View source for The Darkness (2016 American film)

{{short description|2016 American supernatural horror film}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Darkness
| image          = File:The Darkness poster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Greg McLean (film director)|Greg McLean]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|
* [[Jason Blum]]
* [[Matthew Kaplan]]
* Bianca Martino
}}
| writer         = {{plainlist|
* Shayne Armstrong 
* S.P. Krause 
* Greg McLean
}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Kevin Bacon]]
* [[Radha Mitchell]]
* [[Jennifer Morrison]]
* [[Lucy Fry]]
* [[David Mazouz]]
* [[Ming-Na Wen]]
* [[Paul Reiser]]
 }}
| music          = [[Johnny Klimek]]
| cinematography = Toby Oliver
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
* Sean Lahiff
* Timothy Alverson
}}
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Blumhouse Productions]]
* Chapter One Films
* EMU Creek Pictures
}}
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* BH Tilt
* [[High Top Releasing]]
}}
| released       = {{Film date|2016|05|13}}
| runtime        = 92 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 92:14--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/darkness-film-0 | title=''THE DARKNESS'' (15) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=May 6, 2016 | accessdate=May 6, 2016}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $4 million<ref name="budget">{{cite magazine|last1=McNary|first1=Dave|title='Captain America' to Dominate With $77 Million Weekend as 'Money Monster' Aims for $15 Million|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/captain-america-civil-war-box-office-money-monster-1201774141/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|accessdate=May 14, 2016}}</ref>
| gross          = $10.9 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bhtilt2016.htm |title=The Darkness (2016) |website=Box Office Mojo |accessdate=June 16, 2016}}</ref>
}}

'''''The Darkness''''' is a 2016 American [[supernatural horror film]], directed by [[Greg McLean (film director)|Greg McLean]] and co-written by McLean, Shayne Armstrong, and Shane Krause. The film stars [[Kevin Bacon]], [[Radha Mitchell]], [[David Mazouz]], [[Lucy Fry]], [[Matt Walsh (comedian)|Matt Walsh]], [[Jennifer Morrison]], [[Ming-Na Wen]] and [[Parker Mack]].

The film is about a family who visits the [[Grand Canyon]] and brings home a supernatural force that feeds off their fears and takes over their lives.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Supernatural Film '6 Miranda Drive' Rounding Out Cast|url=http://moviepilot.com/posts/2014/05/11/new-supernatural-film-6-miranda-drive-rounding-out-cast-1416272?lt_source=external,manual#!bvfb4O|accessdate=August 4, 2014|work=[[Moviepilot]]|date=May 12, 2014}}</ref> Filming began in April 2014 in [[Los Angeles]] and ended in May the same year.

[[Blumhouse Productions|Blumhouse Tilt]] and [[High Top Releasing]] released the film on May 13, 2016 (Friday the 13th). It was largely panned by film critics, but grossed $10.9 million against a $4 million budget.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://metacritic.com/movie/the-darkness |title=The Darkness reviews |website=Metacritic |accessdate=May 15, 2016}}</ref>

==Plot==
Peter and Bronny Taylor go on a vacation to the [[Grand Canyon]] in Arizona with Stephanie, their [[bulimic]] teenage daughter, Mikey, their adolescent [[autistic]] son, and another family, the Carters. Mikey discovers a small [[Kiva]] cavern, where he finds black rocks with symbols on them. He takes the stones.

When the Taylors return home, strange things begin to happen. Bronny finds that the kitchen taps keep turning on, and Stephanie sees handprints on a mirror, both of which Mikey blames on “Jenny.” After Stephanie gets home from school, she vomits into a container and puts it under her bed. Bronny catches her, and she and Peter learn that Stephanie has been throwing up for a while. They take her to a hospital for help, leaving Mikey at Bronny's mother's house. Bronny's mother finds Mikey trying to kill her cat, much to Peter’s disbelief.

At home, Bronny searches online for answers to the strange activity and learns about the [[Ancestral Puebloans|Anasazi]] Indians, who believed that demons were bound to rocks hidden in caves. If the rocks are taken, the demons take the shape of a [[crow]], [[snake]], [[coyote]], [[wolf]], and [[American bison|buffalo]]. The family has already had encounters with a crow and a snake. The demons connect to young children who are dragged into their world, triggering an event known as 'The Darkness.' The only way they can be banished is if the rocks are returned to where they were found by someone who is not afraid.

Bronny and Peter later find Mikey covered in black marks from a fire in his room, blood pouring from his mouth. Later that night, Bronny has a nightmare of a wolf. Depressed, she starts drinking. In Mikey's room, the fire-damaged part of the wall is revealed to be a portal. Stephanie is choked by handprints appearing all over her wall and body. In the treehouse, Peter sees a coyote and the shadow of a demon in Stephanie's window. The force stops choking Stephanie as he rushes in. He then breaks down Mikey's bathroom door and finds him with marks all over the walls and ceiling.

