Dark Lurking, The

Released by: Cinema Epoch
Released on: 10/12/10
Director: Greg Connors
Cast: Tonia Renee, Bret Kennedy, Ozzie Devrish, Anthony Edwards
Year: 2009
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The Movie:

An underground government research facility is overrun with demonic creatures, released from the netherworld, and a team of mercenaries is sent in to rescue the survivors. It seems that the exact location where Lucifer landed on Earth when he was cast out of Heaven was discovered, and the government attempted to harness the evil within and develop it into a weapon. It backfired and the evil overtook Outpost 320, killing most of the people within.

The survivors include Lena (Tonia Renee) who wakes up in the facility not knowing where she was or what happened, a medic who knows more than she's telling, a scientist who definitely has an agenda, and a couple of other people who are mainly fodder for the demon carnage. Of the mercenaries who come in, three of them continue past the first act: Michaels (Bret Kennedy), Kirkland (Ozzie Devrish) and Dare (Anthony Edwards…not the Revenge of the Nerds one). But their firepower and skills are not enough to defeat the demons and they end up trapped below with no communication with the outside and with little supplies. Attempting to make it to the surface, the players get picked off one by one until only two survive, and one of them may be more than it appears.

If this all sounds a bit familiar, that's because it is. The same elements seen in this film can be seen in countless others. You know which ones. And if you don't right off hand, you will once you start watching this picture, which is really nothing more than a collection of scenes borrowed from other movies that do it much more effectively. Some might say that's how a certain hotshot hipster director has made his name. At any rate, The Dark Lurking is one scene after another of heavy gunfire and splattering heads, with a totally predictable outcome. The acting is nothing to brag about either.

But, that said, this is not a piece of crap. For a low budget movie, the filmmakers have done a great job with making it look like it cost a lot more than it did. The sets look authentic, the effects are well done, both the gore and the monsters, and the action comes across as frantic and chaotic, as one could imagine that scenario would be in real life. The effects are mostly all physical effects, and they are very gooey and wet. The writer/editor/director does a nice job with creating the proper mood, and there are some competently constructed scenes conveying tension, with some well timed and nicely done seat-jump moments to boot. It's a well put together movie, even if it falls far short from being original in any way. If your looking for an entertaining action-splatter movie that requires little use of your brain, you can't go wrong with sitting through this. It was pleasantly surprising.


Video/Audio/Extras:

Cinema Epoch's presentation of The Dark Lurking is in an aspect of 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen, and guess what…it doesn't look very nice. Tons of pixelation in the dark areas, of which there are plenty, and simply an ugly picture. Those that expect a nice image will be disappointed. It may be the equipment being used in filming, and this is the best that it can look, or it's just a bad transfer. Either way it does get distracting, but it doesn't ruin the movie.

The sound is a 2.0 Dolby Digital track. Where the image suffers on the low quality end, the sound suffers on a different end of the spectrum. It's incredibly loud, with plenty of subwoofer activity and lots of gunfire and bang bangs. Just be careful you don't have this one turned up to loud or you may break something. The sync looks off slightly, which can be an annoyance. Lips aren't matching the words, and this could be due to dubbing.

Where the picture and audio miss the mark, the extras help keep the disc out of the abyss. The first item is a short film by the writer/director called “Netherworld” (15:28) which is a really neat film with an angel and a demon having a bare knuckles fight, and then the angel shooting up card game, with a bit of animation thrown in. Great make up, great visuals, and a testament to the potential this man has in him to make something really amazing. Next is “Behind the Scenes” (24:57), which is a great featurette on making The Dark Lurking. Very interesting and well worth the watch. There's a Still Gallery (3:14) and a trailer for the movie, and a five-minute “Also Available” which just shows other titles available from Cinema Epoch.


The Final Word:

A moist and messy monster movie packed with action, but far from original, The Dark Lurking is a decent piece of Ozploitation, which entertains from start to finish. The presentation lacks, but the extras are great. Worth checking out for fans this type of film, and it puts Greg Connors on the radar as an up and coming filmmaker.