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Darren (1599 KP) rated The Dark Within (2019) in Movies

Jun 21, 2019

Story: The Dark Within starts after an experiment goes wrong leading to Marcus (Flannery) growing up facing troubled visions and illnesses, in search for answers his doctor, Dr Norton (Styles) is trying to find answers to his past, which sends him to his parent’s cabin in a remote woodland area.

In the cabin the memories come running back to Marcus through visions and he is joined by his ex-girlfriend Sarah (Carelli) that is willing to help him put his life back together, but the truth itself will be too shocking for Marcus to handle.

Thoughts on The Dark Within

Characters – Marcus is a disturbed man with unknown psychic abilities, he spends times in therapy trying to piece together the pieces of his past to understand just what happened to him as a child, he has made himself distant from his loved ones and in a final attempt to unlock the truth, he heads to his parent’s old cabin, which soon starts to unlock the shocking truth about his childhood, as he starts to lose sense of reality. Sarah is the ex-girlfriend that has a restraining order against Marcus, she decides to put that aside to help Marcus find answers, being the only person that will be there for him. Dr Norton is the lady that is trying to help Marcus understand his past, she suggests the cabin as a location in which could hold the answers he requires. Andrew is the father of Marcus, the man that was performing the experiment which saw him leave Marcus as a young child, he knew the value of his idea and the consequences once things started to go wrong.

Performances – Paul Flannery in the leading role is great to watch, he gives us a performance of a man that is losing sense of his reality, with moments of desperate hope, while others are filled with fear and moments where he tries to remain calm, he pulls us through the film with his performance that is needed to help carry the film. Kendra Carelli does get time to shine, but like most of the supporting cast they are only used when required and make the most of their screen time.

Story – The story here follows a man that has been losing sense of reality because of a childhood trauma, he goes in search for answers that will only leave him feeling shocked and needing to battle evil. One of the easiest ways to describe the story at times would be like watching ‘The Evil Dead’ one man trapped in a cabin trying to remain sane, while a host of different paranormal incidents come in his direction, this story does go deeper than just that though, because we get involved in a scientific experiment which has caused the events to unfold. There could be one side of the story which does get overused, which does frustrate, though it does only add to the unknown about what is going on. For a story that does revolve around the unknown mindset, this is one that does keep you guessing and does make you question everything you are seeing.

Horror – The horror in the film does comes from the unknown hauntings Marcus is experiencing, each one of these become more shocking as the events of the film do unfold, with moments that are meant to disturb along the way.

Settings – The film does use the one location for the setting, which is the remote cabin in the woods, which does create the isolation required for the film.

Special Effects – The effects do show the budget the film is working with, they do work well for the film, when we get to the creature it will leave people feeling scared by the end of the film.

Scene of the Movie – The creature’s first appearance.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The Evil Dead laugh.

Final Thoughts – This is an entertaining shock filled horror that is very enjoyable, we get a story that will keep you guessing and a creature that could strike the fear into the audience.

Overall: Horror to enjoy.

https://moviesreview101.com/2019/06/17/the-dark-within-2019/

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2425 KP) rated Hard Cold Winter in Books

Oct 20, 2020

Hard Cold Winter

Glen Erik Hamilton | 2016 | Mystery, Thriller

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Bodies at a Cabin

Van Shaw has just returned to Seattle from his time in the Army Rangers when Willard, one of his grandfather’s friends, asks for a favor. Willard is concerned about his niece, who went to her boyfriend’s cabin and hasn’t been heard from since. Van goes out there and discovers a grisly scene. It looks like a murder suicide, but Van begins to investigate anyway. He soon finds himself facing more danger than he bargained for. Will his Ranger training keep him alive? Or are the forces at work too great for him?

After enjoying the first book in the series, I was anxious to revisit Van. He was just as great a character this time around, and I enjoyed watching him grow a bit and interact with the characters, both old and new. The plot just continues to build until we reach the satisfying and explosive climax. The series is darker than I normally enjoy, and that did bother me a little, but that is completely on me. I do appreciate how Van’s past, both before the Army and as a Ranger, is worked into the story, and the light it shines on the struggles vets face when they return to civilian life. I will be picking up the third book soon.

Kudos

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Stranded with a Cajun Werewolf (Stormy Weather, #5) in Books

Sep 6, 2019

3.5 stars.

So this one takes place away from the bayou, unlike the others in the series and Burke heads to somewhere secluded. A cabin in the mountains. Only it's blizzard conditions!
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_mbkqn7RSgI1rb8q8vo1_5002.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_mbkqn7RSgI1rb8q8vo1_5002.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_mbkqn7RSgI1rb8q8vo1_5002.gif"/></a>

He almost crashes into another car and after skidding to a stop he goes to investigate and sees the young woman passed out in the seat. He decides to help her out and takes her with him to his cabin. Over the days he spends with her she gets under his skin as she tells him the tale about how she ended up where she did. The whole romance was rather slow building and it wasn't all sex, sex, sex.

One thing I did like was that Kendall, having come from somewhere a lot hotter--can't remember what state--had never seen snow.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_lvwsvoxuiI1r43aq0o1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_lvwsvoxuiI1r43aq0o1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_lvwsvoxuiI1r43aq0o1_5001.gif"/></a>

So the scenes with the snowman building and snowball fight were nice additions to the story.

It was also nice to see the rest of Burke's family at the end.