A Dark Song is the first feature film by Irish director Liam Gavin. And who says first feature film, says (for any director normally constituted) some clumsiness. Following the loss of her son, Sophia hires a specialist in occult sciences to perform a series of rituals to get in touch with her guardian angel and fulfill one of his wishes. This independent horror film brings together the traditional elements of the genre, while avoiding the pitfall of the banal horror film.
A progressive tension at the antipodes of jump scare
We find in A Dark Song all the panoply of the classic horror film: the isolated old house that serves as a closed door, the pentacles, the slamming doors, hemoglobin and of course the presence of disturbing musical tablecloths. If at first glance the film seems ordinary, it nevertheless deviates radically from the jump scare so widespread in recent years. The pace is progressive, with a rise in latent tensions and is thus in line with fantastic Japanese horror films like Dark Water. Unfortunately, the assembly that forms a patchwork sometimes difficult to understand does not offer the necessary homogeneity to install a slow and disturbing atmosphere that is truly effective.
A horror film steeped in Welsh folklore
The landscapes of Wales are a real added value for the film. In addition to the undeniable beauty of the place, they act as an additional threat. Indeed, the weather conditions, a strong wind and heavy gray clouds, reinforce this atmosphere of hostility and highlight the vulnerability of the central character. This landscape is even an actor in Sophia's confinement, since when she tries to escape, the path invariably brings her back home.
The folklore is also materialized through a small goblin figurine, an ancient toy of Sophia's son that she keeps preciously. This figurine acts as a link between the material world and the spirit world, which allows the director to play with the border between reality and fantasy (and therefore to play with the fear of the spectators).
From darkness to light
Particular care should be taken to treat light throughout the film. The lighting gives A Dark Song a certain realism, with the presence of backlighting assumed for example, but always in a concern for licked photographic aesthetics. There is nothing to complain about the candlelight atmospheres that still constitute a good part of the film. Beyond the technical treatment, the light has a significant dimension in the evolution of the main character. Sophia begins by sinking into the darkness of despair, before ascending to the light and thus to redemption.
A Dark Song is an independent horror film that unfortunately does not know (yet) a theatrical distribution. It is thanks to festivals such as the FEFFS (European Fantastic Film Festival of Strasbourg) that the film goes to meet its audience. A Dark Song adopts a strong and unexpected philosophical reflection, because it is uncommon in this cinematographic genre. The denouement surprises by its formal treatment and will undoubtedly make skeptics but in any case, the film does not leave indifferent.
A Dark Song Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvQ2ClKbRcU
