Dark Floors

Directed By: Pete Riski

Starring: Skye Bennett, Noah Huntley, Dominique McElligott, William Hope, Leon Herbert, Ronald Pickup, Lordi

Synopsis;

Sarah is an autistic little girl whose father is worried about her health. Concerned for her, the father sees her removal from the hospital by force as the only option. An elevator breakdown prevents a smooth exit and leaves them trapped with a group of others.

Yet the incident is only the beginning of a descent into nightmare. As the doors open the hospital appears mysteriously deserted. When mutilated bodies are found, creatures from a dark world start a frightening attack. It soon becomes clear that the survival of the group may rest solely on the little girl.



Review:

When I was sent this movie to review, saw the cover and found it starred a Eurovision Song contest winning band in their Slipknot inspired stage costumes, my heart sank; was this the quality of work I was now being asked to review? I was reassured that this was a good movie and that I’d enjoy it. Then I’d look at the promo art and imagined 80s style Doctor Who villains running around corridors, killing people in outlandish ways.

I’m not sure who exactly this movie is aimed at but I hope horror film fans won’t be put off by the advertising (like I was), because I was very surprised at just how good a movie this is. Since my family first owned a video recorder and I rented out horrors by the dozen I’ve always revelled at being surprised by movies and by being wrong from my assumptions.

Dark Floors is another one of those instances where my preconceptions have been wide of the mark. Don’t get me wrong - this isn’t going to be an out an out love-fest review, the likes of which you read on some major movie websites, because the movie isn’t perfect but it is very well made.

Any thought of this being a cash-in on the Lordi experience is swept away almost immediately by a stylish opening with a traditional orchestral score that signposts where this movie will go. In other words, despite my thinking that a Lordi track would pop up during scenes of carnage, none did. The cast all seemed familiar. Go on to imdb and you’ll find that three actors share the UK TV series, Holby City , in common. The cast is another good thing about the movie. I never felt that the producers and casting agents had gone for the bargain bin, all the actors worked well. It was great to see “Lt Gorman” again.

As the synopsis tells you about as much as you’ll want to know before seeing the film ,I won’t break it down but will continue with an over-all appraisal. Skye Bennett plays the autistic girl exceptionally well and I hope we will see more of her acting ability in the future. I wonder how many times she had to say “I want the red crayon” in takes. Noah Huntley is perfect as the everyman Father who is just trying to find a way out of the situation whilst saving his daughter. Dominique McElligott was strangely familiar, yet I’ve not seen any of her other work. Rather than just being eye candy in a horror film, she is a strong female lead and I was grateful for that. I’ve sat through far too many horrors that appeal to the lowest common denominator. The female lead can be pretty but also has to be more than that. Leon Herbert plays a Security guard. Herbert does well with what could be seen as a stereotypical role but I was reminded slightly of Ving Rhames in the Dawn of the Dead remake; that kind of cynicism came through in Herbert’s performance which was a good thing. William Hope plays a gratingly irritating coward very well, reminding me slightly of an older Lt Gorman without ultimately being a hero. His role of Jon the businessman is typical but it still works as a counterpoint to the other characters and to anyone who has tried to analyse what the film is about, you might have got the reason why these particular characters are thrown together. Ronald Pickup effectively plays an old man who might know far more than he’s telling.

The fact that seven writers worked on this shows in some ways. There’s a little confusion here and there and the dialogue is sometimes forced, but this didn’t’ spoil my enjoyment.The visuals are stylish and effective, using lighting to great effect and not showing too much of the denizens of this particular nightmare. The sound is also well done, with plenty of rear speaker effects adding to some jump scares. There’s a little too much of the walking through corridors at the beginning but it becomes apparent way this is later on.

The movie is unsettling but not frightening. This didn’t bother me but might be a drawback to those actually expecting “one of the most terrifyingly bloody monster horror films of our time”. It’s not. It doesn’t matter. The look and feel of the movie is that of a lower budget Silent Hill. It has a slightly surreal quality like that of a nightmare. The film also reminded me a little of the 80s Spaghetti horror movie L’aldila (The Beyond). If The Beyond was to be remade with an extended ending, Dark Floors would have made an interesting film within a film. Dark Floors even ticks the “zombie” tickbox towards the end, I’m glad to say.

I don’t understand why the ads refer to the movie being like The Ruins, The Devil’s Rejects, and Resident Evil. I guessed this was why;The Ruins – there’s a similar bit of CGIThe Devil’s Rejects – Rob Zombie was a hard rock artist before becoming a directorResident Evil – corridors and a couple of zombies.The Extras on the disc are worth a look. Interviews with Skye, Noah, William and Leon reveal their views on the film. We get to see Lordi in action during a premiere and there’s a short making of doc.

Verdict:

Low on gore, low on scares but high in quality, atmospheric thrills. Horror movies don’t always need to scare you, just make you feel something. Dark Floors is spooky fun, buy it or rent it.

8/10 (Wayfarer)

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