‘Most of us are damned…’
It’s hard to be sure, as there is such a huge range of material out there, but I think the occult is the horror subgenre that I’m most afraid of. This is probably why I’m so critical of it when it’s done badly (hello, The Conjuring). A Dark Song certainly fits snugly into the occult subgenre, but it is also unlike anything I’ve ever seen in this arena…
Following the death of her infant son, Sophia Howard (Catherine Walker) enlists the help of amateur occultist Joseph Solomon (Steve Oram) to take her through a gruelling ritual with the aim of summoning a guardian angel. If the ritual succeeds, both of them will be granted a wish.
A Dark Song succeeds because it is moody, atmospheric and frightening. By dialling back on the cheap jump scares so often associated with this subgenre, writer-director Liam Gavin is able to concentrate on building suspense and creating an ominous mood that only spills over in the final moments of the film. This slow-burn narrative style will perhaps be too leisurely for some, but I was hooked throughout, and the ending, apparently divisive elsewhere, I found to be both thrilling and genuinely unsettling. The real key to this film’s success, however, is the casting of Oram. The British character actor, more known for his comedic roles, offers a radically different take on the kind of occultists we have come to expect. This is a man who could be sat next to you in the pub or on the bus and he wouldn’t look at all out of place. I totally believed that this man was real, and he shares an uneasy but charged chemistry with his co-star, Howard, in what is essentially a two-hander. One scene in which he succumbs to a dark urge in a moment of weakness is truly upsetting.
The two of them, assisted by Jack Whitney’s truly chilling sound design, carry the film with a pair of authentic, deeply human performances, and by the time we got to the film’s bombastic conclusion, I felt like I had gone on an exhausting journey alongside them, not just as a spectator, but as a reluctant participant.
Gavin’s film will be too esoteric and sadistic for some, but fans of occult cinema will discover a film that is very much a singular vision from yet another promising horror director. Just don’t watch it if you’re already feeling a little emotionally tender…
