Monday, May 27, 2024

Dark Windows, Slasher or Ghost?

From Norway we have another one that won't get much love. No humor. Dark. Sure to depress. Unlikable characters. But...I gotta say...the last 20 minutes is incredibly worthwhile.  Any confusion as to what happened during the first hour of the film will disappear as the last act flashes on the silver screen. Either way this ending goes...it will be a downer.  Still...there are some babes in the film that we hope survive, but in Norway...babes always die horribly.  Actually, I just made that up...but it sounded good.  Today we look at 2023's "Dark Windows," directed by Alex Herron.

Ali (Grace Binford Sheene) dies in a car accident.  Her three buddies survive.  At the funeral reception, Tilly (Anna Bullard) is treated like a criminal.  She was driving the car when it ran into a tree.  Her buddies Monica (Annie Hamilton) and Peter (Rory Alexander) are also there and support Tilly. Sadly, Ali's family is very hostile and not coping well.  The action line is Tilly drove the car into a tree and Ali died.  Of course, flashbacks suggest something different. Ridden with guilt, Tilly is now on psyche-meds. Monica brings Peter and Tilly to an old family mansion in the woods to get out of Dodge.  Tilly is not able to move on and Monica is eager to move on. Peter reverts to being an alcoholic. Then the fun starts. Voices...Ali's voice. A weird shrine to Ali keeps appearing. Then even weirder stuff.

Even worse, Monica is making moves on Ali's old boyfriend.  Then the haunting, or mayhem ramp up. Ghostly voices beckon Tilly.  Horrible reminders of the deadly crash.  Peter hits the bottle more.  What really happened the night of the fatal crash is revealed.  The original action line does not hold up.  Then the intruder.  He's mean and unrelenting.  The film will dive into almost torture porn.  Suspects?  Everyone, to include family members, one of these three teens, Ali's old boyfriend, or is it some delusional trip brought on by recently prescribed psyche-meds?  All will be revealed in bloody and sadistic fashion.

What did happen the night of the crash?  Is Ali back from the dead?  Are all Norwegians harboring dark and deadly secrets?  A light horror film and a vicious reveal. In a film that captures the true ethos of Norway, and the reason why Swedes have nothing to do with their grouchy neighbors, "Dark Windows" is one that may make you think long after the end credits about mourning, death, and revenge. 

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