Despite a handful of awards and accolades from US and Canada film festivals that focus on thrillers and horror films, “The Dark Hours” should have had the hype box all around it from various movie internet sites, but didn’t. Up until yesterday, in fact, I didn’t know the film existed. Twenty times more superior than the imported High Tension in both action and filmmaking execution, Canadaian director Paul Fox has restored my faith in new voices in film…but increased my utter distaste for my own country’s lack of bringing our neighbor’s films to the attention of the audiences. I mean, I was surprised that the teen werewolf ‘Ginger Snaps’ trilogy went right to video here in the US, then dismayed by the work of helmer Vincenzo Natali , whose films ‘Cube’ and ‘Cypher’ did well in Canada, but went right to the DVD dungeons of America. Now I’m sad to say that I have to add Fox to the list of Candian filmmakers who the Hollywood studios seem to mistrust. To add insult to injury, Fox’s audio commentary track is all too informative: a seperate commentary track with the actors of the film, unbeknownst to him has gone AWOL on the DVD. Unless, that’s only regarding the DVD released in the states.

Still, no hype. No word of mouth. It is almost as if ‘Dark Hours’ slipped under the radar.

For a rather simple, self contained plot, writer Wil Zmack throws in a character arc which makes things more involving. Here it goes: Mental institution psychartrist Samantha Goodman (Kate Greenhouse) is letting her work get to her. It is also revealed that she has a cancerous tumor in her brain and fears losing her job if her collegues find out. To take a long needed break, she goes to a country cabin which her husband (Gordon Currie) owns. Her sister (Iris Graham) joins them on the retreat. But then an escaped patient of hers, Harlan Pyne (Aidan Devine) along with his protoge, breaks into the cabin, and takes everyone hostage. It turns out that Payne accuses his former doctor of conducting unauthorized expieriments on him – something to do with his brain tumor which occasionally causes him uncontrollable but brief comatose lapses. Both Pyne and his accomplice -who he has under his ‘control’- proceed to play mind games with the doctor and her loved ones in order for certian confessions to come out.

The acting, especially the work of the attractive Greenhouse, is above average for a low budget suspense-horror of this nature. Even Gordon Currie isn’t too bad. It is possible that the casting was so good that the actors gelled together, and it looks like they did. But considering the technical merits on the shoestring, I again point to the film’s director, Paul Fox.

There are some great ‘gotcha!’ scares in the film, from the surprise death of a character; to the threat of is the villian going to cut off a hostage’s arm or nose with an axe; to the first appearance of a gun and what the gun is first used on. Other memorable moments include things you don’t see, such as someone getting beat up eally bad, and all we hear is the scuffle upstairs. Then there’s a scene involving a pinky finger, which is effective in impacting morbid tastes. It always seems odd how in horror film after horror film you can see the villian having uses at his disposal for inventive ways to cut teens in half. But see a thirtysomething woman having a bloody finger and horror fans are supposedly repulsed. There’s an old saying: less is more.

I hope down the road someone remembers the name Kate Greenhouse.
But everyone should remember the name of Paul Fox.

See, it’s like this: the film may seem to be on familiar ground but the acting is surprisingly good, and the total execution of the plot and production on a shoestring budget is nothing short of outstanding. I suppose that the only explanation for it not getting the push that it needed was that the movie doesn’t pull punches, doesn’t cheat (like ‘High Tension’ did) uses suspense instead of sadism (unlike “Wolf Creek”) and doesn’t get into buckets of blood and gore. Fox’s filmmaking influences are inspired by early Roman Polanski, Nicolas Roeg and clearly Dario Argento. This isn’t a film that is made that has wall to wall college co-eds with signs saying ‘dead meat’ on them. There isn’t any self-aware “I’m in a horror movie and I know it” comic relief once in the film. These sorts of omissions were welcome to me; I feel that current cinema is under attack by an army of neanderthals who take suspense as a joke, and undermine the impact of the thrills. In addition, I believe the is evidence that also suggests that lesser new filmmakers make up rules for a horor universe and then break them at thier leisure. Or they simply don’t give two figs about the craft. This is what sets Fox apart, it makes his work stand out, and stand out in spades.

*******
The Dark Hours
Directed by : Paul Fox
Starring: Kate Greenhouse, Gordon Currie, Aidan Devne and Iris Graham.