Written and directed by Douglas Forrester in his feature length directorial and writing debut, Carry the Darkness encapsulates a nostalgic time for me, I look back on the 1990s fondly, so a horror set in 1993 appealed, even if by dealing with the issues of moral panics in America (in this case the real-life Satanic panic), it wasn't one whose coming of age story resonated with me. Adding to this small town horror of a social outcast are elements of the supernatural, though these never dominated the film, maybe to the film's discredit?
Travis (Joel Meyers - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Broadway stage play) is an angst ridden teenager, who plays up the role of the rebellious teen outsider that the townsfolk have painted him as. Bitter at life in general, him and his unexpected best friend, the studious Jordan (Jaden Gant), spend their free time looking for ways to get high; as a means to escape from the insular community they are a part of. While exploring an abandoned building out in the woods (looking for a new place to hang-out when taking drugs), Travis discovers a strange room that feels like it shouldn't be there. While there, he encounters a doppelganger of himself, who promises with a corrupted voice that he can give Travis the power to right the perceived wrong he feels he has been dealt in life. When he decides that he doesn't want the assistance of this being, it turns its attention to his new friend, and potential love interest; troubled Stacey (Helen Laser - In Sound Mind video game voicework), seeing that she would be more open to its sinister offer.
Did I enjoy Carry the Darkness? Yes I did, even with a somewhat pathetic protagonist. He was fun to watch; sure he is a walking parody of an angsty teen, complete with long black coat, Satanic T-shirts and his brooding persona, but he wasn't entirely unlikeable. There was something of the poser to him, hiding his fear of not knowing his place in the world by acting like the ultimate rebel. This became a little bit endearing, with the sense that he is a good person under this act. He treats his best friend well, and despite arguments with his mother he still is shown to respect her, and the people he does act out against deserve it in one way or another. What Travis, Jordan and Stacey have in common is that their teenage characters are played by actors obviously a little older than teens. Meyers covers this up with his wild eyed stares and jittery movements, making Travis seem like a fabricated character rather than a believable one, or at least one who has drank far too much coffee.
Splitting the story, there is also a subplot about the local law enforcement investigating a series of strange murders in the area, with them eager to place the blame at Travis' feet without having proof. In this part, Hollis Fox plays the Fox Mulder coded Detective Jillian Carter; the sole responsible adult to suspect a more supernatural explanation for what is going on.
Those supernatural elements are not heavy, relegated to key scenes. This led to feelings that not much was really going on horror-wise, two thirds drama, one third horror. Scenes with the doppelganger looked great, fitting into the dark and grimy locations it resided at. This being didn't really do much more than talk, and was used sparingly. The core story felt far more coming of age. Travis having recently experienced the freedom of being able to drive his mother's car, finding a love interest in the equally angst filled Stacey (who comes across as a more authentic rebel), and recurring encounters with the high school jocks who are not his biggest fans. The supernatural story is left to the viewer to decipher and felt a little ill-developed, suggestions the being returns in IT fashion every 30 years, and that it lives in a type of dimension made up of the subconscious memories of its victims, but never really explained. Then, as effective as the ending felt, I can't say I completely knew what was happening during it.
Carry the Darkness leans heavily into its early 90s setting, and having the story set to the backdrop of a moral panic (that is reflected in interviews and on screen news stories), brought things together well. I would have liked for the horror part of the movie to be more front and centre. As key as it undeniably was, I was always left wanting more than what was shown. Carry the Darkness came to horror streaming platform BloodStream on August 14th, which is to be followed by a multi-platform rollout from The Horror Collective.
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