A lonely young woman works at a large mansion in New York that has a dark history. Bored and left to her own devices for extended periods of time, her violent descent into madness.
An unconventionally conceived workplace horror movie and surreal home invasion thriller. But more impressively visual than visceral, as cityscape craft upstages storytelling, conceding to gore that ultimately loses its way in search of character depth.
Using the simplest of settings - and familiar genre devices - Mickey Keating's horror outing "Darling" manages to conjure an effectively unsettling miasma.
Thanks to excellent work from Carter, creepy and big-eyed innocent as required and strong throughout the 75-minute film, Darling holds its own as a satisfyingly deliberate-moving thriller.
Keating keeps his cards close, a common conceit of the films he's referencing: Repulsion, Rosemary's Baby, The Innocents, Persona, just to name a few. Does he succeed? You'd better believe it.
