Review: A Dark Song

(imdb.com)

IFC Midnight is now one of the divine leaders in the horror industry. The distribution company has consistently hit the mark with their recent indie releases. From The Devil's Candy to Shelley and Carnage Park, to even some of their lesser received films like Don't Knock Twice, IFC Midnight has had a string of films that are at the very least, watchable. And for horror, that can say a lot. Their latest release, A Dark Song, only continues this trend as it easily takes a spot as one of the year's best scare fests.

A Dark Song follows a yearning mother and a struggling occultist who bind themselves into a long and arduous ritual so that she may speak to her dead son. The film stars Catherine Walker (The Clinic) as the damaged mother, Sophia and Steve Oram (Sightseers) as the alcoholic, last string occultist, Joseph Solomon. Spanning over roughly a year, both actors do pretty well in their roles. Walker is especially adept at playing the sometimes disgruntled and oft over tired Sophia, but Oram is just as entertaining as the somewhat comical, but definitely disturbed Joseph. A Dark Song works, largely in part of the invested work by Walker and Oram, whose odd couple relationship is both disturbing and compelling.

A Dark Song takes its time to get moving but provides enough insight into the world of occult to maintain intrigue. From establishing rules and rites of passage to the film's final moments, the brooding atmosphere of A Dark Song is deeply suspenseful. There are numerous scenes that some may find troubling - whether observing the difficult process that Sophia must go through to open her mind or an intimate scene between the pair that feels off-center and problematic, but all of this works to propel the dark spiral that'll have viewers gripping the edge of their seat.

The film mostly takes place in the house central to the ritual's effectiveness. Featuring outside scenery and sprawling rural landscapes outside, A Dark Song is able to take full advantage of B-roll footage that fill out some of the movie's creepier scenes. Inside the house, stuffy period furniture and plenty of candles and incantations on the floor all help create a vivid setting.

A Dark Song is fantastically mesmerizing; the type of movie that may start off slower than most, but will inevitably have its audience engrossed in their screens for the final act. This movie is definitely scary; featuring all of the atmospheric pressures of more artful films like The Witch paired with moments that seem swept from more outwardly horror films like Sinister, A Dark Song deserves your attention. 8 out of 10.