Synopsis: An 11-year-old, sexually abused Irish girl is the lone survivor after her house seemingly comes to life and attacks her family. However, as her foster family soon learns, it wasn’t the house. It was the girl herself.
Who’s in it? The movie stars Missy Keating, Marcella Plunkett, Padraic Delaney and charlotte Flyvholm.
Review: My wife and I actually managed to get the kids to bed at a decent hour last night and, as a result, had time to watch a horror movie together. There wasn’t a whole lot else that looked good and, since we recently had success with another Irish horror movie, “Stitches,” I decided to give “Dark Touch” a try. As it turns out, it was an OK choice.
I think my wife described this movie best when she referred to it as “Carrie” on steroids. It doesn’t take long to figure out the girl (Keating) has telekinetic powers. But, unlike Carrie, they aren’t limited to simply moving objects. She can start fires and even control the minds of other children. When you combine that with the fact she’s been sexually abused, doesn’t trust adults and has a pair of foster parents that seem to mean well but tend to make things worse, it creates a situation that, quite honestly, had me on the edge of my seat at times.
The thing that really caught me off guard about this film was the level of violence throughout. I consider myself pretty much desensitized after years of horror movie watching. However, there were times when even I was cringing a bit on the couch, especially during one scene that featured a group of preteens torturing their dolls. Personally, I loved it. But, if you’re a faint-hearted movie watcher, this film is not for you.
My biggest complaint about this movie is it seemed somewhat incomplete. The girl seems to have some sort of telepathic connection with her foster mom (Plunkett) that causes the latter’s ears to ring. Yet, the movie never explains why. Plus, despite the movie spending quite a bit of time focusing on the girl’s relationship with her social worker (Flyvholm), it doesn’t make an effort to give that relationship any closure. I was a little disappointed by that.
Final Opinion: The ending was a bit weak but, overall, I thought this was a decent enough movie. As I said before, it’s not for everyone. But, if you are in the mood for a film that is a bit more intense than your average horror flick, it’s worth taking the time to watch.
My Grade: B
