Name: Dark Floors (2008)
IMDb: link to Dark Floors page
Genres: Horror Country of origin: Finland.
Cast: Noah Huntley as Ben, Skye Bennett as Sarah, Leon Herbert as Rick, Ronald Pickup as Tobias, William Hope as Jon, Dominique McElligart as Emily.
Directed by: Pete Riski, Alan Smithee. Written by: Pekka Lehtosaari.
The Three Acts:
The initial tableaux:
Father Ben and daughter Sarah are at a hospital getting sensitive tests run on her brain. The power fails, the machine adjusts, and Sarah freaks out. Ben decides to take Sarah somewhere else.
Ben, Sarah, Nurse Emily, Security Guard Rick, salesman Jon, and mental patient Tobias take an elevator together. The power goes out again. They manage to get out on the fifth floor, which at first seems deserted.
Delineation of conflicts:
Sarah wants her red crayon. Ben wants her to be safe. Rick and Emily want to know what's going on. Jon wants to take his sample teddy bears and leave the building. Tobias seems to know they are in some sort of trouble, but does not communicate that well.
There is some poltergeist activity (television, radio, telephones, fans), and their freedom of movement seems hampered. While in a stairwell, someone takes a shot at them, and grazes Rick's neck.
Soon enough, it seems that something does not want them to leave. Tobias hints that the other four adults might know why this is. Again, his communication is oblique. Sarah draws things that no one else sees; ghostly images tantalize them; soon enough, tangible actions are observed.
Resolution:
This film follows several horror movie cliches. The ghosts/demons seem to be suffering or obsessed with an issue or two. The adult humans need to surface parts of their memories that pertain to that suffering. Will they be able to work out issues with the supernaturals?
One line summary: Ghosts trap normals in hospital.
Statistics:
Cinematography: 7/10 The footage looks well done and sharp at the start. As the supernatural elements phase in, there is more darkness, more dinge and decay, and more restricted colour palettes.
Sound: 5/10 The actors were miked OK; I could understand the dialog without the sound blasting. The background sound and music did not contribute much to the overall creepiness for most of the film.
Acting: 5/10 The child actress Skye Bennett was not all that skilled. The other five were reasonably good. The men in rubber suits were just horrible.
Screenplay: 5/10 The film follows the mushroom method of telling the story. At halfway through the film, I still had next to no idea of the motivations of the ghosts/demons or of the humans. Still, this is one of horror's stock in trade approaches.
One of the drivers of the film is the preteen's mental problems and general lack of ability to execute her own life. The adults carry her or wheel her around. At least three of them are needed to take care of her, such as carrying her wheelchair up and down stairs, calming her down, and the like. When she's left alone, bad things seem to happen. This is another stock in trade cliche. Every so often she becomes all powerful. Hm, what is the knot in her personality?
Final rating: 5/10
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