Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films,
2018
Images from the Internet
Dark Vale
Written and directed by Jason
M.J. Brown
Wild
Eye Releasing / MVD Visual
90
minutes, 2017 / 2018
Let
me start off with the obvious, in case there are any questions: this British film is not the video game, and has no relation to it. Honestly, I’ve never
played the game, but now I have seen
the film, so let’s move along.
In
our household, we tend to watch a lot of British television mysteries. In
England, they have a different sense of the temporal, such as with literature
such as Dickens, which has a history of an author being paid by the word rather
by action. It could take a whole paragraph for someone to open a door (for
example, it could be “He reached for the door knob, his hand hesitating over
the round globe of metal. The coldness on his hand felt like…” etc.; that kinda
thing). Of course, this isn’t true of everything from the Isles, as with films
such as 28 Days Later... (2002) that
is at Mach 10, but generally things take a bit longer there, and I believe it is
culturally expected to be that way.
For
a non-Brit who is used to Americanized MTV speed editing and shorter attention
spans, this can be an issue, something for which I am occasionally guilty as
well. This film is closer to the Dickens than the music video in its pacing.
 |
| Darren Randall |
It’s
also a much smaller film in scope of cast. While there are other, peripheral
characters that pop in and out occasionally, especially in the mandatory and in
this case gratefully expository prologue, this is essentially a two-and-a-half
person cast. The main protagonists are a couple, Leah (Cara Middleton – no relation
to Kate, I assume, though she does bear a resemblance to Indian actress Priety
Zinta) and Tom (Darren Randall); the “half” is the seen-in-spurts murderous ghost
of Lady Lucy (Chloe Clarke).
The
first third of the film is the audience getting to “know” the couple who have
been together for a while, but only now just talking about moving in together. They
go on a vacation, and on the way back, their car breaks down on a backwoods road
in… The Vale (da da-da-DA) of the title. They walk to the house
down the road and start going through stuff, and when they hear footsteps in
the hall, they hide. Wait, what? If I
was in someone’s house, especially if I didn’t know them, (a) I would call out
asking if anyone was there, (b), I would not go through their possessions, and
(c) if I heard footsteps I would check to see if it was the owner, not go
slinking under furniture, especially if I didn’t know the Lady Lucy legend. This
felt either disingenuous to me at least, fookin’ rude at most. But what do I know;
I live in Canada, eh?
The
ssssssllllllloooooowwwww pace (note that this is an observation, not a
complaint) gives the viewer a chance to think about what is happening and to
notice small things. For example, Ben walks into a cathedral and the candles
blink on. It’s obvious to tell, however, that the film is just shown backwards
due to the wafting candle smoke going downward. Still, a nice and easy way to
get a decent effect.
I’m
tempted to call the film arty, and on some level it is, but it is not so
overpowering that it gets in the way to make the film obtuse. Don’t get me
wrong, I have some issues with the it, which is far from perfect, and I’ll get
into that a bit more in a mo, but the level of art actually aides in the texture and mood of the film, especially
considering it appears to be all shot on a single camera. I do believe this is
what one might call an old fashioned gothic ghost story, rather than an Insidious style of shock-a-thon.
The plot
borrows liberally from the likes of Wuthering
Heights and the first season of “American Horror Story.” And like Cathy and
Heathcliff, Leah is annoyingly needy and whiny, and Tom is overly macho and
overbearing. Perhaps there’s a bit of Lost,
too, if The Vale is some kind of purgatory?
Thing
is, by the end I had, in the words of a character from the TV show “Girls,” so
many follow-up questions, even trivial ones that built up in their mere volume,
such as (and I’m trying to pick some that won’t be spoilers) how does a light,
tan backpack stay clean after years of use; who stocked the basement with that
much food and tea candles; and how did they
manage to get out when our protagonists are stuck there for years? And why
would a ghost be scared of fire when it had nothing to do with her death? And
why did Tom only run into that guy who gave him instructions once? And why
would the footprints be seen walking towards
the flour spread on the ground rather than from?
And how could a walkie-talkie or mobile phone still be charged after an
extended period? I could go on for a couple of more paragraphs.
 |
| Cara Middleton |
Perhaps
my post-graduate education has failed me, but I just don’t get so much of this.
Maybe it’s artier that it appears and I’m getting lost in the zeitgeist of the
whole enchilada? There are successes as I can see in that it is atmospheric and
with rare exception, it’s pretty gray other than the occasionally sunny day,
which stands out for that reason
As
for the nitty gritty for those interested, there is almost no blood, a small
body count, and no shots of naughty bits, which isn’t necessary to keep my
attention, but for those who keep track, well, there ya go. Actually,
considering the use of mood, having those elements may actually take away what
they are going for in the long run, and I believe it was the right choice on
all accounts.
Along
with a whole bunch of trailers (including for this film) that have the general
theme of people going to a building where there are malevolent ghosts, there
are two other extras. One is a 28:17 “Making Of” which is essentially the setting
up of shots, with any real interview with cast members (Randall and Clarke)
starting at 13:00 and lasting the most interesting 3 minutes of the piece. It
is, however, the only chance to get a decent view of what Clarke looks like, even
if under the white pancake make-up and a veil.
Last
up is the full length director’s commentary, including Randall and executive producer
Martin Farmilo. It’s okay, nothing very earthshaking, but some good stories
about the personalities, the shooting, some explaining what you’re looking at,
and a bit of self-backslapping; though personally, I would have liked to hear more
about motivations of actions onscreen.
The
film looks good, and there are some smart moments, such as Leah walking around
in the dark with a lantern where you can only see her and the light, and rather
than popping in the ghost where you expect it, they hold off. That’s a wise
choice, of which there are quite a few. This has gotten some really nice
reviews, but overall I was hoping for a bit more, I guess. Not a bad film, but there are a few gaps in thought.
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