Do you believe in the afterlife? Spirit In The Dark tells the story of Gil Spencer (József Gallai) and his fascination with the unknown. Gil was once a happily married man but his life would be forever changed with the death of his loving wife Stephanie (Beáta Boldog) and their daughter.
Before her death, Stephanie and Gil enjoyed discovering abandoned schools, hospitals, and even hotels. They were pulled in by the mysteries and the stories that surrounded these places. It was only natural for Gil to be curious when his friend Olly (Peter Cosgrove) sent him an online video of an abandoned building. Shocked by what he saw Gil was determined to find the location and explore it for himself. What he found was far more sinister than he was prepared for.
I like to watch a film before I look into the writer's filmography. I don’t want their past or current work to influence my thoughts or my review. While watching this movie I was originally under the impression that this was József Gallai’s first film. That is simply not the case. In fact his first film entitled 09.12.04 was released in 2009. In a decade since his feature film I would expect a much better, well thought out film.
I think this movie suffers from a few major issues. The story itself feels very rushed. One of my biggest pet peeves is a lack of plot and character development. Unfortunately because of this there was nothing that made me feel connected to the character. I didn’t care what happened to Gil or his family because there was nothing to care about. The plot itself was almost nonexistent. All of the “gore” looked incredibly fake. I’ve seen better props at Spirit Halloween in the clearance bin. The most realistic looking part of this film were the trees. The “special effects” didn’t exist and the “action” doesn’t even start until the 45 minute mark. Keep in mind that this is only a 65 minute film. It says 70 but the last five minutes as usual are reserved for the end credits.
Overall I was severely disappointed in this film. I give it an "A" for effort and a "D-" in execution. I know my review is harsh but it’s just that. A review. I can not in good conscience recommend Spirits In The Dark. Better luck next time.