ShadowWithin

The Shadow Within (2007)

This movie is set in England during WWII and focuses on a boy named Maurice and his mother Marie. Very quickly we discover that Maurice and his mother have a very strange relationship where one minute she is very loving and the next strangely cruel. As the story unfolds we see that Maurice had a twin who died in childbirth and that his mother Marie hasn’t ever quite gotten over it. It also becomes clear that Maurice’s dead brother might still be hanging around! The movie really picks up when some of the other ladies in the town convince Marie that her son is the key for them all contacting their dead children. The thing is that they get way more than they bargained for when the children come back to chat.

The Shadow Within is an excellent example of why as a reviewer or a fan that we should stick with a movie. Honestly the first hour of the movie is really slow and hard to follow. The movie tries really hard to build a creepy atmosphere or provide some scares, but just didn’t work for me. But by God when I sit down to watch a movie I’m going to watch it no matter how miserable it might be. That is the dedication that I have for you, my loyal readers! A funny thing happened on my way to the end of the movie though. The last 30 minutes of The Shadow Within really come together nicely. Once the ladies start talking to their dead children and the shadow little buggers start popping up I kind of dug it. Not only did I dig the movie more in the last 30 minutes, but also I went back and checked it out a second time, knowing what happens later on, and liked the first hour better the second time around. I realized that not everyone is going to be willing to spend this much time trying to get into a movie, and I don’t blame you. But I think that The Shadow Within is going to be one of those creepy, odd little flicks that is going to grow on me.

The second time around when I wasn’t trying to keep up with the story and figure things out I had a better chance to actually watch the movie. It was only this second time thru that I really started to appreciate the camera work and lighting. There is a real subtle look to the movie that is sort of washed out a little off. I’m still not sure that this creates much atmosphere, but it was interesting. Also the CGI used to bring the shadow children to the screen isn’t too bad. I mean if it was a big budget Hollywood movie I’d be a bit peeved, but for a lower budget flick like The Shadow Within it isn’t too bad.

Since this is admittedly a quirky little movie that requires some effort to get into I can’t really give a recommendation without a couple of caveats. If you can pick up The Shadow Within on the cheap do so. If not I will recommend a rental. Either way I do think that this is if nothing else a movie that is trying to be a bit different. For that alone it is worth giving it a try.

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer