Ahoy-hoy, friends! This week, just when I thought we were gonna get a break in the Demonathon, I run into our next movie, Darling.
Now, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I can qualify Darling as being a demon movie in that no demons are really mentioned or anything…but I can say that it’s definitely in the same vein as your average possessed-by-a-old-house kind of demon movie.
Before we get started, I have to say that one of the things I love about good horror is when the filmmaker understands the concept of keeping it as simple as possible. Not to put down the wild, high budget horror film (A Christmas Story, for instance). I mean, big budgets and crazy stories are pretty awesome too. But there is really something to be said about getting down to the bare bones of a horror story. Girl in house, girl gets possessed/goes nuts, bad things happen. Let’s break it down.
So, Darling starring Lauren Ashley Carter, Sean Young, and Brian Morvant. First, a warning.
If you have photosensitive epilepsy, this movie isn’t for you. Skip this review. Go to YouTube this week and watch a nice vlog. Don’t worry. I’ll be back next week with a new review. In fact, here’s a video of me reading from one of my books. Enjoy!
Chapter One: Her
Darling (Carter) is a nice girl in a Wednesday Addams dress who just got a posh job house sitting for a woman known only as Madame (Young). Madame tells Darling the particulars of the job and informs her, quite in discretely (Like all, “I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but…”) that the last caretaker tragically threw herself out of a window. But, you know, she shouldn’t worry about anything like that happening to her. I mean, I know there’s a rumor about this being a murder house, but that’s all just make-believe. You’ll be FIIIINE.
Okay, so Darling’s in the house by herself and she starts living her life. She finds an old crucifix in a drawer as she’s unpacking and a door in the house that’s locked. When she calls and asks Madame about the door, Madame tells her to NEVER EVER OPEN THAT DOOR!!!
K. So, at some point, Darling goes grocery shopping and accidentally drops the crucifix. Some guy(Morvant) on the street notices and stops her to return it. She freaks out. She takes the crucifix and he walks away. She follows him until she reaches where he lives, then goes back home.
Chapter Two: Invocation
Okay, so Darling starts having all these hallucinations which at first appear to look like flashes of her going crazy. In the middle of the night, she sees scrawled on her nightstand "Abyssus abyssum invocat" or “Deep calls to the deep”.
No, I don’t know Latin. I had to Google it just like you just did.
Anyway…
Chapter Three: THRILLS!!!
So, at this point, Darling’s got the crazy eyes. She dolls herself up and goes to the strange guy’s apartment. She waits until he leaves then follows him to a bar where she sits alone and waits for him to come up to her. He does.
He hits on her accordingly and buys her a few drinks, all the while she’s…well…I wouldn’t call it flirting, really. She really comes off kind of cold. Just the same, when she invites him back to her place he excepts because…well, he’s had a few drinks, she’s pretty, and he’s a guy.
Back at the house, they talk some more and she offers him a drink. And then she stabs him.
No, really. She leaves for the kitchen, comes back with a knife and while he’s in mid-conversation with her, she stabs him. When he falls over, she stabs him again and starts twisting the knife yelling at him all: “I remember what you did to me, HENRY SULLIVAN, BWAHAHAHA!!!"
Darling (Carter) is a nice girl in a Wednesday Addams dress who just got a posh job house sitting for a woman known only as Madame (Young). Madame tells Darling the particulars of the job and informs her, quite in discretely (Like all, “I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but…”) that the last caretaker tragically threw herself out of a window. But, you know, she shouldn’t worry about anything like that happening to her. I mean, I know there’s a rumor about this being a murder house, but that’s all just make-believe. You’ll be FIIIINE.
Okay, so Darling’s in the house by herself and she starts living her life. She finds an old crucifix in a drawer as she’s unpacking and a door in the house that’s locked. When she calls and asks Madame about the door, Madame tells her to NEVER EVER OPEN THAT DOOR!!!
K. So, at some point, Darling goes grocery shopping and accidentally drops the crucifix. Some guy(Morvant) on the street notices and stops her to return it. She freaks out. She takes the crucifix and he walks away. She follows him until she reaches where he lives, then goes back home.
Chapter Two: Invocation
Okay, so Darling starts having all these hallucinations which at first appear to look like flashes of her going crazy. In the middle of the night, she sees scrawled on her nightstand "Abyssus abyssum invocat" or “Deep calls to the deep”.
No, I don’t know Latin. I had to Google it just like you just did.
