Dark Nature (2022)

Good morning, House of Madness dwellers:

When it comes down to being in my good books, just be yourself and don't pretend to be something you're not. If I ask what you do for a living and you tell me you're an artist, when in reality you make sandwiches at Subway, that's not cool; I'm not judging anyone on what they do as a job is a job, but don't sugarcoat it with eight layers of glucose and then try to sell me toothpaste is all I'm saying. Bragging to me about how you just bought a house in the country when in reality you're renting a condo downtown and "Canada is a country" isn't going to sit well with me the next time you tell me a story, ya know? Stuffing your shirt full of tube socks may sound like you got a boob job, but when a husband gets excited about a simple kiss goodnight, it's just plain mean. I'm not entirely sure just what "Dark Nature" was trying to pull, but the end result left me less disappointed, and more angry.

Things kick off with Joy (Hannah Emily Anderson) making a surprise dinner for her boyfriend Derek (Daniel Smith Arnold) while he's off at work. When he eventually arrives home, it's quite obvious that this guy is about as much fun as a bag full of thumbtacks, and twice as dangerous. What starts off as a rocky but pleasant evening turns into Joy barricading herself in her bathroom after almost being choked to death, while Derek attempts to shoulder his way in with brute force. When the dust settles, Joy's dog is dead, Joy is mortified, and Derek is about as sorry as a bookie after you put your entire life savings on the Washington Generals. 

Months pass, and as Joy is trying her best to heal, she's invited on a camping retreat by her bestie Carmen (Madison Walsh) with fellow trauma victim Shaina (Roseanne Supernault) and their spiritual leader Dr. Dunley (Kyra Harper). As the group heads out into the wilderness, it becomes quickly apparent that Joy is still very much traumatized by her recent encounter with Derek; so much so, that she swears she sees him in the forest, and can hear his Zippo lighter clicking away in the breeze. The group quickly dismisses Joy's claims as being non-existent and paranoid delusions, but can't quite escape the feeling that they're being watched and almost even stalked as they venture deeper into the woods. 

Sound like an interesting premise? Sure. Is it? No. Why? With a runtime of 85 minutes, everything above happens in the first 60, and then all of the sudden the film throws a curveball so out there, that Jose Canseco wouldn't even swing at it. We go from psychological trauma to a monster living in a cave that wants nothing but blood, and will stop at nothing to get it. While the film attempts to present the monster as their past traumas, it doesn't explain the fact that this is actually happening, and three of the group are dead whilst two of them are fighting for their lives to get back to their vehicle miles away. The last 25 minutes feel almost like an impostor got a hold of the script, decided they wanted to make a tribute to the film "The Descent", and then carved out a ridiculous sub-plot for their own entertainment. The next time you go camping, at least you won't have to worry about any of the 'horrors' from this film, unless you're scared of bad plot twists and silly monsters.

Madness Meter: 3.7/10

NB