Dark Paradox
All Region NTSC
Web: http://www.frontlinefilms.net
From
Victoria filmmaker Brian Clement ("Exhumed", “The Dead Inside”, “Meat
Market 3”) comes the story of a writer's unwitting discovery of the history and
activities a cult in Victoria, Canada that has been engaged in a 60 year effort
to open a portal between our world and another, in an attempt to let in a host
of inter-dimensional beings. Once the cult takes hold of the writer he is
thrown into a web of horror in which the line between fantasy and reality
blurs. Not only is the city is enveloped in chaos but even the fate of the
world may be in his hands.
During
the “Satanic Panic” craze of the 1980’s it was rumoured that Victoria, Canada
was the centre of Satanism worldwide. While this belief was primarily the
ramblings of inane fundamentalists, Dark Paradox uses it as the basis to spin a
fascinating tale based loosely on the mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft.
The
films offers a range of interesting explorations including the locating of the “forbidden
book” during World War II, the satanic craze in Victoria (with related police
brutalities and riots) and all manner of conspiracies. There is even some
Burlesque thrown in for good measure.
Dark
Paradox has clearly been made on a limited budget and could be best described
as an indie film. It was an ambitious project tries to combine Sci Fi, Fantasy,
Horror and even Film Noir into one package and it has some trouble living up
the task. Don’t get me wrong, there are flashes of brilliance throughout the
film, some truly innovative plot twists and some occasional scenes of
outstanding cinematography but these do not occur often enough to move it above
the low budget niche. That being said, I personally think that if Brian Clement
was given even a reasonable budget he could really go places. I am eager to see
what he produces next. There is great potential here. He understands the pulse
of horror, mixing Fulci with Lovecraft and a cross genre approach to spinning a
story.
If
you accept the low budget origins of the film and experience Dark Paradox for
what it is, you will find it a worth a watch.
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This review will appear in Volume 2 No.4 (2009) of the digital and
print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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