Beneath the Darkness [Import]

A groups of bored teens decide to spy on the creepy funeral director because they think his home is haunted. Sounds like the beginning to a bad idea, huh? It gets worse when the kids see something and decide they need to know what it is, deciding it would be worth it to snoop around the next time said home owner is away.

There is something about Dennis Quaid that makes him really creepy now. Its not simply acting - although it is really good - but maybe age or possibly years of acting that shines through in films like these. From the start he is out there being disturbing, too, and i liked that. This movie is powered by him, after all, and his character has to be believably disturbed and it is.

While there are a few places in the beginning that are slow, and the ending of this film - No Spoilers - isn't the best thing in the world, I still liked it. The plot is not one that is complex at all and, as with a lot of horror movies, it can be figured out rather quickly. That said, the chase, the uncovering, the mistakes - those things make up a movie to me. And those kids earn a nice little "why the hell are you doing that" badge. The acting is good enough and I kept wondering exactly what Dennis Quaid would end up doing next. there are also a few points that I did not expect - the stairs thing for one - that made me enjoy this more.

This is NOT going to overwhelm you as a film, and it shouldn't see that way. Simply watching the previews should tell you that you can figure it out fast. This is more like a character study off its medication, and I enjoy that. Quaid more than made up for any shortcomings for me.

4/5

Dennis Quaid as a mortician? Yes, it works. Quite hauntingly. He pulls off a crazy, somewhat certifiable creep.

And he may have had better roles in his long acting career, but Quaid looks the part of Ely, the town's funeral director. And as for the dark, atmospheric environs, a character in itself, the dark mood sets, help build an unnerving suspense until the final "cerebral" scene with Quaid.

But the story really builds to an unstoppable thrill ride when high school friends, Travis, Abby and Danny, witness a strange occurrence at Ely's residence. Though the mortician lives alone, he is seen dancing with a corpse behind his front curtains.

The lead actors, Tony Oller and Aimee Teegarden ("Friday Night Lights") give realistic performances as bereaved adolescents. But the unblinking dare to break and enter Ely's funeral home/residence after a late night movie soon becomes a deadly tale of life and death. A cat-and-mouse game ensues and one of the friends sees an untimely end at the hand of Ely himself. But the discovery of a mysterious cadaver in the upstairs bedroom becomes bigger news for the small town rumor mill--and the close-knit group of inquisitive teenagers must find a quick solution to right a wrong before anymore bizarre goings-on transpire around town.

A great cast of actors and an intriguing tale of suspense and supernatural envelop this nifty horror movie. Good weekend afternoon flick to pass the time.

T.B. Grant
5/13/12

"Help me prove he killed Danny." After thinking they saw a ghost a group of friends start to snoop around the home of local mortician Ely (Quaid). When they get caught something happens that changes their lives forever. Now with only their word it is up to them to convince the cops that the well liked Ely is actually a murderer. I had pretty high expectations for this movie. I really liked "Mr. Brooks" and I like Dennis Quaid and seeing him play a psycho I thought would be cool. Once again though like most movies the idea is better then the real thing. While Quaid was creepy the movie itself was very very slow moving and it took over 30 minutes for the movie to really begin. This is another movie where the ending is neat and worth it, but getting to the end is a struggle. This movie doesn't compare at all to "Mr. Brooks", but I would like to see Quaid in a better movie playing a character like this one. Overall, very slow and disappointing movie that had a lot of potential. I say C.