Although I
commend the way in which Dark Touch
fearlessly addresses real-life trauma within the context of a horror film, the
subject matter is often too tragic to mix with elements of fantasy. As a
result, the elements of spectacle are weighed down and all real-world tragedy
that inspired the storyline seems trivialized by the supernatural aspects. As
clever as Dark Touch may be on an
intellectual level, it inevitably feels emotional manipulative with such a
social abhorrent subplot.
Dark Touch follows a clearly traumatized
11-year-old girl named Neve. After an inexplicable tragedy occurs in her home,
both of her parents are brutally murdered and her infant brother is
accidentally smothered as Neve attempts to escape the paranormal attacks. As
authorities attempt to discover the details behind the attacks, Neve is moved
in with family friends. Only a kind-hearted social worker begins to see the
signs of an abused child in Neve, and when further paranormal occurrences
continue it becomes clearer that this abuse was the catalyst for her parent’s
death.
The one kindness
from writer/director Marina De Van is the subtlety with which the abuse towards
Neve is shown, though this does not help from weighing down the genre film with
incredibly unpleasant social issues. Though it certainly has impact, I might
have preferred that the storyline refrained from including sexual abuse against
the 11-year-old out of the narrative. It seems to me that the physical abuse
would have been effective enough, and having the parents be joined in the act
of the atrocious abuse is more than a little difficult to understand or
believe. Though the issues have real social relevance, they feel manipulative
in such a contrived scenario. Where Dark
Touch is most effective is in the brutality of the paranormal attacks,
making this something of a child-abuse revenge film. In other words, this plays
like a prepubescent take on Carrie.
The DVD includes
a theatrical trailer.
Entertainment Value:
5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Disc Features: 1/10
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