Whilst the plot owes a huge debt of inspiration to THE WICKER MAN (except the fertility "sun-worshipping" cult is relocated to Wales from a Scottish island, and a gang of poorly-dressed gypsies and Druid weirdos instead), and whilst it can't hope to equal that 1973 classic, DARKLANDS is a pretty good thriller for the modern horror genre which keeps its feet firmly on the ground. Due to the low budget, there are no elaborate special effects sequences or fancy action scenarios - instead, just a gritty, depressive feel to the film and plenty of suspense at the same time, especially towards the last half an hour.
The biggest flaw this film has is its predictability - at all stages there's a "seen it all before" kind of feel. Plot twists involving friendly characters turning out to be bad guys are easy to spot and incredibly obvious, and the downbeat outcome, whilst short, and with maximum horror, also comes as no surprise to seasoned horror fans who may have seen THE WICKER MAN. Ironically, the sequences showing the Druid revellers dancing with chainsaws and the alike aren't really horrific or disturbing at all, just silly, and the few gore scenes are clumsy and mishandled (don't even get me started on that silly drug-induced sexual encounter with the woman in the red robe). Where DARKLANDS is at its most effective is in the quieter conspiracy-type moments as the lead character of Frazer Truick investigates mysterious happenings and has run-ins with various unsavoury characters, and the finale in which he gradually comes to realise that he's caught in one huge trap.
Craig Fairbrass may not be everyone's choice for such a leading role, but to be fair he acts more here than his usual hardman action hero-type role requires. His no-frills everyman-style acting works well, giving the film a likable and dependable lead. The good supporting cast includes Rowena King as a mysterious girlfriend, Jon Finch (FRENZY) as a mysterious councillor and plenty more suspicious faces. The end result is that DARKLANDS is a familiar film which is easily missed - but for fans looking for serious hard-edged horror with no easy answers, it may be worth a look. It is unsatisfying, and you feel like something is missing, but it stands unique as one of the few (only?) Welsh-set horror films out there.
The biggest flaw this film has is its predictability - at all stages there's a "seen it all before" kind of feel. Plot twists involving friendly characters turning out to be bad guys are easy to spot and incredibly obvious, and the downbeat outcome, whilst short, and with maximum horror, also comes as no surprise to seasoned horror fans who may have seen THE WICKER MAN. Ironically, the sequences showing the Druid revellers dancing with chainsaws and the alike aren't really horrific or disturbing at all, just silly, and the few gore scenes are clumsy and mishandled (don't even get me started on that silly drug-induced sexual encounter with the woman in the red robe). Where DARKLANDS is at its most effective is in the quieter conspiracy-type moments as the lead character of Frazer Truick investigates mysterious happenings and has run-ins with various unsavoury characters, and the finale in which he gradually comes to realise that he's caught in one huge trap.
Craig Fairbrass may not be everyone's choice for such a leading role, but to be fair he acts more here than his usual hardman action hero-type role requires. His no-frills everyman-style acting works well, giving the film a likable and dependable lead. The good supporting cast includes Rowena King as a mysterious girlfriend, Jon Finch (FRENZY) as a mysterious councillor and plenty more suspicious faces. The end result is that DARKLANDS is a familiar film which is easily missed - but for fans looking for serious hard-edged horror with no easy answers, it may be worth a look. It is unsatisfying, and you feel like something is missing, but it stands unique as one of the few (only?) Welsh-set horror films out there.