The Darkness

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2:18

The Darkness

PG-13

2016

1h 33m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

3%

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34 Reviews

19%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Peter Taylor (Kevin Bacon), his wife Bronny and their two children return to Los Angeles after a fun-filled vacation to the Grand Canyon. Strange events soon start to plague the family, including young son Michael's increasingly erratic behavior. The Taylors learn that Michael brought back some mysterious rocks that he discovered inside a cave. Unfortunately, something followed them home as the clan now find themselves in a battle with a supernatural force that preys on their worst fears.

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Critics Consensus

The Darkness clumsily relies on an assortment of genre tropes, leaving only the decidedly non-frightening ghost of superior horror films in its wake.

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Roxana Hadadi

Chesapeake Family Magazine

Aug 2, 2016

1/5

Blumhouse Productions releases one of its most forgettable films with The Darkness, a poorly thought out, thoroughly unsurprising horror movie.

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Steve Davis

Austin Chronicle

May 19, 2016

1.5/5

A film woefully lacking in true fright.

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Scott Tobias

Variety

May 14, 2016

McLean must have believed he was making John Cassavetes' "Poltergeist," but this odd fusion of psychodrama and supernatural hokum gets away from him.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Apr 15, 2022

0.5/4

Even supernatural horror enthusiasts wont find much to cling to here.

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Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

Jul 14, 2021

Just startingly, alarmingly inept

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Sep 30, 2020

1.5/5

As uninspired a genre entry as even its generic title suggests, The Darkness can't muster the ability to entertain as a campy misfire or a formulaic thriller.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 20, 2026

The Darkness = a *1* star Movie!

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 5, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Braylon P

@RT25954339 Sep 5, 2026

This movie is just absolute dogshit. I watched it yesterday just for fun, and boy was I disappointed! The movie started out OK, but after the title card, the movie kept getting more dumb as it went on. I’m a 16 year old with autism, but the autistic kid in this film is just a fucking stupid character. Kevin Bacon’s performance was probably the only other reason I watched the film in the first place. Literally the worst movie from Blumhouse Productions that I’ve ever watched! 2 and 1/2 stars is just me being generous.

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Alan A

@Alain312 Aug 6, 2026

Doesn't worth it. Not even one memorable scene.

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The W

@TheWagners Jul 4, 2026

Basic slop for a horror movie. Full of cliches and stereotypes.

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G L.

@RT09869090 May 27, 2026

Ignore the reviews for this movie, it's actually not that bad.

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Greg McLean

Director

Kevin Bacon

Peter Taylor

Radha Mitchell

Bronny Taylor

Lucy Fry

Stephanie Taylor

David Mazouz

Michael Taylor

Ming-Na Wen

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The Darkness: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Peter Taylor (Kevin Bacon), his wife Bronny and their two children return to Los Angeles after a fun-filled vacation to the Grand Canyon. Strange events soon start to plague the family, including young son Michael's increasingly erratic behavior. The Taylors learn that Michael brought back some mysterious rocks that he discovered inside a cave. Unfortunately, something followed them home as the clan now find themselves in a battle with a supernatural force that preys on their worst fears.

Director: Greg McLean
Producer: Jason Blum, Bianca Martino, Matthew Kaplan
Screenwriter: Shayne Armstrong, S.P. Krause, Greg McLean
Distributor: High Top Releasing
Production Co: Blumhouse Productions, Chapter One Films, Emu Creek Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Brief Sensuality|Some Disturbing Violence|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 13, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 24, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.7M
Runtime: 1h 33m

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