''The Dark Hours'' is a 2005 Canadian

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by Paul Fox and written by Wil Zmak.

Synopsis

A woman's mistakes come back to haunt her in a terrifying and very literal manner in this mind-bending thriller. Dr. Samantha Goodman (Kate Greenhouse) is a clinical psychiatrist who works with patients at an institution for the criminally insane. Things have not been rosy for Sam lately—she's been violently attacked by one of her patients, her marriage to husband David (Gordon Currie) is in bad shape, and she has an inoperable

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that's growing at an alarming rate. Sam needs a weekend away from the city, but what David has set up isn't especially relaxing for her—a short holiday at a remote cabin, where David will be editing his latest book with the help of Sam's younger, attractive sister Melody (Iris Graham). As Sam watches sparks begin to fly between her sister and her husband, Harlan Pyne (Aidan Devine) and his friend Adrian (Dov Tiefenbach) break into the cabin and announce their presence by shooting Sam's pet dog. Harlan is a convicted sex offender and murderer who was placed under Sam's care in the institution and wasn't happy with the experimental treatment he received; having escaped, he and Adrian have tracked her down and decide to take revenge by forcing Sam, Melody, and David to participate in a series of strange and humiliating games.

Cast

Release

''The Dark Hours'' debuted at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival on March 11, 2005. The film received a theatrical release on November 11, 2005, through Capri Releasing.

Reception

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, ''The Dark Hours'' received an approval rating of 62% based on thirteen reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. On

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, the film holds a rating of 63 out of 100 from five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Awards and Festivals

''The Dark Hours'' garnered recognition and awards from numerous international festivals, including Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival, Scotland's Dead By Dawn Film Festival, Austin's Fantastic Fest and the Sitges-Catelonian International Film Festival in Spain. Despite winning several international awards, ''The Dark Hours'' (like many Canadian films) received no U.S. distribution beyond a one-week run at the indie-friendly Pioneer cinema in

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'' editor Chris Anderson states that the film suffered more than any other film released that year from the inefficiencies of theatrical distribution. A furthe
review
on his blog confirmed his judgement that the film did not lack for quality at all, only for marketing and distribution. * 2005 Best Film – New York City Horror Film Festival * 2005 Best Film – Austin Fantastic Fest * 2005 Best Film – Puchon International Film Festival (Korea) * 2005 Best Film – Dead By Dawn Film Festival (Scotland) * 2005 Best Film – Eerie Horror Film Festival * 2005 Jury Award – Sitges-Catelonian International Film Festival * 2005 Best Horror Feature and Best Director – Phoenix International Horror & Sci-Fi Festival Invited to the Chicago International Film Festival, Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival (Montreal), Macabro Film Festival (Mexico City), German Fantasy Film Festival, Malaga Film Festival (Spain), and the Cardiff Film Festival

References

External links

*
The Dark Hours
at the

Canadian Film Centre The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded in 1988 by filmmaker Norman Jewison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally launched as a film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for ...

website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Hours, The 2005 films 2005 psychological thriller films Canadian Film Centre films Canadian psychological thriller films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Paul Fox 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films English-language thriller films