Edges of Darkness (2009)
One of my biggest complaints about independent zombie movies are that they tend not to be very original. Most of the time they fall into the trap of emulating the filmmakers and in many cases zombie fan boys favorite movies. This is a very bad idea and one that those behind Edges of Darkness manage to avoid.
What we have here are 3 different shorter stories that are loosely connected together in one bigger story of a zombie outbreak. Basically all 3 stories take place in and around the same apartment complex. Other then the movie cutting back and forth between them and the idea that one of the characters seems to be writing about the other 2 stories that is about all they have in common with each other. For my review I’m going to split the 3 as if this was a traditional anthology. Also before I begin be aware there are some plot spoilers in my reviews.
Of the 3 stories the one I found the most interesting is the one about the couple. Basically he brings home a “package” that the audience finds out is a young woman. It is revealed that the couple are vampires trapped in a world of zombies and that the girl is their food. In a twist that really isn’t explained that well the tables are turned on them and predator becomes prey. Of the 3 this is the most interesting story and has the best acting. It does suffer (as all 3 do) from some bad lighting and really a total lack of cal effects. Ironically there are hardly any zombies in this one and the gore is all implied and happens off screen. That said I really found the story to be a clever twist on people trying to survive in a world overrun by zombies. This time they just happened to be vampires. I also sort of dig that they don’t feel the need to totally explain the twist and leave something to the imagination.
The 2nd of the stories is far weaker, but does feature more zombies. This story gives one theory behind why there are zombies roaming about. It features a woman that is supposed to be a badass zombie-killing machine. She runs into a woman and her son, and proceeds to save them from the zombies trying to eat them. She is pulled into their story, which takes a strange turn when a group of priests show up claiming the boy is the antichrist. A claim the boy doesn’t refute. This one then gets a bit philosophical as the debate about who is responsible for the end of the world and who benefits the most from it. There is a bit too much downtime in this story for me. Not only that but there is almost more priest killing then zombie destroying here. The action sequences are also kind of rough.
The 3rd and final story is my least favorite. Basically a guy sits at his computer writing (I think the other 2 stories!) while his lonely wife talks to the zombie that hangs outside her door. When he installs the new processor in his computer it powers up, in spite of the power being off… This story hints at another reason for the zombies scratching around outside and adds a small sci-fi element to the proceedings. It also boasts the best effects of the 3, but also has the least zombie action. That might be why I also found it the least interesting of the 3.
Overall I would say Edges of Darkness is sort of a mediocre independent zombie movie. I give it a lot of credit for being creative, but at the same time I’m sort of bummed that they marginalized the zombies as much as they did. At times the camera work and lighting, while never really bad, does show the lack of budget here. In the end as a coinsure (I do like my fancy words) of low budget zombie flicks I’d say Edges of Darkness is worth a rental, but not a purchase.
2 out of 4
reviewed by John Shatzer
© Copyright 2010 John Shatzer
