Tuesday, October 6, 2015

31 Days of 31 Horror Movies for Halloween: Day 6 - Dark Skies



Day 6: Dark Skies
Via: Netflix
Release Date - 2013

Synopsis: Lacy (Keri Russell) and Daniel Barrett (Josh Hamilton) share a peaceful life in the suburbs with their sons, Jesse (Dakota Goyo) and Sam (Kadan Rockett). However, that peace soon shatters with a series of disturbing events that escalate. When it becomes clear that their family is being targeted by an unimaginably terrifying, deadly -- and possibly alien -- threat, Daniel and Lacy draw on their courage and determination to protect their family and identify what is after them.

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not seen the movie do not read.

E.T. is a bit of an asshole, preying on children and what-not. 
This film is what "Signs" should have been. Less is more. Let's explore.
This is the first creature feature I have on my list so far and it didn't really disappoint. In fact, these movies keep surprising me with their endings.
You have to take this for what it's worth in terms of subject matter. If you don't believe in aliens or the idea of outsiders in our universe it might be a bit harder for you to swallow.

*Two quick side notes. 

1 - As a designer and musician I am nit-picky about my sounds and websites. As you have already noticed, using stock sound effects is a big no-no in my book. It kills the creativity of the entire film. What's worse is poorly made websites used in movies that look like a small step up from a power point presentation. The Taking of Deborah Logan had an array of horrid websites explaining the origins of the killer in the movie. Well, Dark Skies had similarly horrible sites used in the scene where Lacy finds the truth of their situation. Now, I get it, some sites that showcase the paranormal may appear lame and shoddy but they are believable. The ones used in Dark Skies look like a bad cut and paste job in Photoshop.

2- I started with low budget films and seem to be watching more big budget films as the days go by. It appears that with the massive amount of technology and talent available to the big budget films, they tend to have to work harder to create a dark and gritty atmosphere that will envelop the audience. Amateur low budget films, however, need not to go through this circus of chaos within the grandness of their project. The financial boundaries put forth on the amateurs gives them an advantage that a mainstream film lacks. 

Back to the tunes...

Ok, so we are presented with a typical suburban family going through some financial ordeal. The mother, Lacy, is a real estate agent trying to do her best to sell a fixer-upper to various clients. Meanwhile, the father, Daniel, has recently lost his job as an architect and is desperately searching for a new avenue. We are introduced to their two sons, Jesse, 13 or so, and Sam, 8 or so. They look like good kids and the whole family seems to be decently happy. There are a few scenes where Jesse is shown hanging out with his older friend who is teaching Jesse the "finer things in life". I.E. Sex and drugs. There are several touching scenes where we see the boys interacting with each other at night through their walkie talkies. This interaction will come back later.

Most of the film revolves around the same type of scenes only building up more and more as time goes on. There seems to be strange behavior coming from Sam at first with him having symptoms of seizures or some form of psychotic blackouts. The family as a whole starts to show symptoms of odd behavior themselves. The culprit seems to be some other factor that affects the household at night. 
Ok, so this part of the movie was a bit dull since it mimicked the Paranormal Activity series in terms of camera use and footage. It wasn't overdone so I just shut my brain off and enjoyed the movie.
Daniel and the family experience various "break-ins" that are unexplainable, even by the police and by the security system company whose equipment is in the household. There is even an instance where 3 different types of flocks of birds fly into the house as if possessed by something. As the unexplained activity increases, Daniel decides to install cameras all around the house. Which leads us to the Paranormal Activity-like footage. The tone of the film seems patiently slow that later leads us to a chaotic second half.  

Lacy begins to panic more as they all begin to show physical injuries. She decides to search the web for some type of explanation which leads her to various sites detailing the source of the strange behavior, injuries and unexplainable - Aliens. This makes sense to her, but when she explains this to Daniel, he is taken back and thinks it's too crazy of an idea. The night shots of found footage and scenes with Sam show slight parts of the Aliens. They are not cheesy looking but you can tell the CGI lighting is too much. I believe had they taken the lighting down even further, they would have been more mysterious and even creepier. Well done, nonetheless. 

Lacy and Daniel end up meeting with a man, Mr. Pollard, who is supposedly an expert on this sort of stuff. Daniel is hesitant at first and once they see Pollard's place he is convinced Pollard is a nutcase. They see his walls covered in news articles ranging from UFO sightings to clippings of missing children. He questions them about their experience to make sure they're not the wackos. Which, after Pollard reveals some very specific questions and information, the couple is relieved but scared of the reality of things. Pollard tells them that "The Greys" have been doing the same to others around the world for years. They victimize anyone they please and eventually abduct the children.

The family prepares themselves by boarding up windows, buying guns, an aggressive dog and taking all measures to make sure Sam doesn't get abducted. Since he is the youngest and weakest, it is presumed he will be the victim. As the night goes on, the usual strange activity occurs and The Greys eventually take their victim, but not without a fight from the rest of the family. Much to their surprise, Jesse is the one taken. We see Pollard add the "missing" news article of Jesse to his wall of lost children. 

We flash to 3 months after the ordeal and the family has moved to a new place. They are seen semi-happy and ready to move on. As the camera pans to various rooms of the house it focuses on Sam and a pile of his toys. There is a noise coming from the walkie talkie within the toys. Sam grabs the walkie talkie and calls out to "mission control" as he did to Jesse before. Only static can be heard. He tries again and we get a slight voice coming through. It sounds like Jesse. Sam calls out a third time and we hear Jesse on the other end. Fade to black.

The obvious: Like I said before, editing and cinematography are excellent. Even for a big budget film, they do a pretty good job at creating an environment that feels small, creepy and confined. The acting from the children is outstanding and the ending was not what I expected. Good elements of surprise. I felt the tension as the family suffers at the hands of The Greys and slight fear when the night scenes came up. A few good jump scares and no over-the-top acting once the family encounters The Greys one-on-one. I would watch it again, but so far, I am not really blown away by any of these films.




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