source: All Dark Places

I saw the paltry 2.4/10 rating this movie has received and felt compelled to write a quick bit on it. I found this movie to be enjoyable on a mental level. The box art and the inclusion of a clown would make one stereotype this movie as a clown slasher flick which it most definitely is not. In fact, and heed this well, if you are solely looking for a splatter-fest including clowns, look elsewhere. You will be sorely disappointed. For anyone looking for a surreal portrayal of a man's madness and its impact on his family, I'd say you could do a lot worse. There is a clown mixed into the proceedings and he is featured in a couple creepy scenes. The actor playing the clown oozes menace and does a good job portraying, well, a creepy, mean clown. The actors do an okay job, especially the little fellow. The wife's character is a little wanton with her accusations of lousiness towards her husband when she herself is no trophy wife (looks aside.) This is pretty mature subject matter for children (and nightmare inducing creepy clowns) so kudos to little man. As for the ending, I find it intriguing and thought-provoking. One of those 'take it as you will' types of endings left open to interpretation.

Jamie (Stephanie Fieger) and Christian (Joshua Burrow) are making a second effort to keep their marriage together. Jamie convinces herself everything is alright, that daddy's anger issue is over. Christian is a stock broker who works at home and plays horrible music with lyrics such as "I'm sick in love with you." He parties with his friend in the basement while they scheme of an illegal "pump and dump" scam to make money. Their six year old son Dylan (Dylan Mars Loff) believes dad still has his anger. A haunting clown appears whenever Dylan recites "Peter, Peter pumpkin eater..." Christian acts like an unshaven creepy Eric Roberts. We discover more about the clown as the movie progresses. The film has minimal blood and horror. It is a psychological thriller with the barely passable acting and script. Not for everyone. PARENTAL GUIDE: F-bomb, sex, nudity (Stephanie Fieger)

So down below (at the very end) I will briefly explain the plot. This movie was pretty well done, and the clown was creepy as hell. From the cover I thought it was going to be a typical killer clown movie, and then in the trailer you hear a character mention "the spirit of John Wayne Gacy" so I figured it was his spirit come to wreak havoc. The movie was very slow. It was almost agony in some spots, and I just wanted to fast forward. There was quite a bit that could have been cut out, but I felt like was left in there so this wouldn't be considered a short film. (This was the main reason I rated it so low). I did not like the mom's acting at all and the dad's was hit/miss scenario. The son and the clowns were amazing though. I didn't really understand why the dad wasn't in rehab... Like, if you are addicted to coke and alcohol and your therapist knows, why wouldn't they put you in rehab? The couple therapist was very unbelievable that anyone would actually give him a license to work with people. **SPOILER** is right below: If you are confused by the ending/movie in general I hope this will clear things up: The son is 6 years old and has obviously suffered abuse at the hands of his drug addicted father. Gacy's ghost (who apparently lingers around this house) tells the boy that he was also abused by his father but to a much worse extent. Gacey then torments the dad as a way to get back at him for being a horrible parent, but also hurts the mom since she took him back instead of getting Dylan out of this horrid situation. Gacy is slowly coaching the boy into taking his father's life, and when he thinks he is ready he helps the kid kill the dad. The mom doesn't die, the son calls an ambulance for her, the dad is dead, and the ghost of Gacy wanders off into the night.

The viewing of a film is different to each and every eye. One thing is for certain: there are going to be many people out there who like this film for the same reasons I do. I've been a fan of film for a long time. I don't care what the budget is, just give me a cinematic experience that keeps me seriously involved and I'm good. Dramas, thrillers, horror and more specifically psychological horror are all within my realm and All Dark Places touches all these genres and more. At times it is even a comedy. The acting is very good across the board. It's a quality independent production from top to bottom. It says it was shot for 200K but it looks like a million bucks. No shaky-cam grainy video here. Nothing against Paranormal Activity, or Paranormal Activity 2,3 or 8 but this is a well-crafted film. Ladies and gentlemen this is cinema. The plot seems simple but is really multi-dimensional. This is a thought provoking film and when it was over I wanted to write this review right away so that true fans of good movies will know a little more about it and seek it out. The lighting is surreal at times and the soundtrack is weird and rockin in just the right way. This is, after all, a different world than most of us live in. It's the world of this specific film and it has its very own colors, shades and music. May not be for every viewer because its VERY dark in perspective but those who like it will probably REALLY like All Dark Places.

All Dark Places is a psychological thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat without the requisite blood and gore of typical horror movies. The Clown played by Siede is exquisitely creepy as he rants and his way through the film. One never knows who he is, REALLY. The movie is edgy with off beat music that perfectly fits the bizarre characters in the eerie, suburban enclave. The directing with its close ups also adds an eerie and surreal play-like ambiance. Kudos to Reiner for his thriller debut! We hope there is more to follow.

All Dark Places is a spooky, tense & terrifying horror film that explores a very dark side of the human condition. Nicholas Reiner uses his skills as a filmmaker to scare the audience with no gimmicks just straight up fear and terror diving straight into the mind of a man that has lost his grip on reality. Making the normal and mundane turn into a terrifying trill ride is not a easy task. All Dark Places will make you terrified to jog in the woods alone. WANT to watch something spooky, SCARY and very terrifying? ? Watch All Dark Places. Jason Cusato Festival Director The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival

Namely because after sitting through a film listed as a Horror/Thriller that was boring and contained neither of the genres listed, I don't know where to file this. It's about a husband & wife with a 4y.o. son that have a rocky relationship due to the husbands drug habits & joblessness.They see a marriage counselor regularly but that doesn't help. Along the way the husband starts to lose his frail grip on reality & starts seeing a clown all over the place that obviously isn't there. Sadly that is the plot in it's entirety, you have 80 minutes filled with no thrills,kills,blood or build up of tension or suspense, then a two minute conclusion I won't spoil. If you find yourself on the edge of your seat it's only because you are leaning for the remote to turn this mess off. I don't recommend paying to see this. I'm giving it a generous 3/10, the 4 year old son delivered his lines spot on.

Sure, you see a clown on the cover and think "killer clown". Well, the clown IS a killer but don't judge a book (or in this case a film) by its cover: All Dark Places has much more to offer than ordinary slasher fare. This is a sharply executed tale of a father, mother and son trying to keep the family together. Whether the clown exists at all is the big question here. Is he a creation of the young child's imagination? Is he there to make sure dad does the right thing? Or maybe he represents the struggle and turmoil of a marriage on the brink. The acting is top flight as is the cinematography, scoring and direction. With so many shaky-cam horror/thrillers out there with god-awful acting it is so refreshing to see a film in this genre where all the elements add up to a cohesive whole by the time the credits roll. Some of the early ratings here seem impossible. This film is deserving of praise for it's originality. I suppose some viewers wanted a splatter-fest and were disappointed. Look to the critics reviews for more balanced and intelligent insights. All Dark Places stands on it's own as a thought provoking and chilling look at the modern family unit.

All Dark Places