Three different video/DVD covers for The Dark – the centre picture is on the cover of the DVD version
that I own (© Craig Pryce/Lightshow Communications – reproduced
here on a strictly non-commercial Fair Use basis for educational/review
purposes only)
On 29 November 2019, I watched a
long-anticipated cryptozoology-themed movie, The Dark (aka The Relic
aka The God Rat – see later),
originally released in Italy in 1993. Directed by Craig Pryce, it stars Stephen
McHattie as a leather-jacketed, motorbike-riding cryptozoologist (sounds
familiar??) named Gary 'Hunter' Henderson. He is seeking a mysterious,
scientifically-undescribed subterranean beast akin to a giant carnivorous
rodent that excavates huge tunnels underneath a graveyard, feeds upon
recently-interred corpses, and secretes a slimy substance that has miraculous,
swift-acting healing properties. Filmed in Canada, this unusual movie also
stars Neve Campbell, making her big-screen debut, as Hunter's girlfriend Jesse
Donovan.
The monster is only seen in brief
glimpses, and then only its toothy long-jawed head and long-clawed forepaws for
the most part. The plot is fairly pedestrian - a good cryptozoologist seeking
to study and preserve the creature for its taxonomic significance as an
apparent prehistoric survivor and also for its slime's potentially immense
medicinal benefits vs a bad vengeful ex-cop relentlessly seeking to slay it in
revenge for its self-defence killing of his police partner when he was still on
the force.
However, what has always intrigued me
about this movie, which had particularly spurred me on for so long to seek it
out on DVD (no easy matter!) and view it, was that its cryptid subject is more
than a little reminiscent of a bona fide mystery beast. Reported from Scotland,
this latter cryptid is known as the earth hound, and is indeed said to frequent
graveyards and devour buried corpses. My book Mysteries of Planet Earth (1999)
was the first crypto-book to investigate and document the earth hound, but if
you click here
you can access a ShukerNature blog article of mine concerning this fascinating
mystery beast.
The DVD of The Dark that I own actually has a German-language cover (see
centre picture in the trio of photographs opening this present blog post), on
which this movie is entitled The Relic
(in English) and The God Rat (in
German), but the movie that plays on the DVD disc itself is the original
English version and is entitled in its opening credits as The Dark.
Incidentally, this present movie should
not be confused – but often is – with another cryptozoology-themed film also
entitled The Relic. Directed by Peter
Hyams and originally released in 1997, its very different plot concerns a
monstrous entity inadvertently transported back to the USA from South America,
which duly runs amok in Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. I have this
movie on DVD too, but haven't watched it yet – be sure that once I do, however,
I shall be duly reviewing here on Shuker In MovieLand!
Last, but by no means least, The Dark is currently available (as of
27 July 2020 anyway) to watch in its entirety free of charge on YouTube (click here to do so). Consequently,
if you're a fan of monster movies with a cryptozoology theme like I am, I
strongly recommend that you make the most of this golden opportunity to watch
this otherwise difficult-to-find movie while you can, in case it is subsequently deleted from YT.
And to view a complete listing of all of my
Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly
accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE!
Reconstruction of the likely appearance in life of the mysterious earth hound as based upon alleged eyewitness descriptions (© William M. Rebsamen)
Surprisingly never heard of it.
ReplyDeleteHopefully will search on Ebay for a copy next week.
My cup of tea!
If you only want to view it, rather than purchasing the DVD you can at present watch it for free on YouTube, using the clickable link included by me in my review's final paragraph.
Delete