Out of Darkness

Out of Darkness
Starring Safia Oakley-Green, Chuku Modu, Kit Young, Iola Evans
Directed by Andrew Cumming

There's hardly a film out there that centers around events that took place back in the Old Stone Age, and with good reason - most people don't really seem to care about it, or have a lot of knowledge about it. People probably think dinosaurs still roamed the earth - they didn't. Instead it was one of the first advancements of human ingenuity, as they invented stone tools to better their lives. While it's rare to see a film like this, it's even rarer to see a horror film taking place during this time. "Out of Darkness" is one such film, an outlier that introduces us to a whole new language, and six clan members trying to survive in a harsh new condition while being hunted down by a hidden monster.

Arriving on the shores of an unknown land, six people - leader Adem (Chuku Modu), his pregnant wife Ave (Iola Evans), their young son Heron (Luna Mwezi), Adem's brother Geirr (Kit Young), elder Odal (Arno Luening), and stray Beyah (Safia Oakley-Green) - face a harsh, seemingly isolated landscape where they can start a new life. Yet on the first night there they find they're not alone, as an unknown creature attacks and takes Heron, leaving Adem and his company on a desperate search for him - but he could possibly be leading them to their own doom.

Director Andrew Cumming enlisted Daniel Andersson, an expert linguist, to craft a new language called "Tola" which is a blend of Arabic and Basque that the characters speak throughout the film, and it's a fascinating language to follow. It sounds ancient but also modern, and it's impressive that the entire cast dedicated the time and effort to learn it and speak it flawlessly. That's just one of the special touches Cumming makes to make "Out of Darkness" an all-encompassing horror film that places you dead center in the story, trying to survive with the characters as they embark on a perilous journey of survival.

This story centers around the group of people as they try to save one of their own, but upon entering a forbidden forest they find that they're not the predators - they're the prey for a mysterious creature that roams at night. Yet, as with most movies like this, the true enemy comes from within, as mistrust and the greed to live overtake them and they turn on one another in order to survive. It shows that, even 45,000 years ago, people are ultimately only out for themselves. The creatures in the dark are almost secondary to the trauma and violence occurring within the group, and it highlights how, especially during that time, clans existed merely for survival, with little to no allegiance to one another beyond that.

The cast is a blend of stereotypical stock characters but contain deeper motivations and character development than their assigned roles. Adem is the leader, but is also headstrong and stubborn, destined to lead his clan into the throngs of oblivion for his son. Ave is the dutiful pregnant wife, but also has a strong sense of survival, and will do anything to protect not just herself, but her unborn child as well. Geirr is seemingly the second-in-command, but when push comes to shove he runs away. Odal is the elder, the wisdom giver, but also the one who will break your leg in a race in order to survive. Then there's Beyah, played with determination by Safia Oakley-Green, who serves as the film's focus. She's the "stray" in the group, not a member of the family but someone they picked up along the way, and as such is seen as lesser, especially by Adem. Yet as the body count rises, she also rises to the occasion and takes charge when needed, being scared to death but more scared of dying, and will do anything to make it out alive.

The other elements of the film come together for a glorious whole. Adam Janota Bzowski's music score maintains a sense of eerie unease. Paul Davies' sound design lets you feel every leaf crunch, every roar, every auditory sense burrow into your soul. Cinematographer Ben Fordesman creates both a beautiful yet deadly landscape in the middle of nowhere Scotland that seems to be totally devoid of life - not just human life, but animal life as well, looking like an earthly version of hell only without the fire.

As the film progresses, we get an interesting twist to the story that throws you for a loop and introduces a whole new concept to the proceedings which I will not go into, but suffice it to say it really opens your eyes and makes you question what you've been watching in the best way possible. While it's not an overly "exciting" film, the slow burn nature of it allows you to become fully invested in the characters, their actions, their deaths, and the lengths they go to survive - and by the end you're left wondering about some of those aspects.

With wonderful cinematography, an intriguing script with a unique new language, and compelling characters delivered by dedicated performers, "Out of Darkness" stands alone as a horror movie set way in the past with echoes of the present.

The Score: A