Peter calls a number given to him by his boss. It belongs to a woman named Teresa, who is said to perform spiritual healings. Teresa comes over with her granddaughter, Gloria, who acts as an interpreter. As they cleanse the house, Teresa and Gloria go into Mikey's room and note that this is where the real evil lives. They recite a chant as Mikey tries to enter the portal.

Peter sees Mikey walking into the portal with the demons. He finds the stones and follows Mikey into the portal but cannot set the stones down due to his fear. He offers to swap places with Mikey, but Mikey ends the event of 'The Darkness' by picking the rocks up and putting them back down, as he is not afraid. The demons are banished, and Peter and Mikey jump out of the portal together. It disappears, and Gloria declares that the house is clean of evil energy.

==Cast==
* [[Kevin Bacon]] as Peter Taylor<ref name="Bacon-Mitchell" />
* [[Radha Mitchell]] as Bronny Taylor<ref name="Bacon-Mitchell" />
* [[David Mazouz]] as Michael Taylor<ref name="Mazouz" />
* [[Lucy Fry]] as Stephanie Taylor<ref name="Fry-Smith" />
* [[Matt Walsh (comedian)|Matt Walsh]] as Gary Carter<ref name="Walsh" />
* [[Jennifer Morrison]] as Joy Carter<ref name="Morrison" />
* [[Ming-Na Wen]] as Wendy Richards<ref name="Wen" />
* [[Parker Mack]] as Andrew Carter<ref name="Mack" />
* Trian Long-Smith as Sammy Levin<ref name="Fry-Smith" />
* [[Paul Reiser]] as Simon Richards
* Ilza Rosario Ponko as Gloria Ortega
* [[Tara Lynne Barr]] as Kat
* [[Judith McConnell]] as Trish
* [[Krista Marie Yu]] as Tasha
* [[Alma Martinez (actress)|Alma Martinez]] as Teresa Morales
* A.J. Tannen as H. Quinlan

==Production==
On February 25, 2014, [[Kevin Bacon]] and [[Radha Mitchell]] signed on to star in the film.<ref name=Bacon-Mitchell>{{cite news|last1=Kit|first1=Borys|title=Kevin Bacon to Star in Blumhouse Horror Thriller '6 Miranda Drive'|url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/kevin-bacon-star-blumhouse-horror-683566|accessdate=August 3, 2014|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|publisher=[[Prometheus Global Media]]|date=February 25, 2014}}</ref> On March 5, director Greg McLean stated, "The story is based on a true story that was relayed to me first-hand many years ago about an actual haunting."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pfeiffer|first1=Oliver|title=Greg Mclean begins production on 6 Miranda Drive|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2014/03/05/greg-mclean-begins-production-6-miranda-drive|accessdate=August 3, 2014|work=[[Special Broadcasting Service]]|publisher=[[Australia|Commonwealth of Australia]]|date=March 5, 2014}}</ref> On April 11, [[David Mazouz]] was added to the film.<ref name=Mazouz>{{cite news|title=David Mazouz Cast In '6 Miranda Drive'|url=https://deadline.com/2014/04/jack-kilmer-joins-juno-temple-in-len-david-mazouz-cast-in-6-miranda-drive/|accessdate=August 3, 2014|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|date=April 11, 2014}}</ref> On May 6, [[Ming-Na Wen]] joined the cast of the film,<ref name=Wen>{{cite news|last1=Yamato|first1=Jen|title=Ming-Na Wen Joins Blumhouse-Universal Thriller '6 Miranda Drive'|url=https://deadline.com/2014/05/ming-na-wen-blumhouse-universal-6-miranda-drive/|accessdate=August 3, 2014|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|date=May 6, 2014}}</ref> and on May 7, [[Lucy Fry]] was added to the cast to play Stephanie, the Taylor family's daughter.<ref name=Fry-Smith>{{cite news|last1=Yamto|first1=Jen|title='6 Miranda Drive' Adds 'Vampire Academy's Lucy Fry & Trian Long-Smith|url=https://deadline.com/2014/05/6-miranda-drive-lucy-fry-trian-long-smith/|accessdate=August 3, 2014|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|date=May 7, 2014}}</ref> Trian Long-Smith also joined the film on the same day, to play Sammy Levin, the savvy, bright and flirtatious intern working for Peter Taylor’s character.<ref name="Fry-Smith" /> On May 9, [[Matt Walsh (comedian)|Matt Walsh]] joined the cast of the film, to play Gary Carter.<ref name=Walsh>{{cite news|title=Matt Walsh Joins '6 Miranda Drive'|url=https://deadline.com/2014/05/matt-walsh-joins-6-miranda-drive-frank-langella-cast-in-the-driftless-area/|accessdate=August 3, 2014|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|date=May 9, 2014}}</ref> [[Parker Mack]] also joined the film.<ref name=Mack>{{cite news|last1=Sneider|first1=Jeff|title='Divergent's Parker Mack Joins Matt Walsh in Blumhouse's '6 Miranda Drive'|url=https://thewrap.com/divergents-parker-mack-joins-kevin-bacon-blumhouses-6-miranda-drive-exclusive/|accessdate=August 3, 2014|work=[[Thewrap]]|publisher=The Wrap News Inc.|date=May 9, 2014}}</ref> On May 14, [[Jennifer Morrison]] was added to the cast to play Joy Carter, Gary's wife and also a mother of a child.<ref name=Morrison>{{cite news|last1=Kit|first1=Borys|title='Once Upon a Time' Star Jennifer Morrison Joins Kevin Bacon in Blumhouse Supernatural Thriller|url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/once-a-time-star-jennifer-704059|accessdate=August 3, 2014|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|publisher=[[Prometheus Global Media]]|date=May 14, 2014}}</ref>

