PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Found footage movies have become a dime a dozen in the same rank as the zombie explosion. Several stand out, but most just fade into repetition. It’s a tricky subgenre because you can do only so much. Found footage also blurs the line between reality and imagination, and most times, they don’t do it interestingly. The Watts Brothers turned the found footage repetition into chaos. Their new film Black Daruma, will find its way into your nightmares. Such a simple concept changed my mood and for the first time, a movie gave me an anxiety attack.
Synopsis
Ryan (Richard Galloway) is jobless and desperate. While out shopping he comes across “Mr. Lucky” a rare black Daruma which offers good fortune to its owner, as long as they abide by the rules. Ryan becomes obsessed with the rules after his first streak of luck, however; his parter Louise (Louise O’Leary) is not fond of the idea and tries to figure out Ryans obsession. Through Mr. Lucky’s eyes, we watch Ryan detach from reality, and become something else.
The Legend Comes Alive
Back Daruma turns the tables on found footage and we see the world through Mr. Lucky’s eyes. To me, this made the movie that much creepier, like a living blog of someone going mad. The ultimate “fly on the wall” Black Daruma is such a simple movie, however, it is also very complex in its own way. The scenery rarely leaves Ryan and Louise’s home. However; the film depends on impending doom to reach inside you. The film tugs at your safety blanket and you are forced to witness everything that makes you feel awkward or even unsafe.
What the film implies is that we aren’t supposed to know what’s going to happen next, and we don’t. A seemingly simple story can go any way it wants. You the viewer are called upon to piece together what is going on. Black Daruma sells itself very well. What starts as almost comedic, Black Daruma fools you, and you land in the spider web. The film has a generally creepy tone, and that got under my skin. I am well seasoned in horror, I thought I had seen it all. I wasn’t prepared for several scenes in this film. It seems so petty, but they can warp your mind in any way they want.
In The End
I thoroughly enjoyed Black Daruma. It’s a basic concept and a creepy story. The film reached into my nerves and made me feel a part of the situation. Looking through the eyes of a mini monster is something completely new to me. Another selling point is that the movie is based in the UK and I normally find UK-based horror to be dull and pointless. I can eat up my personal preference in this film because in all honesty, it could be Swedish and it would reach me the same way.
Black Durama takes us to a place that is brightly lit and bubbly. It then takes that place and flips the table. In this film, even the daytime is pretty terrifying. Nothing scary even has to happen. It’s the tone and the chaotic moments that kept me interested. I would suggest this movie to anyone, take what is barely over an hour long and see how much magic the Watts Brothers pulled off.
You can stream the movie free on FoundTV by clicking here. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
