Mørkeleg (1996)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Martin Schmidt

Writer:

Dennis Jürgensen (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 September 1996 (Denmark)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

As four friends set up a game of murder in an abandoned house, a real-life murderer approaches to up the stakes of the game.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | House | Serial Killer | Headphones | Dead Body In Bathtub

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Line Kruse	...	Tine
Christian Grønvall	...	Tim (as Christian Grønwall)
Mari-Anne Jespersen	...	Alexandra
Karl Bille	...	Jonas
Dick Kaysø	...	Walther Lund
Peter Rygaard	...	Mogens Ebbesen
Waage Sandø	...	Niels Willumsen
Birthe Neumann	...	Else Willumsen
Robert Reinhold	...	Sjokke
Claus Strandberg	...	Ludvigsen
Lise Schrøder	...	Bartender
Paul Hüttel	...	Politilæge
Joachim Knop	...	Vagthavende
Benny Hansen	...	Parkbetjent
Laura Drasbæk	...	Maibritt

Also Known As:

Backstabbed

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish

Color:

Color

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Denmark:16

Filming Locations:

Det Danske Filmstudie, Lyngby, Sjælland, Denmark

Company:

Regner Grasten Film

Quotes:

Tine: Aia goddamnit! If people are crazy, then they are it even if they have played a crazy game or not!

Soundtrack:

Mørkeleg

Children Shouldn't Play Deadly Games.

I'm always tempted to reward these movies from Northern Europe with some extra points, simply because the languages they speak over there are so utterly cool! Just look at this film's title, with the remarkable "o", and listen to some of the monologues! Even the most awful teen-slasher suddenly gets a whole lot more sinister with an odd title like this. The truth is, however, that this Danish attempt to cash in on the successful slasher-formula doesn't deserve to get any extra points. "Morkeleg" – internationally released as "Backstabbed" – is an incredibly unoriginal and mundane thriller that compares with the overload of slashers released in the States during the 80's. We've got a bunch of teenagers gathering in an old abandoned mansion to play a game in which they have to hunt and pretend to kill each other with fake knives. Naturally, the fun stops when a real maniac joins the party and actual blood flows through the corridors. The best thing I can possibly say about the film is that director Martin Schmidt occasionally manages to create a genuinely creepy and ominous atmosphere. The scenes in which an unseen culprit stalks the boys & girls up & down the stairs and through the dusty corridors are fairly unsettling and the actual murders are pleasingly gore. However, it's really easy to figure out the killer's identity and the red herrings attempting to mislead the viewers are laughably ineffective. The acting performances are okay, I guess. I've never heard of any of these Danish stars but I suppose they're popular in their home country and do a reasonably convincing job in their first horror roles. One of the characters keeps talking to his own finger, on which he has drawn a cute face and refers to as 'little piggy'. That was odd.