Darkness review.
A gorgeous prehistoric horror movie with a surprisingly well fleshed out take on what it means to be human.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Out of Darkness
Directed by Andrew Cumming
Screenplay by Ruth Greenberg
Starring Safia Oakley-Green, Chuku Modu, Kit Young, Iola Evans, Luna Mwezi, Arno Lüning and Rosebud Melarkey
Out of Darkness Review
Out of Darkness isn’t fooling around. The production created its own language for its group of cave people to speak. The first thing that strikes you about that is the level of care that was put into making this film. That care carries over into every aspect of Out of Darkness. A gorgeous, harrowing look at what it takes to survive the unknown…and the growth that comes from the journey. As a fully realized prehistoric world…the movie delivers completely. As a horror movie…it’s a bit more complicated. In a good way.
45,000 years ago…six people make their way towards the distant mountains in hope of finding safety and shelter. Surviving the trip is a difficult task. One that becomes nearly impossible when something in the dark begins to target the travelers.
Let’s begin by giving Out of Darkness the flowers it deserves. It is a beautiful looking film. The commitment to providing a genuine and realistic experience is felt in every frame. They want you to feel what it would have been like to be a part of a small group of hunters and gatherers attempting to survive both the land and something unknown. It succeeds on every level.
Breaking down the horror movie aspects of Out of Darkness is where things get a bit more complicated.
The story begins with the most basic of horror storytelling techniques…a campfire tale. Beyah (Safia Oakley-Green), a young woman taken in by the group, tries to tell the young Heron (Luna Mwezi) a tale of hope. She is quickly cut off by the elder members of the group. Heron should hear about the dangers of the world, they say. Heron’s father Adem (Chuku Modu) is the leader of the outfit. As Beyah begins puberty she begins to about what her role will be in her new community. Fears that are put on the backburner when Heron is grabbed by an unseen force in the darkness.
Unable to accept what happened to his son, Adem leads the group into further danger. They become lost in the forest he had intended to avoid…and the sun is quickly setting. Out of Darkness is a straightforward horror story. There’s something in the dark. Noises and shuffling keep the group up at night…every attack dwindles their numbers. Nothing in this reinvents (or…given the time period…invents) the wheel. It’s a bit of a letdown. Not because what’s here isn’t good…because everything around it is great.
The cast is excellent. The group dynamics are fascinating. Watching the characters deal with an increasingly dangerous situation reveals who they really are. It’s a part of Out of Darkness that works completely. It leads the narrative down a surprisingly profound path. The horror here may be basic with scares few and far between…but they fit the world of the story. There is some well-done gore when the time comes…it’s not that the movie is shrinking from its horror. It just has something else on its mind. The world of 45,000 years ago is a horror movie. Even without something strange going bump in the night.
Out of Darkness captures the realistic horrors of a prehistoric world. Gender roles, childbirth, travel difficulty, societal hierarchy…the unknown. The movie does an excellent job providing a window into its world. There is an intensity earned through its commitment. In some ways…there isn’t enough “horror movie” stuff here. In other ways…that’s why the movie works. It isn’t dropping cave people into a horror story. It’s dropping us into the horrors of the lives of cave people. Like a standout sequence in the film where a character struggles to start a fire as the sun sets…Out of Darkness walks its characters into the darkness…and against all odds finds a light.
Scare Value
To say Out of Darkness is a fully realized take on prehistoric times would be an understatement. They created their own language! More importantly, the story of survival shows man at a crossroads. While it is never overdone or hammered over your head…in the end, Out of Darkness has a surprising amount to say about what it means to be human. The journey is as treacherous as it is beautiful. A theme that makes sense in any era.
3.5/5
Out of Darkness Link
Buy tickets on Fandango
