Directed and written by Scott Stewart, Dark Skies, takes its time in setting up the Barrett family household, but the characters are likable and the acting is good while the insidious invasion of their home is handled subtly and executed very well.
Having not seen a trailer for this before I watched it I was very pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t really do much that other films of its ilk haven’t done before, but it does it with a grace and eeriness that I wasn’t expecting. As someone who values atmosphere and creepiness (hence my love for the music in Sinister, which without it, those films wouldn’t have been half as disturbing), Dark Skies does a great job at building suspense and letting everything gently crawl over the viewer’s skin.
Following the Barrett family in a quiet suburban town, Daniel (Josh Hamilton- The Bourne Identity) and Lacy Barrett (Keri Russell- Felicity) are a hardworking husband and wife struggling to pay the bills. Their oldest Jesse (Dakato Goyo) is just discovering girls while Sam (Kadan Rockett) is discovering something even more worrying for parents. After a series of disturbing events they soon learn that a terrifying force is upon them.
Dark Skies deploys numerous elements used in paranormal style films to take the alien abduction genre somewhere new, and personally, it really works for my horror loving self.
JK Simmons (Spider-man) was a surprise but he played his character well and I enjoyed listening to what he had to say.
I was also happy with the ending unlike many reviews I’ve read on it, as again, I don’t try and dissect what’s going to happen in films, I just let it come, and if you do that too, you’ll enjoy it more.
Dark Skies is a psychological horror that I relished and once you turn the film off, if you haven’t ever previously, you’ll start to wonder what really is out there. Especially if you happen to have a random itchy spot behind your ear like I did.
Whether you’re into sci-fi or horror, Dark Skies should be a film that you’ll enjoy.
WICKED RATING: 7/10
Title: Dark Skies
Directors: Scott Stewart
Writer(s): Scott Stewart
Stars: Keri Russell, Jake Brennan, Josh Hamilton, J.K. Simmons
Year: 2013
Studio/ Production Co: Alliance Films, Automatik Entertainment, Blumhouse Productions
Budget: $3,500,000 (estimated)
Language: English
Length: 97mins
Sub-Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller
