Darkness (2002)

Director:

Jaume Balagueró

Writers:

Jaume Balagueró (written by) and
Fernando de Felipe (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Some secrets should never come to light

Plot:

A teenage girl moves into a remote countryside house with her family, only to discover that their gloomy new home has a horrifying past that threatens to destroy the family.

Plot Keywords:

Good Versus Evil | Stabbed In The Neck | Young Boy | Entity | Gas Stove

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Anna Paquin	...	Regina
Lena Olin	...	Maria
Iain Glen	...	Mark
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Albert Rua
Fele Martínez	...	Carlos
Stephan Enquist	...	Paul
Fermí Reixach	...	Villalobos (as Fermi Reixach)
Francesc Pagés	...	Driver Traffic Jam
Craig Stevenson	...	Electrician
Paula Fernández	...	Girl 1
Gemma Lozano	...	Girl 2
Xavier Allepuz	...	Boy 3
Joseph Roberts	...	Boy 4
Marc Ferrando	...	Boy 5
Josh Gaeta	...	Boy 6
Mattew Dixon	...	Boy 7
Carlos Castañón	...	Friend 1
Carles Punyet	...	Friend 2
Reg Wilson	...	Librarian
Ferran Lahoz	...	Taxi Driver Regina
Pedro Antonio Segura	...	Patient Traffic Jam
Astrid Fenollar	...	Old Woman 1
Lidia Dorado	...	Old Woman 2
Clara Manguillot	...	Old Woman 3
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Miquel Bordoy
David Martí	...	Man sleeping on bus (uncredited)

Directed by
Jaume Balagueró

Writing credits
Jaume Balagueró		(written by) and
Fernando de Felipe		(written by)
Miguel Tejada-Flores		(additional dialogue)

Produced by
Carlos Fernández	....	executive producer
Julio Fernández	....	producer
Teresa Gefaell	....	line producer
Guy J. Louthan	....	executive producer
Bea Morillas	....	secretary of production
Antonia Nava	....	co-executive producer
Bob Weinstein	....	executive producer
Harvey Weinstein	....	executive producer
Brian Yuzna	....	creative producer
Brian Yuzna	....	producer

Original Music by
Carles Cases

Cinematography by
Xavi Giménez

Film Editing by
Luis de la Madrid

Casting by
Elena Arnao
Matt Western

Production Design by
Llorenç Miquel

Set Decoration by
Deborah Chambers

Costume Design by
Eva Arretxe

Makeup Department
Alma Casal	....	makeup designer
Nieves Martin	....	hair stylist
Satur Merino	....	hair stylist (as Saturnino Merino)
Brad Wilder	....	makeup artist: Anna Paquin

Production Management
Jake Myers	....	executive in charge of production: Dimension Films
Carla Pérez de Albéniz	....	unit manager
Jesús L. Pérez Villar	....	production manager
Nick Phillips	....	executive in charge of production: Dimension films

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Luis de la Madrid	....	second unit director (credited only as editor)
Anna Rua	....	second assistant director
Rita Rubio	....	third assistant director
Iñaki Sanchez	....	second second assistant director
Fernando Sánchez-Izquierdo	....	assistant director

Art Department
Félix Álvarez	....	painter
Pedro Jesús De la Fuente	....	construction coordinator
Paco Escofet	....	assistant set decorator
Mani Martínez	....	set construction assistant (as Mariano Martinez)
Ramón Moya	....	construction manager
Joan Sabaté	....	property master
Antonio Sánchez	....	supervising carpenter
Silvia Steinbrecht	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Manuel Carrión	....	foley artist
Dani Fontrodona	....	sound
Salva Mayolas	....	sound
Ferran Mengod	....	sound editor
Marc Orts	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Xavi Bastida	....	special effects makeup
Daniel Izar de la Fuente	....	special effects technician
Daniel Izar de la Fuente	....	special liquid effects assistant
Taller Maravillas	....	special effects
David Martí	....	special effects
José M. Meneses	....	special effects makeup
Amador Rehak	....	special effects
Juan Serrano	....	special effects technician: DDT SFX

