20th Jun2014

‘Dark Vision’ Review

by Richard Axtell

Stars: Bernie Hodges, Suzie Latham, Judith Haley, Oliver Park, Alicia Ancel, Simon Pearce | Written by Darren Flaxstone, Bernie Hodges | Directed by Darren Flaxstone

Dark-Vision-Hodges

Dark Vision is a paranormal competition. Five teams enter and try to make the best paranormal television show possible, but only one can be the victor. We follow Spencer Knights (Bernie Hodges) and his ‘Mindfull’ crew as they set off the Baylock’s Folly, a haunted place where dark happenings are said to have happened in the past. They plan to spend the night, documenting and trying to reveal the secret of Baylock’s Folly, even if they have to make it up a bit themselves. But what they find is more than they could have bargained for. There is more in the darkness than you know…

This film reminded me so much of my early teen years where I used to sit and watch Most Haunted with my family whenever it came on television. Those were magical days, before it was discovered to be one large hoax of course. Spencer Knights is a lot like the mediums they used to get on there, an over dramatic character who can ‘contact the spirits’ and likes to use cheesy catchphrases like “Don’t give up the ghost!” Of course this results in a rather silly film, as he prances around, trying to put on a show for the cameras and the rest of his crew are less than impressed.

To be honest, Dark Vision feels a lot closer to comedy than horror. Some of the jump scares left me in fits of giggles as opposed to shivering in my boots and I am not sure if that was the intended reaction. Obviously some of it was deliberately funny. For example, they use a phone app which can ‘hear the voices of the beyond’. This idea itself is very tongue in cheek, but actually works very well in the context of the film. Some of the funnier aspects may have impacted somewhat on the ‘scarier’ aspects of the film however, leaving it lacking somewhat in the horror department.

The story itself was good. I particularly liked the sinister impact of the ‘Dark Vision Hub’, who were the producers of the competition and may have ulterior motives than what the Mindfull team realise. However, this is not explored as much as it could have been, maybe to leave the film open for a sequel, and does leave you with a whole host of questions at the end of the film.

All in all, Dark Vision is a fun watch, even if it isn’t quite what the film makers intended it to be.

For more info on Dark Vision, check out the official website.

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