Marcus (Paul Flannery) has mental issues and is on parole apparently for hurting his girlfriend Sara (Kendra Carelli). As a child, he displayed psychic abilities. His father experimented with people who had abilities and had produced a serum which was to enhance their psychic ability. Patient 142 was given the drug and a demon or something came out of his mouth.

For therapy, he returns to his parents' cabin in order to restore his memory and regain his sanity. He discovers clues from his past and enters the next stop. The Twilight Zone.

This was basically one man in a cabin film once it got going. The hallucinations, demons, time perception all worked for one confusing mess and ending. I liked the scares and film even though few people did. The film really wasn't that confusing, they explain what is going on.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity

I did not end up liking this movie. It did get better in the second half but it was hard making it there. There is not a lot of new ground in this one. The acting is solid but it hinges on the main character and he goes for long stretches without saying anything. I like a lot of imagery, but this was hard to follow sometimes.

The best part was the monster. It was cool looking and menacing. It just wasn't in the movie a lot and I don't even really know if it is more than a hallucination anyway. Still, I liked it.

Watch this one if there isn't anything else or if you really like psychological thrills.

The story mixes mysticism and science together for a supernatural horror show. There is a more than subtle nod to 80's cult horror, most notably 'Evil Dead'. Keith does offer a bit more creativity and originality in his approach. "The Dark Within", compared to other more recent retro horror homages, is slightly more experimental. Blending both the psuedo science of psychic ability manipulation and the more sinister exploration of the demonic essence, the film does establish a clear, interesting storyline.

All that being said, "The Dark Within" does have some flaws. For one thing the platform of experimenting with psychic abilities isn't developed strong enough to sell the plot point, and the whole struggle to reconcile ones past while battling internal demons drags out a little too long. In the film's defense despite the sluggish start, "The Dark Within" does finally get there about 45 minutes into it.

The horror elements are straight up, cool atmospheric tricks. The shock moments work, the CGI elements are quality displays that sell the whole demonic haunting aspects, and the creature design is awesome and creepy. The cinematography talents and shadowing really frame "The Dark Within" in a traditional 80's VHS horror style. And it all really kicks in around that 45 minute mark. I did find the choices for ending the film a bit cheap, but it creates an easy way of questioning the truth of the events we just saw.