Reviewed by Melissa Garza
The film opens with a praying woman sitting terrified in a closet during a vicious thunderstorm. Later, five shipwrecked friends take refuge in a dark abandoned lighthouse. One of the friends, Nadia (Nalita Murray) is ice cold and has an awful gash to her head. Her friend Catherine (Elizabeth O’Brick) tends to the wound, but soon that is the least of the group‘s problems.
Soon, a second injury is sustained by Catherine as a board seemingly out of nowhere and without reason falls in the darkness. Adam (Alan Collett) bandages her up, and then with Jack (Vaz Andreas) searches the lighthouse for clothing and goods. The girls quickly call them back as they see someone lurking in the darkness. Things get worse as strange noises are heard and a shadowy figure presents itself.
Meanwhile, as the relationships between the friends become tense, Elena (Lainnie Felan)
a young Spanish woman arrives dirty and fearful for her life. She first believes that the group is there to help her. When she realizes that it is a coincidence that they are there, she begs them to take her when they escape so the pirate who killed her father doesn’t also get her. Elena then warns them that the pirates are coming for the group as well. The girls become fearful for their lives and try to formulate an escape plan.
Soon, Elena’s prophecy comes true and they reveal themselves.
Overall, “The Shadows” delivers well. The characters have much depth and the dialogue is believable. The colors red and green when shown together are notorious for making the viewer unsettled. Thus the reason for Freddy Krueger’s famous sweater. “The Shadows” utilizes the same technique and colors during the most tense scenes to ensure that the audience is experiencing the terror with the characters.
The acting is believable and well done. As the level of fear in the characters grew, the actors ensured that the audience was brought in with them.
The movie has an excellent pace. It ensures that the story is told while the action is unfolding so one isn’t bored or tempted to turn away.
There are a few great scares and the ghostly figures are genuinely creepy. The tone of the movie is a very dark one from start to finish. Though there are a few predictable laughs, “The Shadows” stays focused on the horror.
Unlike many horror movies today, “The Shadows” is refreshingly unpredictable. Though it utilizes mechanisms from the genre that could be considered cliché, they do so effectively and uniquely thus making it easy to forgive any avenue that has been visited before.
The Shadows is a mixture of “The Fog” meets “Night of the Living Dead” meets “The Exorcist” all the while standing on its own two feet to deliver a compellingly and at times terrifying production.
The conclusion is equally fitting, well-thought out and brings the tension level that the entire film was festering to an all time high.
“The Shadows” is definitely worth watching more than once and is a fine addition to the horror genre as a whole.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10
