Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

A Major Disappointment

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I know Dark Reel has been getting some negative reviews but I think some of them are a little harsh. I know it has it's faults but it is still a solid film that does give some nice scenes and good acting. Edward Furlong plays Adam Waltz, a horror movie buff who has been dumped by his girlfriend who he followed from Virginia to Los Angeles. He wins a contest, the prize being a walk-on role in Pirate Wench, a schlocky movie being made by Connor Pritchett the head of the studio played by Lance Henriksen. Things become complicated by several murders on set which throws the film into disarray and soon Adam's role become larger and larger as the cast becomes smaller.Tony Todd as Detective Shields and his partner, Detective LaRule played by Rena Riffel are both good in their roles, but it is Lance Henriksen who really carries it. Tiffany Shepis as the lead actress, Cassie Blue is great. She shows some real personality in a role that could easily have become just another paycheck part. Edward Furlong is likable but could have been a little stronger in the role of a horror movie fan who finds himself in a real-life horror movie complete with ghosts and murders galore.Alexandra Holden as Scarlett May, the 1950's actress that is murdered at the very beginning of the movie and who comes back via her image on film stock is quite good.Jeffrey Vincent Parise as Derek Deeds the rude director and Jake Grace as the onion eating lead actor Rhett Johnson are a lot of fun to watch.Emmanuel Xuereb as Harris Briggs, the head of the creative department is very good and rather overshadows Edward Furlong.The film is not without its faults. I liked the musical score and the premise of the story, a murdered actress comes back to try and warn Adam about the murders that are being committed. The Opening scenes with Scarlett May being dismembered in front of the movie cameras is also one of the best opening scenes in any horror movie. But the movie drags a little and at times, the characters could be annoying. Still not a bad film if you have nothing else to do.

The first scene of the film grabs your attention; a man with no name who looks like a throw back from the 40's enters a bar and makes small talk with a damsel in distress. He worms his way into her heart and into his warehouse where he is directing her into her grave. The rest of the film is forced especially the acting except for the actor, Jeffrey Vincent Parise, who adds some life to this dead dud. Edward Furlong looks like he has been on a bender and needs to take a time out. Their is too much talking and not enough killing. I mean, come on, this is a horror film not a soap opera! Honestly, there is nothing to recall about this film. I did use the fast forward button a lot. Don't waste your time and effort.

Thats Really A big big big flop. Acting is really awful you will feel like you are watching a comedy music is bad the killer looks so funny will make you laugh you will regret 2 hours of your life you wasted watching this movie like what i feel now that i'm wasting 10 minutes writing this post :) the only good scene in the movie is the first one this scene makes you feel like you are going to watch an amazing movie the movie depends on two bloody scenes and thats it. the funny thing is the scene when the producer was talking with an actor and he said "We are making money here who gives a s!!t about performance" it was like he is talking really about the movie it self :)

Sometime in the 1950s, struggling actress Scarlett May (Alexandra Holden) meets a talent scout from Spotlight National Films, who asks her if she'd like to do a screen test for their studio. She's lured to a warehouse and ends up starring in a snuff film instead, getting strangled and then dismembered before the cameras. 53 years later, Spotlight National is still an operating studio, churning out B-movie titles such as "Gnome Killer," "Nightmare Slasher" and "Snakes on a Crane." Horror fanboy Adam Waltz (Edward Furlong - looking a bit rough and pudgy here), who has just followed his bitchy débutante ex-girlfriend all the way from Virginia to Los Angeles, wins a one-line walk-on roll in the studio's latest effort "The Pirate Wench," where he quickly becomes affiliated with the (mostly self-absorbed) cast of crew. Soon after, a masked killer starts bumping people off who are in some way affiliated with the studio. Who is doing it? Why are they doing it? And how is this connected to the 1950s slaying? This list of possible suspects and red herrings is about a mile long, but thankfully the majority of actors they cast do a pretty good job and are fun to watch. Lance Henriksen gives a typically strong showing as troubled studio head honcho Connor Pritchett, who equates the murder of a starlet with free publicity. Tiffany Shepis gives a very appealing performance as friendly horror movie queen Cassie Blue, and even somehow manages to have some decent romantic chemistry with her co-star. Tony Todd is fine as an intrusive detective (but unfortunately gets much of this film's worst dialogue), as are Emmanuel Xuereb as the studio's head of creative development and Jeffrey Vincent Parise as an arrogant and pretentious director. There's also veteran character actor Tracey Walter as an obnoxious tabloid journalist, Rena Riffel as Todd's partner, Whitby ("The Dream Child") Hertford, Mercedes McNab (from the TV shows "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and some other familiar faces. Unfortunately, attempts at making some of these side characters quirky and original come off as obvious and embarrassing much of the time, such as a secretary who annoyingly mimics everything her boss says, a foul-mouthed sound man who screams all of his dialogue and a lead actor who has bad breath because of his obsessive onion eating.The flaws certainly don't stop there. Toward the end (huge spoiler here so skip to the next paragraph if you don't wanna hear this) the film becomes sloppy and the revelation of the killer's identity is basically a huge cheat. While the 1950s killer is pretty obvious early on, the current killer (predictably the son of Scarlett May) is played by an actor who looks like he's about 35, yet is playing a character who is 53 or 54 years old. The scenes parodying low-budget horror/exploitation film-making aren't clever or funny enough to really add anything of value to this film. Another aspect that I didn't think really worked is how the ghost of Scarlett returns to try to help Furlong's character uncover the killer. Her image superimposed over the Pirate film footage looked hokey and wasn't even really necessary.So while this is a highly flawed film (particularly in regards to the screenplay and grating comedy elements), it still managed to keep my interest for the most part thanks to some nice directorial touches, a pretty good Badalamenti-inspired music score and a decent cast. Also good are the cinematography and the killer's mask/disguise. Though there is a little blood/gore (mainly at the end) and nudity, there probably won't be nearly enough of either to please exploitation movie fans. The opening sequence, which was shot in black-and-white, is stylish and very well done, is the best scene in the entire movie, and there's generally enough good here to make me want to see what else director Josh Eisenstadt may have up his sleeve.