Visual Effects by
Gloria Bernabeu	....	digital compositor
Martin Contel	....	CG artist
Luis de la Madrid	....	visual effects editor
Laura Maynadé	....	digital effects coordinator
Quico Noizeux	....	scanner/recorder
Quico Noizeux	....	title graphics
Jaume Vilaseca	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Mónica Consuegra	....	stunts
Ángel Plana	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Ferrán Calvo	....	second assistant camera
Albert Carreras	....	camera operator
Francesc Carreras	....	first assistant camera
Óscar Faura	....	director of photography: second unit
Marc Gómez del Moral	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Juan Carlos Gómez	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Carles Guerrero	....	grip (as Charly Guerrero)
Sebastián Hernandis	....	underwater camera operator
José Manuel Herrero	....	underwater camera operator
Roger Martínez	....	first assistant camera
José Luis Rodríguez	....	gaffer
Ramón Sánchez	....	steadicam operator
Manuel Zambrana	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Matt Western	....	casting: UK

Costume and Wardrobe Department
María Engo	....	additional wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
José Calderón	....	negative cutter
Sean Hubbert	....	additional editorial assistant
Bernat Vilapana	....	first assistant editor

Other crew
Allan Baker	....	story editor
Ingrid Fernández de Castro	....	production assistant
Mariana Gironella	....	script supervisor
Elizabeth Himelstein	....	dialect coach: Ms. Paquin
Richard Hyland	....	production accountant
Alberto Marini	....	development executive
Alberto Marini	....	director's creative assistant
Mary Kay McCoy	....	dialogue coach
Manuel Monzón Fueyo	....	development executive
Helena Moreno Núñez	....	development executive
Elena Serra	....	development executive
Elisa Sirvent	....	production assistant
Ursi Van der Herten	....	assistant: Brian Yuzna
Matt Western	....	director: UK

Production Companies

• Castelao Producciones
• Dimension Films
• Filmax International
• Vía Digital

Distributors

• Sociedad General de Derechos Audiovisuales (SOGEDASA) (2002) (Spain) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Alliance Atlantis Communications (2004) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Video (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Bac Films (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista International (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• CDI Films (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Dimension Films (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Eagle Pictures
• GAGA Communications
• Humax Pictures Inc.
• Miramax Films (2004) (USA) (all media)
• Splendid Film (2004) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Filmtel S.A.

Also Known As:

Darkness (Spain)
The Dark (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for terror/violence and language. (original version); Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, intense terror sequences, thematic elements and language. (edited version)

Runtime:

102 min | USA:88 min (PG-13 version)

Country:

USA | Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:MA (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Ireland:15A (cut) | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | USA:R (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Castelao Producciones

Trivia:

Cameo: [David Martí]special effects artist, as a man sleeping in the bus.

Goofs:

Twenty-three minutes into the movie, Regina comes down the stairs and sees that her dad has found a secret room under the stairs. Her father comes out holding a picture apparently very interested. Regina asks her father, "What's that?" looking at the space under the stairs. We then see a still frame where just barely, you can see Regina's father still in the space looking at the picture even though he had just stepped out of that area.

Quotes:

Regina: Since when are you afraid of the dark?
Paul: Everything is different here.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Good film for people who like good films

It isn't an American horror movie.

The ending is not spelled out at the beginning of the movie - you cannot use an actor's billing in the film to figure out who makes it and who doesn't - there aren't any silly long dialogues where everyone blurts out their plans and explanations for everything they are thinking.

Though on the surface it seems like just another apocalyptic horror - the storyline is a bit more complex than it seems.

This, especially to the average American moviegoer who is looking for a girl in vinyl pants and stiletto heels interacting poorly with a ton of computer graphics. Add some poorly-thought-out endings which are all about the explosions + some inane "Bruce Willis" style catch phrases... and people bouncing and flipping all over the place for no apparent reason other than showmanship in a time of crisis.

What is there: suspense in place of CGI monsters, actors in place of models and 'musicians', storyline in place of "PARTY!", and the ending is fantastic in its "anything BUT a Hollywood ending" sort of finish - and definitely not something your typical "Dark Castle Entertainment" fan is going to be able to wrap their brain around (despite how incredibly head-slappingly simple it is).