Anyway…
Chapter Three: THRILLS!!!
So, at this point, Darling’s got the crazy eyes. She dolls herself up and goes to the strange guy’s apartment. She waits until he leaves then follows him to a bar where she sits alone and waits for him to come up to her. He does.
He hits on her accordingly and buys her a few drinks, all the while she’s…well…I wouldn’t call it flirting, really. She really comes off kind of cold. Just the same, when she invites him back to her place he excepts because…well, he’s had a few drinks, she’s pretty, and he’s a guy.
Back at the house, they talk some more and she offers him a drink. And then she stabs him.
No, really. She leaves for the kitchen, comes back with a knife and while he’s in mid-conversation with her, she stabs him. When he falls over, she stabs him again and starts twisting the knife yelling at him all: “I remember what you did to me, HENRY SULLIVAN, BWAHAHAHA!!!"
Chapter Four: Demon
So, Darling does what any of us would do if left in the dining room with a bloody body. She drags the body into the tub, then goes to bed, where she has nightmares of him getting up and attacking him.
So, Darling does what any of us would do if left in the dining room with a bloody body. She drags the body into the tub, then goes to bed, where she has nightmares of him getting up and attacking him.
Chapter Five: Inferno
When she wakes up, she decides to starts cutting him up, but not before checking his wallet and pulling out his driver’s license which says: “Henry Sullivan” on it.
Darling finishes cutting him up, puts him in a trash bag, showers, and cleans the bathroom. The deed done, she starts to leave only to find that she forgot his wallet. She looks at the license again and this time it says “James Abbott”. She doesn’t take it well.
When she wakes up, she decides to starts cutting him up, but not before checking his wallet and pulling out his driver’s license which says: “Henry Sullivan” on it.
Darling finishes cutting him up, puts him in a trash bag, showers, and cleans the bathroom. The deed done, she starts to leave only to find that she forgot his wallet. She looks at the license again and this time it says “James Abbott”. She doesn’t take it well.
Chapter Six: The Caretaker
Okay, so, here’s where things get interesting. Madame calls and tells Darling that her reference; “Dr. Abbott” never heard of her and she wants her to leave the house. Darling, whose lights are on, but has long left the building, asks her about the locked door that she’s NEVER SUPPOSED TO GO INTO and whether or not people practiced conjuring the devil there. Madame doesn’t answer her and only tells her to please leave. Darling response with “I think I’ll be one of your ghost stories now” and hangs up the phone.
Soooo, she goes to the locked door to the room and frantically jimmies the lock open. What she sees, we don’t see, but she gives the camera Rosemary’s Baby realness.
Meanwhile, Madame called the cops and they, with the help of a neighbor, are trying to get in. Darling is going full tilt nuts up in her room cutting up her clothes. As the cops come into the house and find the bag of body parts, Darling puts on the crucifix and jumps off the roof.
The End…
Well, not quite the end. 😊
This was a well-done movie. It was very Rosemary’s Baby with shades of May and Psycho. I was quite impressed. Needless to say, I heartily give Darling a Jewel.
Okay so, next week we are clearly continuing the Demonathon with Devil’s Candy. Woot! Maybe we’ll clear the D’s with the demon movies!
O~
*
Okay, so, here’s where things get interesting. Madame calls and tells Darling that her reference; “Dr. Abbott” never heard of her and she wants her to leave the house. Darling, whose lights are on, but has long left the building, asks her about the locked door that she’s NEVER SUPPOSED TO GO INTO and whether or not people practiced conjuring the devil there. Madame doesn’t answer her and only tells her to please leave. Darling response with “I think I’ll be one of your ghost stories now” and hangs up the phone.
Soooo, she goes to the locked door to the room and frantically jimmies the lock open. What she sees, we don’t see, but she gives the camera Rosemary’s Baby realness.
Meanwhile, Madame called the cops and they, with the help of a neighbor, are trying to get in. Darling is going full tilt nuts up in her room cutting up her clothes. As the cops come into the house and find the bag of body parts, Darling puts on the crucifix and jumps off the roof.
The End…
Well, not quite the end. 😊
This was a well-done movie. It was very Rosemary’s Baby with shades of May and Psycho. I was quite impressed. Needless to say, I heartily give Darling a Jewel.
Okay so, next week we are clearly continuing the Demonathon with Devil’s Candy. Woot! Maybe we’ll clear the D’s with the demon movies!
O~
*
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