The Dark (1993)

The Dark has proven to be a popular title for horror films, with the 1979 film of that title possibly the best known.  This, however, is the 1993 movie of the same name - not a remake, but a completely different film.  1993's The Dark is a low budget monster movie that makes the most of its limited resources to create a surprisingly effective, not to mention quite amiable, viewing experience.  Most of the action takes place around a graveyard at night, where something is lurking beneath the surface but which, itself, is being hunted by various parties.  These central graveyard sequences form the backbone of the plot and are filmed in a manner reminiscent of older B horror movies like Macabre or I Bury the Living, both of which featured similar settings, with tombstones poking out of the earth like rotting teeth and pervaded by an unnerving stillness and silence.  With its burrowing menace pulling down headstones and leaving gaping holes in the fabric of the graveyard, much of the film's action ultimately devolves into chases through the tunnels it leaves.  Again, these are very well handled, with the film summoning up a dank, claustrophobic atmosphere for these scenes.  

The film builds up to this climactic monster hunt in an agreeably elliptical manner, with the opening throwing the viewer into the middle of some graveyard action, with the main character, scientist Gary 'Hunter' Henderson, finding himself inadvertently caught up in two FBI agents' encounter with a monstrous 'something', while paying a nocturnal visit to his wife's grave.  We then move to an encounter at a police station between the surviving agent and Henderson - who reveals that his gunshot wound has already healed - which culminates in the agent violently warning Henderson off from investigating the unspecified threat.  After which, we flash forward two years for Henderson's encounter with some bikers in a cafe, making his escape on a motorcycle with a plucky waitress, while also being introduced to the two groundskeepers at that cemetery, who find themselves forced to dig a grave the old-fashioned way due to an equipment failure.  Inevitably, the encounter the monster's tunnels, call in a couple of deputies, before Henderson, the waitress and the now ex-FBI agent all turn up in search of that creature.  

All of which leaves the viewer feeling that they've walked into the middle of a movie, somehow having missed the exposition scenes which might explain it all.  (Which is no bad thing - films which lay everything out in detail too early can be terribly predictable and dull).  This confusion, however, is somewhat ameliorated by a scene in a motel bedroom between Henderson and the waitress, where she looks at his notes and gleans that the creature is a prehistoric survival, a kind of giant rat, which secretes a substance with incredible healing properties, (which is how Henderson recovers from his wounds so quickly).  Henderson is after it for scientific study and the ex-FBI man for revenge for his slain partner (and the possibility of making some money from the dead beast).  It's the barest of outlines for what's going on, but it's more than sufficient and credits the viewer with enough imagination and intelligence to fill in the blanks for themselves.

The film's limitations, in terms of resources, are most apparent in its monster, which is somewhat rubbery looking.  That said, I've seen a lot worse in much bigger budgeted films - The Dark's creature is at least not too obviously a man in a suit, featuring some relatively (bearing in mind the budget) sophisticated animatronic effects for close ups of the head.  By keeping it underground and poorly lit, the film succeeds in making the creature surprisingly effective.  Moreover, for once it isn't a creature driven by some kind of bloodlust - it actually eats the dead, (hence its predilection for graveyards and ensuring plenty of scenes involving musty crypts, rotting coffins and decaying corpses), killing only when it feels threatened.  While the film is both atmospheric and suspenseful, what really lifts it above the average in terms of B-monster movies are a decent script which provides its characters with some witty and amusing dialogue - not to mention a relatively original idea for its main plot mechanism in the healing abilities of the beast's secretions - and an excellent cast who pitch their performances at exactly the right level for this type of film.  Stephen McHattie is, as usual, excellent as the two-fisted, leather jacket wearing and motorcycle riding scientist, convincing both in action sequences and in the role of intellectual scientist.  Moreover, despite the obvious age difference between him and his love interest, the waitress, he never comes over as creepy or predatory.  Equally good is Brion James as the FBI agent, bringing all of customary menace, brutality and underlying madness to the role.  Despite his screen time being limited, James gives a memorable performance.  

The film also features Jamie Woolvett, who around the same time also co-starred with Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven, as the younger of the two groundskeepers, whose commentary on the poor judgement of the deputy who elects to explore the tunnels just as night is falling, provides an enjoyably self-reflexive moment in the film.  His love interest is the other deputy, played by Neve Campbell in her film debut.  Campbell, along with Cynthia Belliveau as the waitress, ensures that the film features, unusually for this genre, strong female characters who don't spend the film being victims, instead proving competent and capable monster-hunters in their own right.  A Canadian production, The Dark was directed by Craig Pryce - who is still working today, mainly in TV - who moves things along at a decent pace and handles action, suspense and dialogue scenes with equal aplomb, creating an atmospheric film that never outstays its welcome.  The Dark really deserves to be far better known, having everything required to make a cult movie and is well worth tracking down.  Hell, simply the fact that it stars both Stephen McHattie and Brion James should make you want to watch it!