BY JACK RANSOM MARCH 26, 2024
One day there will be a genuinely great VOD horror gem that appears on the radar, but unfortunately today is not that day. What is especially most frustrating here is that there is genuine potential on display and the technical elements are a cut above the usual standard of lower budget horror. However, a nonsensical, repetitive and overstretched plot completely takes away from the interesting opening act and renders Lovely, Dark and Deep a bit of a chore.
SYNOPSIS
Lovely, Dark and Deep sees Lennon (Georgina Campbell), a new back-country ranger, travel alone through the dangerous wilderness, hoping to uncover the origins of a tragedy that has haunted her since she was a child.
REVIEW
I’m a sucker for creepy goings on in the woods in horror flicks, so the idea of an isolated, vast location being the subject of the spooky-natural psychological shenanigans was promising to me. The film starts off promising with Lennon brought into her new role and gradually encountering a variety of off-kilter and in distress civilians. The pacing here is slow yet sparks intrigue. However, at the halfway mark it descends into a trippy, repetitive, nonsensical slog that feels like the filmmakers simply didn’t haven enough plot or focus to justify the runtime.
That’s not to say this section is all bad. There is some suitably eerie imagery and the production value here is a step up from other similar low budget features. The on-location shooting is authentic and there is some effective cinematography and framing. It’s just a shame that the film lacks any genuine thrills or scares at all and unfortunately Georgina Campbell is not given a lot to work with here to help the viewer latch onto Campbell’s character.
Lovely, Dark, and Deep is a below average psychological horror that won’t leave any lasting impact. It starts off promising and has some strong imagery throughout, however a very lacklustre plot, confusing and repetitive second half and lack of investment in the lead character holds it back.
STAR RATING
