"Dark Windows" (2023) [Popcorn Frights]

by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden

In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s survival thriller Dark Windows by Alex Herron, Element Film, and Brainstorm Media.

Synopsis

A peaceful getaway turns into a fight for survival when a masked killer terrorizes a group of teens at a remote farmhouse in the countryside.

The Good

Joseph: Bullard, Hamilton, and Alexander all turn in solid, believable performances, with much asked of them as their characters grow more complex throughout the film. Herron displays a fine eye for helming a horror thriller with impressive framing and timing.

Mike: Dark Windows grabs you right from the get go by starting in medias res as we see a young woman defending herself with a baseball bat before things jump back to a couple of days earlier. While what follows isn’t anything new, director Alex Herron takes Wolf Kraft’s script and infuses it with a secret Norwegian je ne sais quoi that takes what could have been a very derivative film and makes it much more palatable. Helping in no small part are the actors (Anna Bullard, Annie Hamilton, Rory Alexander) who carry their roles (Tilly, Monica, and Peter respectively), well enough to make each character likable but with their own believable flaws. Herron also does an excellent job of building tension with not-so-subtle appearances by the masked stalker deep in the background outside of windows during the second act.

The Bad

Joseph: My comments may seem vague here, but I don’t want to give away spoilers. For whom should I root here? Tilly, Monica, and Peter give me plenty of reasons for it not to be them, and the Big Reveal is no prize in the ethics department, either. The herrings can’t get much redder than they do here. Act 2 features no small amount of “stalker’s eye view” shots with little else happening in the stalking department, so much so that it becomes a bit puzzling why the killer took so long to strike. Once that person does, the proceedings get quite disturbing, with the first kill being particularly distressing considering what the actor went through, and if realistically choreographed violence against women disturbs you, you may want to pass on this film or at least have your fast-forward button ready. On a lesser note, why does the killer need a creepy mask here other than having one for the aforementioned big reveal?

Mike: While Herron tries his best to work past it, Dark Windows is limited by its overwhelming feeling of “been there, done that, got the t-shirt”. The stalker’s identity is pretty obvious despite a couple of red herrings, the second act is quite dull (even with the mounting tension), and everything is too predictable. Tropes and clichés coat everything like the glaze on a Christmas ham and while Herron DOES manage to utilize some of them to make a point about his themes of innocence, blame, and the consequence(s) of the decisions one makes, they still play out the way they always do and that just ends up making the film feel rather pedestrian.

The Verdict

Joseph: Overall, Dark Windows is worth a watch for its talented young cast members, and Herron shows fine promise as a director of suspenseful outings. Though not much new is on display in the originality department, there are enough positive qualities to recommend the film for aficionados of stalker thriller fare.

Mike: Despite its flaws, "Dark Windows" is still an entertaining movie for fans of the stalker/slasher genre. Herron and his crew have delivered a well-made horror thriller that is suspenseful, well-acted, and visually appealing. However, viewers who are looking for a more complex and suspenseful movie may be disappointed.

Dark Windows, from Element Film and Brainstorm Media, is playing as part of the 2023 Popcorn Frights Film Festival, which runs August 10–20, 2023 with both in-person screenings and a virtual lineup available to viewers in the United States. For more information, visit https://popcornfrights.eventive.org/welcome. Dark Windows also releases in select theaters and On Demand on Friday, August 18th, 2023.

Dark Windows