===Filming===
[[Principal photography]] began in April 2014 in [[Los Angeles]], and ended in May 2014.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} The film was shot with the camera [[Arri Alexa|Arri Alexa Plus 4:3]], as revealed by cinematographer Toby Oliver.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Oliver|first1=Toby|title='6 Miranda Drive' nears wrap|url=http://tobyoliver.com/2014/05/18/6-miranda-drive-nears-wrap/|accessdate=August 3, 2014|work=Toby Oliver|location=United States|date=May 18, 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808054438/http://tobyoliver.com/2014/05/18/6-miranda-drive-nears-wrap/|archivedate=August 8, 2014}}</ref>

===Music===
On June 2, 2014, Johnny Klimek was hired to score the film.<ref>{{cite news|title=Johnny Klimek to Score '6 Miranda Drive'|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2014/06/02/johnny-klimek-to-score-6-miranda-drive/|accessdate=August 3, 2014|work=Film Music Reporter|location=United States|date=June 2, 2014}}</ref>

==Reception==

===Box office===
''The Darkness'' was projected to gross $3–5 million from 1,755 theaters in its opening weekend.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/captain-america-civil-war-opening-weekend-box-office-summer-records-1201750394/|title=Why 'Captain America: Civil War' Is Poised To Be This Summer's Top-Grossing Live-Action Film: B.O. Postmortem|author=Anthony D'Alessandro|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=May 9, 2016|accessdate=May 10, 2016}}</ref> The film grossed $206,000 from its Thursday night previews and $2.1 million on its first day.<ref name="Thursday">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/money-monster-the-darkness-thursday-previews-box-office-1201754523/ |title='Money Monster' Pulls In $600K While 'The Darkness' Lights Up $206K – Thursday Night Previews |website=Deadline Hollywood|date=13 May 2016 }}</ref> It went on to gross $4.9 million in its opening weekend, finishing 4th at the box office, behind ''[[Captain America: Civil War]]'' ($72.6 million), ''[[The Jungle Book (2016 film)|The Jungle Book]]'' ($17.1 million), and fellow newcomer ''[[Money Monster]]'' ($14.8 million).<ref name=CinemaScore/>

===Critical response===
{{expand section|date=May 2016}}
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has a rating of 3%, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 2.7/10. The site's consensus reads, "''The Darkness'' clumsily relies on an assortment of genre tropes, leaving only the decidedly non-frightening ghost of superior horror films in its wake."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/the_darkness/ |title=The Darkness (2016) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=July 3, 2016}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 27 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://metacritic.com/movie/the-darkness |title=The Darkness reviews |website=Metacritic |accessdate=May 18, 2016}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/captain-america-money-monsterthe-darkness-box-office-weekend-1201755869/ |title='Captain America' In Control As 'Money Monster' Scares In Some Bucks And 'The Darkness' Lights Up Horror Audiences |website=Deadline Hollywood|date=16 May 2016 }}</ref> It is currently [[Blumhouse Productions]]' worst reviewed film to date.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Tumblr|thedarknessmovie|Official page}}
* {{IMDb title|1878841}}
* {{Mojo title|id=bhtilt2016|title=The Darkness}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=The Darkness}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|the_darkness}}

{{Greg McLean}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darkness, The}}
[[Category:2016 films]]
[[Category:2016 horror films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Films about autism]]
[[Category:Films directed by Greg McLean]]
[[Category:Films produced by Jason Blum]]
[[Category:Films scored by Johnny Klimek]]
[[Category:Films set in Coconino County, Arizona]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:American supernatural thriller films]]
[[Category:Blumhouse Productions films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:2010s English-language films]]
[[Category:2010s American films]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]