Written and directed by Chris Messineo, with her family’s safety on the line, Susan must choose who to trust: her husband, who claims he can see the future, or the mysterious strangers at her door. Starring: Nili Bassman, Caleb Scott, Carmen Borla, Bates Wilder, John Beckwith, Carson Jean Holley and Athan Sporek.
A key element in making a lot of science fiction films work is knowing how to create a well-paced plot, that has enough detail without becoming convoluted, complicated or unnecessary. So, it was great to see Chris Messineo recognise that with The Strange Dark, and to create a story that’s got enough to keep people invested but remains relatively simple, not feeling a need to dive into all the nitty gritty, without being too vague. It’s a fairly difficult line to walk but Messineo does a good job of finding the right balance.
The progression is a big part of that, especially since he’s employing a non-linear timeline, to reveal and explain details from earlier scenes as The Strange Dark moves forward. It’s done surprisingly well, there’s an inherent back and forth, but it never feels repetitive. The details that are explained don’t feel obvious but also don’t feel too obscure that viewers who like to pick things apart couldn’t have fun guessing where they were going with them. It’s also focused primarily on the dialogue, so credit to Messineo for keeping it on pace, and giving all the characters plenty to do. There’s an ensemble feel to it which works well.
All of the characters have a good chemistry and banter, which is definitely one of The Strange Dark’s biggest strengths. How they work together, when the style keeps things quite intimate, really helps to push the pacing and progression. Carmen Borla, Bates Wilder and John Beckwith give us your classic bad guys, they get the vibe and presence right where it needs to be. Particularly in how they can throw some jabs at one another while creating that classic partners relationship, especially with Borla and Wilder. While Nili Bassman, Caleb Scott and Carson Jean Holley create the classic American family, imperfect, messy but endearing. Scott does a wonderful job of tapping into the slightly manic nature of his character, and Bassman boasts the quintessential matriarch capability and being handy in a crisis.
Visually it’s similarly ticking the right boxes, it has a good energy and matches the pacing of the dialogue, continually moving forward, even though it’s actually spending a lot of time going backwards. The aesthetic is particularly well done, there’s a strong colouring to it, and a good clarity. There are just a few details that hold it back, primarily its tendency to become sentimental. When it falls into family clichés, the tone and style weaken. There’s also the physical side of things, a few props that don’t quite hit the mark. Although the location and keeping things contained within the house were both great choices.
The Strange Dark is a solid piece of sci-fi entertainment. Calling it a thriller may not do it any favours as it could skew expectations, while it does fit in the genre, it’s actually a nicely low-key film. It has a good tension but for the most part it’s a classic battle of wills with a decent sense of humour, rather than what viewers might expect from a traditional thriller. The cinematography is strong (by Teodoro Maniaci), the direction is well done, the performances are really enjoyable, and it moves with great pacing. It’s one not to be underestimated, it would be a strong choice for some evening viewing.
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