The Dark Lurking (2010)

This movie opens up with a research facility that is under quarantine.  From the bridge of an orbiting space ship we hear as the rescue team they have sent down is taken apart by some creatures.  Then the action moves to a woman waking from a coma deep in the facility.  She is connected to all sorts of equipment and was obviously a patient or subject of something.  Not long after escaping she meets up with the survivors of the rescue team.  The rest of the movie is them trying to escape while she figures out who she is and what has been done to her. 

In my notes I wrote, “This movie is part Aliens and part Resident Evil rip off”.  To be fair this is pretty accurate.  It looks, sounds, and feels like a hybrid of both these movies.  I wanted to turn this thing off before I got 10 minutes in and would have if I weren’t reviewing it.  But a funny thing happened to me.  The more I watched the more that I like the movie.  So I’m splitting my review in to the good and the bad. 

There are several things that I didn’t like about the Dark Lurking that I would consider bad.  The acting is very bad and the actors spend much of the time just yelling at each other.  They are supposed to be terrified and facing their own deaths, but I just don’t buy it.  Plus the movie insists on adding a few characters to be overly sarcastic or heroic, only to rapidly kill them off.  The dialogue isn’t the only issue I have with the writing.  You have a big scene where some of the characters say they aren’t going another step, and then without explanation in the next scene they are trodding along with the rest of the group.  I suppose this could have been bad editing rather then writing, but I found it annoying.  Just because I’m a fan of the sci-fi and horror genre doesn’t mean you can insult my intelligence with badly written dialogue and plot.  The movie also suffers from the dreaded shaky camera that hides the action and some CGI muzzle flashes as well.

As the movie went along I found myself appreciating some things.  First up the sets and set design is excellent.  For what appears to be a low budget science fiction movie it looks amazing.  It really feels like the characters are in a futuristic underground facility.  There is also some decent practical effects work on screen as well.  There are the mutated creatures that are chasing them around, as well as some great tentacle work as well.  Finally the big reveal at the end is killer.  I won’t spoil it here in case you decide to check out the movie, but it is an interesting twist on the genre that separates this from the other entries in this knock off subgenre. 

Is the Dark Lurking a great movie?  No not really.  But I do appreciate it for what it does well.  Plus is exceeded my expectations and entertained me a bit.  You can pick this movie up from the fine folks over at Cinema Epoch.

2 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer

© Copyright 2010 John Shatzer