Stone Age Survival Slasher Out of Darkness (FANTASTIC) Explores Uncharted Territory
Title: Out of Darkness
First Non-Festival Release: February 9, 2024 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Andrew Cumming
Writer: Ruth Greenberg, Andrew Cumming, Oliver Kassman
Runtime: 87 Minutes
Starring: Safia Oakley-Green, Chuku Modu, Kit Young
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2023.
45,000 years ago, a traveling group of outcasts anchor ashore a distant and unfamiliar land. Led by the fearless Adem (Chuku Modu), the group presses on with their goal of finding habitable land away from the rocky beaches. Outcast Beyah (Safia Oakley-Green) struggles to find her place in the plucky group of survivors, as they all have more steady positions. When Adem’s son, Heron (Luna Mwezi), disappears into the night, the group’s cautious optimism of their new home turns to sheer panic as they realize someone, or something, is hunting them.
Stone-aged slasher Out of Darkness excites with impressive production values and its brutal depiction of early life.
Survival horror that pits early humans against the elements, Out of Darkness keeps its cards close as the protagonists navigate a strange, dangerous world. Part of the allure of a stone age slasher, is seeing how the concept takes place without a modern setting. Out of Darkness follows many of the conventions of a slasher film while using the trappings of a survival thriller as its foundation. These characters are placed in an impossible situation where they know very little and must find their own path to salvation, where every action or inaction can be just as deadly as a confrontation with their pursuers.
In the end, Out of Darkness has an awful lot to say about tribalism in both how the group interacts and disintegrates. While the faceless force stalks the group, conflict bubbles up in many ways. As the characters stumble their way further inland, their numbers dwindle to the elements and their adversaries. The stress associated with their dire circumstances causes them to turn on each other. Each blow dealt against them fuels the fire that burns between them. Frustrations, prejudices, and the basic needs of sustaining human life make true teamwork impossible. This leads to sabotage, exile, and betrayal in the worst ways. The scariest aspect of Out of Darkness isn’t its brutal setting or the forces that act against the group, but in how its parallels of sexism, xenophobia, and colonialism parallel modern sensibilities.
Out of Darkness brings life to its imaginative world through organic storytelling techniques and a mad dash of independent spirit. From the costuming, bare-bones set design, and realistic effects, the effort to make Out of Darkness look real pays dividends. Its tactile approach to horror makes the audience feel every whip of the wind and crunch of a twig thanks to its strong understanding of sound design. Out of Darkness even manages to create its own language for the purposes of authenticity, and it works too! This commitment to detail, shows that the Out of Darkness is concerned with realism even if it’s impossible to know every element of daily life for humans during its period.
Breathtaking visuals and a desolate location add to the tension from the invisible stalker hunting the clan. The nameless and rugged wilds of Scotland make for a perfect setting for this tale of survival, allowing the cold beauty of the locale to wash over like an icy blanket. By capturing the unforgiving landscape, Cinematographer Ben Fordesman illustrates the marvel and terror of an unfamiliar world. With Director Andrew Cumming’s understanding of suspense, Out of Darkness creeps its way to the finale, discovering every new wonder and pitfall along the way with a grim sense of uncertainty.
Its high concept story will likely not work for everyone, but Out of Darkness is a straightforward examination on humankind’s ability to weather the harshest storms through sheer willpower and resilience. The question remains, what does that make us? An exceptionally well-crafted indie horror, Out of Darkness dazzles beyond its burning questions and gives audiences an engaging film to cling to as it makes its points about the cynicism of and hope for humanity. Hopefully, this is a smash at the box office, and Out of Darkness comes into the light of moviegoers everywhere.
Overall Score? 8/10
