They Wait in the Dark

The worst horror movie I've ever seen. We got sucked in by the 100% on rotten tomatoes. How that even happened is completely baffling. Never straying from IMDB again. The writing was so weak, the sudden flip in Amy's character made zero sense. If she wasn't possessed by her mother than why the flip in character? Took an hour before anything actually happened in the "horror" movie and even still it barely hits the thriller genre. The direction and editing is questionable to say the least, a dead body blinks. The kid was the only redemptive factor - doing the best he could with some terrible writing. The "will he won't he" at the end is ridiculous.

I had the pleasure of screening this at a movie theatre in Kansas City, where this film was made. I had the pleasure of meeting the director, Patrick Rhea and the lead actress, Sarah McGuire, both super nice people and did a q&a. The ending of the film actually did shock me. It was a pleasant surprise. For me, it was so cool seeing a film that was filmed in my area by local filmmakers. As you can tell it's a low budget horror film, it didn't take away from the great performances and shock factor of the ending. I would recommend giving it a shot with an open mind. You might be pleasantly surprised!

While I enjoy reading film reviews, I am always cautious about putting my faith in another's opinion. Disclaimer noted, you can take mine for what it is worth. I am not a huge fan of the horror genre. (Stay with me) To me, there are common threads of cinematic elements often absent from this type of film. To the die-hard loyalists, this appears to be an acceptable part of the amalgamated enjoyment of the niche. This is my second look at a Rea feature, ("I am Lisa") being the first. One of the primary reasons I gave "They Wait in the Dark" a take was due to Rea's simplistic approach in "Lisa". Sometimes less is more. One of the drawbacks for me in this realm is the gravitation toward over-the-top and gratuitously excessive gore. For others, this is part of the draw and appeal. To each their own. I am looking at this film through a comparative lens. If you're expecting "Schindler's List" or "Shawshank Redemption", you're not going to find it. "They Wait" is a departure from the excessively gratuitous gore infused with a plot centered on human relationships. However, if you want to compare apples to apples and looking for horror, make sure to give "They Wait in the Dark" a chance.