Director: Andrew P. Jones

Cast: Zachary Mooren, Linara Washington, Peter Mayer

Production Company: Darkness Reigns Films

Runtime: 78 minutes

What would it take to prove to you that the supernatural is real? You’d probably want to see some kind of hard evidence. Maybe something like an irrefutable video that captures ghostly apparitions. Director Andrew P. Jones conjures his own kind of proof in Darkness Reigns (2017).

In the movie, a film crew is attacked by a real demon while on the set of a horror movie. The survivors soon find themselves trapped in a haunted hotel that once served as their location. Will they find a way to escape, or will they fall to the will of the dark forces around them?

Darkness Reigns is from the director of Haunting of Cellblock 11 (2014), and was shot in the style of a behind-the-scenes documentary. I wouldn’t call it a found footage film, but it does have some similarities to that particular horror tradition.

Linara Washington from Monster Tails (2015) is Vanessa in the movie. She’s a makeup artist who’s definitely out of her element once the paranormal events begin. Zachary Mooren is perfect in the role of Daniel Whittaker, the man responsible for capturing the experience on film.

Peter Mayer from Exorcist House of Evil (2016) plays Sidney, the technical advisor for the movie within the movie. He’s got a fantastic voice and is very convincing as a psychic medium. His interview footage remarkably sets the mood for all the supernatural events to come.

Casper Van Dien from Starship Troopers (1997), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Dracula 3000 (2004), and Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf (2015) makes an appearance in the movie as himself. His presence really helps to make you believe the characters are on an actual movie set.

Vanessa Leinani from Bloodwine (2008) and Jennifer Wenger from Tales of Halloween (2015) also appear in significant supporting roles.

The special effects are simply fantastic. Some of them are mind-blowing in their complexity, like a perfectly executed magic trick. Several shots involving mirrors are particularly astonishing. This movie has a lot going for it, but the effects really stand out as a high point for me.

Darkness Reigns succeeds at creating stunning visual illusions while setting a spooky atmosphere. This is one you won’t want to miss…

– John Migliore

For more information on the film, check out the links below…

Official Trailer

IMDb Page

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