A Dark Song (2016)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

A Dark Song (2016) – L. Gavin

Very spooky and sinister (and punctuated by my DVD player abruptly spitting out the disc at a particularly scary moment 85 minutes in).  Sophia (Catherine Walker) who harbors grief (and hate?) in her heart hires Joseph Solomon (Steve Oram) to help her perform an occult rite (based on Crowley) that will allow her to summon her guardian angel and speak to her dead son.  The rite involves months of gruelling and painful sacrifices inside an old mansion (surrounded by a ring of salt, of course).  First time director Liam Gavin expertly manages the tone and suspense, keeping things creepy even when nothing is happening – it is the air of expectation (and the shadows) that keeps viewers glued to the screen.  Will anything really happen or are these people simply desperate and confused? (Solid acting keeps us unsure).  And then, of course, things start to happen.  I missed about 60 seconds of the darkest moments, I think, due to the damaged disc – I don’t think things became too gruesome or sadistic (but I guess viewer beware).  The end reminded me of Michael Tolkin’s The Rapture (1991) -- which I should certainly watch again – conjuring up a reset of your expectations. Worth a look, esp. for the Halloween season.