This is a rather convoluted picture, without it being a too explanatory film. It seems simple enough, a small town is haunted by a supposed killer who abducts young women. An art buyer for the Renaissance Gallery discovers an artist of great talent in a second hand store and soon the gallery owner and her protégé are visiting town to meet with him. He turns out to be a fellow who hasn’t spoken since age ten when he saw his father murder his mother at sea, before killing himself. He was adrift for a full week and came away from the experience struck dumb (he had a very good relationship with his mother, an artist).

Anyway, the gallery owner, Lacy, and the artist, Sean, get it on. However, the town’s sheriff and his father don’t like strangers around and try to warn her off. However, she stays and finally coaxes a few words from Sean before she heads back to Seattle. Then her protégé comes back and gets captured by the killer (plus stripped and bound, of course) and the deadly conclusion and mastermind are revealed. The story is a little deeper, but you get the picture.

While giving some explanations, there isn’t enough information to warrant the actions of people in the town, nor the explanation for the killer when he or she is finally unearthed. There are just too many overdrawn caricatures of small town folk, too much classical opera music and poetry plus heavy and obvious use of the smoke machine in this small town, named (get this) Dark Hollow. While it has its pluses, this film is little more than daytime telly fodder (but for the gratuitous nude and sex scenes). Eric Roberts as artist Sean is wooden, moreso without dialogue, and when he does speak there is far too much quoted poetry and prose that doesn’t suit the film. Rod Steiger is supposed to be menacing, but is actually just old looking and limp and about the only good is the performance from Catherine Oxenberg in the role of gallery owner Lacy. She plays her part with just the right amount of ‘what-am-I-doing-here?’ that fits with her character visiting Dark Hollow, but I think I could detect her saying it to herself as well. Pretty average and a cheap rental if anything.

Picture wise, the film starts with a little grain and it reappears occasionally throughout the movie. The cold and dark atmosphere has been helped along by a subtle blue filter at times which looks okay, as do the majority of the colours used here. Blacks look natural enough, and shadow detail is mostly alright. There is of course the overused smoke/fog machine that doesn’t help anything, plus there are bouts of poor continuity (a paintbrush is yellow then red then yellow again, a gun sits next to a brandy glass, though the dude picked up the brandy last shot, the moon is full for days on end with creepy cloud floating across it etc.) Artefact-wise, there are a few, but they don’t bother anyone really and as to flesh tones these are all natural looking as well.

Musically the film is about as clichéd as they come, with bouts of opera assailing us at every given opportunity (which is surprisingly often). Mostly the regular score is okay though, as it is scary or askew or creepy or tense as required. It has been used once or twice as what I call a ‘leap’ sound effect; this is when it comes in very hard and sharp when something unexpected happens and is supposed to scare you (make you leap). In the instances they try this it just looks and sounds stupid, however.

Dialogue is all fine and easily understood, though the poetry and quotes get a bit much by film’s end. Ms Oxenberg has the best lines and thankfully has the ability to deliver them, as these are the diamonds among the dirt of this film. The remaining unmentioned sound effects are all fairly okay, although of a little bit stock calibre.

Filmographies are included on the four major players of the piece as extras and are helpful regarding any mild recognition of faces, however, most of these folks are TV movie people and may not be so easily recognised.

Overall this is thankfully a rental, as I don’t think the storytelling is as clever as they think it is and may put people off. The audience can’t put two and two together if they don’t have one of the twos, and this film does skimp on some vital information to help us build bridges. While performances are mostly okay, Catherine Oxenberg and Ellina McCormick as her protégé Polly are the highlights of the piece, keeping reality in check in this very badly drawn and almost comical small town cliché. Wait for cheap and desperate night at the local.