Get Acquainted - A DARK SONG

I’m not sure why I hadn’t heard of A DARK SONG (2016) before clicking on it on a streaming service last year. It’s a horror film with occult aspects, something I would have jumped on the minute I heard about it, but funnily enough, I hadn’t heard the horror community talk about it much.

If you don’t already know, A DARK SONG is a 2016 independent Irish horror film that was written and directed by Liam Gavin; it was his first outing, so I can’t see what he comes up with next. He truly understood the thesis of his story and he crafted visuals that matched it.

It stars Steve Oram and Catherine Walker, both of whom brought incredible gravity and presence to this film. As a two-person film, having such great chemistry between two actors is incredible. They play well off each other and their relationship is believable, all the way to tend.

I’ll leave the plot for you to find out for yourself, but I tend to find it more interesting when you go in blind. What I can tell you is that this is an atmospheric film, building layer upon layer of nuance and…

You know what? Let’s not do that, use fancy words that don’t really mean much. It won’t do any good here. It’s a film you have to see to truly understand.

This is a horror film that marries religion and the occult, belief and grief. It’s a slow burn that is worth every damn minute. There is pain, anger, betrayal, fear. There is an occult ritual that takes place. Belief in the supernatural/paranormal/occult exists from the outset.

What this horror film is not: a haunted house film. A demonic possession film. A found footage film. A Final Girl film. A film about the fight between good and evil, at least not in the traditional sense – you know, family or person is haunted, they’re scared, and then they find the will to find against the Evil Spirit and banishes it alone or with the help of an authority figure.

This is one movie you’re going to have to watch and decide for yourself what you think it is.

Here’s the trailer:

A DARK SONG is available on all streaming platforms.

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