"There's nothing there in the dark that isn't there in the light."  - Constantly repeated

Take "The Gate" and mix it in with a little bit of "Darkness Falls" and inevitably you get this, because this film is very much in the vein of the two aforementioned movies. Plot, characters, and situations are all very much in the theme of "The Gate" here and I was pleasantly surprised. Remember "The Gate"? Stephen Dorff? Zombie in the mirror? Any of this getting through? Anyway, if your short term memory reaches beyond twenty years then you'll remember that movie, it's a childhood favorite of mine.

But I digress, I still stand by my declaration that very few Direct to Video movies are any good, but as much as I was thinking "Fear of the Dark" would be terrible, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It's lightweight, and routine, but damn it, I had a lot of fun for what it was, and this happens to be quite superior for a B horror movie, especially since it packs in some rather suspenseful moments that will leave you very uncomfortable. In the film, Jesse James of "Amityville Horror" remake stars as Ryan, a young boy who is very afraid of the dark. He goes around his house turning on lights, constantly reminds his parents to buy light bulbs and they have a war chest of light bulbs at their disposal. One night when his parents go to a party (all night? What are they ravers?), Ryan and his brother Dale have to stay at home, and Dale volunteers to babysit.

The two brothers presented in this tale are Kevin Zegers and Jesse James, both contributors to horror. Kevin Zegers you might remember was in the remake of "Dawn of the Dead" as the good guy security guard Terry, and James gave a very convincing performance in the "Amityville" remake. Either way they're very convincing as brothers who squabble and argue and genuinely have a relationship and friendship. James is often times very sympathetic and relatable as Ryan who is deftly afraid of the dark and from the get-go we know it's not just his imagination. The tension is very well done here as we get third person perspective everywhere indicating something is watching them.

With low budget horror you have to resort to old factory devices instead of heavy special effects and the devices here are very well done. Noises, thumps, bumps, and creaks, and the tension is so thick and resonates so well off the screen I was squirming in my seat. And then, borrowing a scene from "Stir of Echoes" in a very well done, creepy sequence, Ryan is haunted by an out of control remote which was possibly the best scene in the entire movie. I won't ruin it for you and tell you what happens, but it's a great scene, and James' delivery of pure horror worked. The movie is routine, I wont deny that, but it is its routines scares and spooks that made this so much fun to watch. I was so intertwined with the story and the characters and was involved all the way through. Much of the scenes here were so creepy they were funny and watching the brothers try to make sense out of and deny the obvious elephant in the room was entertaining.

There are also some great mind tricks here with a lot of great shadow play, and illusions that were very freaky. The scene with the couches was well executed even with the stereotypical convenient thunder flash to reveal it. Still there are many great sequences here that were a lot of fun and director K.C. Bascombe gives good direction, and I loved the scene where they hid under the sheets. Bascombe knows how to build up a scene for a great pay off be it red herring or not. I liked the characters here and was actually rooting for them; James and Zegers are very convincing and believable as brothers and give very good performances. They have great chemistry and play off each other well, and Rachel Skarsten as Dale's love interest is cute as a button and gives an equally good performance playing a pivotal role by the end of the film which leads to a rather chaotic but very entertaining finale. The film is simple and reminded me a lot of "The Gate", and for a direct to video film, this works on many levels and I was satisfied with the pay off.

Conventional? Yes, Routine? Yes, Cliché? Oh god yes and the clichés here are plentiful. There's a dark and stormy night, a dark creaky house, and if you're scared, why watch a horror movie? It was a ridiculous overused plot device. Then to make things worse there were plot holes galore. Who was the kid in the beginning? Was the house he was in the same house the Billing's lived in? What attacked him? Was he the little brother of Kate? If not why did she mention him so frequently? Whom or what are the creatures in the house? It's never indicated what the creatures are, why they want Ryan, how he knows who they are, and what is it exactly that's in the house. Are they from another dimension? A manifestation of his fear? Are they a ghosts and the house is haunted?

Why is it no one noticed the scratches on Ryan's back? Why didn't he go to the hospital? Why, if he did go to the hospital, weren't his parents called? It's legal to call a parent if a minor is hurt badly. None of it is ever explained and it just felt like set-up for sequel. The plot holes were running rampant throughout this entire movie and none of it made any sense. Why did they never leave the house? How come no one heard the racket or screams? There's a major storm out, why not go to seek help if you're being terrorized by demonic entities? Then the movie was just padding out its scenes, drawing them out for as long as possible. The dialogue and arguments between the brothers became shrill after a while and then it became repetitious. Constantly, Ryan screamed, and Dale tried to snap him out of it. This happened seven times during the movie and it got really old really fast.

Flawed in many points, and there are many unanswered questions and gaping plot holes that were never settled, however this is a very good direct to video film with good performances, great thrills, mounting tension and a great story. It's enjoyable horror fodder.

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