Darkness 2002

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: As in most bad horror flicks, intimations of unspeakable evil are supposed to distract us from the yawning gaps in story logic and character motivation. Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: It's unoriginal, frequently incomprehensible and cheaply made, and moviegoers should avoid theaters that show this film just to eliminate the chance of walking in accidentally. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: A plodding, portentous horror thriller in which a spooky child figures prominently and people speak in hushed tones about sinister doings. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Too mechanical to be either persuasive or scary. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: We know that the house is haunted, because the family who's just moved in has to deal with the lights always flickering out. They should have called the movie The Fuse Box Horror. Read more

Matt Weitz, Dallas Morning News: Plot elements exist for their own sake, with little or no explanation or relationship to each other, leaving the story such a muddle that it's hard to tell if the actors are doing their jobs. Read more

Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly: Should have been left to molder in Miramax's vast vault of horror-movie stiffs. Read more

Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger: Every aspect of the film is slipshod and second-hand. Read more

Ned Martel, New York Times: Offers no inventive takes on its characters, shows no fearsome new way of presenting a haunted house and elicits not one palpitation from audiences paying for a few good jolts. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Read more

Time Out: Even as the darkness closes in, there is never any real sense of dread. The slow-burning terror soon fizzles out, as does the damp squib of an ending. Read more

Jonathan Holland, Variety: Though pic boasts decent perfs, potent atmospherics and eye-catching visuals, both psychology and plot are bargain-basement. Read more

David Blaylock, Village Voice: Moments hint at a metaphoric statement on child abuse, but the film proves mainly to be a commentary on poor electrical wiring. Read more