Out of Darkness releases to theaters February 9, 2024

As we leave behind the month of January — and all the forgetful and lackluster cinematic experiences that came with it — I look to the future with a sense of hopefulness and anticipation for what’s to come. With massive blockbusters like Dune: Part 2, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga just around the corner my level of excitement for 2024’s film slate is high; however, it was Out of Darkness — a film that wasn’t even on my radar until very recently — that proved to be the first great film of the year.

Out of Darkness Plot

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A small group of stone-aged men and women embark on a journey for a new home. Food is scarce and tensions among the group are running high. Things go from bad to worse when an unknown evil begins to stalk them from the darkness.

The Critique

Out of Darkness was first described to me by a friend as “a caveman horror movie.” That is — of course — an over simplification; however, it’s one that did elicit a response of curiosity and intrigue strong enough that I immediately sought it out. The story is set 45,000 years in the past during the paleolithic period. While most films would have simply had their characters speak English, Out of Darkness goes a step further towards crafting a fully realized and immersive world through the use of Tola, a language created specifically for the movie.

To me the best types of horror films are the ones that build tension and unease through tone, ambiance and cinematography. A slow burn handled with precision can carry far more fright than a jump scare any day of the week. I wrote about this in my review of The Others’ Criterion Collection release, and that film is a masterclass example. It seems filmmaker Andrew Cummings shares my sentiment as Out of Darkness is a bone-chilling journey through a world that has been under utilized in cinema.

The beauty of its lushes Scottish landscape works to lure in its audience, only to flip a switch and use that same setting as the source for terror. Much of that terror lurks just out of sight, cloaked within the darkness of night. Fear of the dark and what we can not see is a basic and primal fear, and one that is amplified by the lack of knowledge and understanding of science that comes with the stone-aged setting. The horror presented is raw, primal and vague. It never attempts to over-explain what is happening, nor does it rush towards it’s terrifying conclusion.

In Conclusion

Out of Darkness was a terrifying surprise that launched the 2024 year off to a strong start earlier than I’d expected. It’s a fresh and original take on a genre that often feels stale and dry. If this is what Andrew Cummings brings to the table on his first feature outing, I’m excited to see what his sophomore effort will look like.

9/10

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