BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Theo Robertson Two young English girls Jane and Cathy enjoy a cycling trip across France . Stopping at a secluded spot the two girls get in to an argument leading Jane to leave Cathy alone . After hearing from the manageress of a nearby café that the road is dangerous Jane returns only to find Cathy has disappeared This is one of these movies that you remember seeing years ago for the very first time thinking it's a great movie only to be disappointed after seeing it again . The obvious reason for this is because it builds up an air of mystery as to what's happened to Cathy then when it is revealed you're left thinking who the bad guy behind it is . Co-written by Brian Clemens who turned THE AVENGERS from straight laced thriller in to psychedelic insanity and Terry Nation who gave the Universe Daleks , Davros and BLAKES 7 you might expect the story to have a bit more flourish or excitement but this isn't the thinking behind it and does work very well because of thisLet me explain this by stating there's no monsters in the Universe apart from the very human ones that inhabit this planet . It would be all too easy for the production team to put a lot of action and excitement in to but everything plays out in a very realistic manner . Cathy finding herself alone in a lonely secluded spot and knowing there is an unseen and mortal menace a few feet away in the bushes is more chilling than most films featuring werewolves or alien spaceships and it's this melding of menace and the mundane that makes this movie stick in the memoryAnother interesting point is that Jane can speak some French but it's the kind of phrasebook French that is required for ordering a drink in the café but not enough to hold abstract conversations such as " Excuse miss but this stretch of road is full of dangers and it's a very bad idea if your friend is sunbathing and she's drying her underwear on a bush " and it makes a nice change that people suddenly don't speak English because of plot contrivances . Interesting too that you can't accuse the film of Little Englander xenophobia since apart from Jane and Cathy the only other English character is a schoolmistress who comes across as a blatant lesbian who is every bit as creepy as the French male characters One rather distasteful point about the film that might make it rather dated is that the two English girls are very skimply dressed . Of course this might not mean anything at all but one wonders how many men would misinterpreted this as meaning " they're up for it " and it's not a film you would recommend to feminists , not unless you're reinforcing the opinion that all men are rapists and there doesn't seem to be any irony to the sexually provocative - unconscious or otherwise - mannerism of the two young women Despite this flaw AND SOON THE DARKNESS is a tense and exciting mystery thriller made on the cheap but made so well it's very compelling first time you see it . The downside to all this is that it's a film that's only produced to be seen once by the audience . But how many expensive Hollywood blockbusters have you seen that don't even deserve to be seen once ?

BloedEnMelk Even though I have not seen 'And Soon the Darkness' before, it still brings on a sentimental feeling to me. It's not at all a sentimental movie but it is the slow pace, the suspense ánd the music composed by Laurie Johnson (The Avengers) that give me sort of a déjà-vu feeling.The story is not a complex one. It's about two women going for a cycling holiday in France. They get an argument and decide to split up for the moment. One of them then disappears, and the other goes looking for her.Though AStD reminds me of (the original Dutch) 'The Vanishing', unfortunately the plot doesn't have that strength. Still, it's a decent thriller and a mystery until the very end. It is slow, but has enough moments to keep it going. The French spoken bits are not translated which makes us much relate to Jane. Pretty much all characters have their weirdness, but always within limits. This makes sure that it is all a believable scenario. The story is one that could easily happen, it is never outside of the feeling of reality. And that is what gives it it's fairly creepy atmosphere. What would you do in Jane's place?AStD is a movie which you could easily find boring. There is not much real action, but in a way, that is a good thing. It's a movie you should place and value within it's time. I've read that there was a remake made in 2010, and though I haven't watched it, what I read about it is that it is made more towards this age, with scenes of torture. There is nothing of such kind in the original one, and though I can appreciate and deal with highly violent movies, it is just not what AStD needs. Instead; it is the lack of it which is a good thing, as it all comes down to good fashioned strong suspense. It leaves more to your imagination. Suspense is something the British were very good at in the 70's, and though there are better UK suspense movies, AStD is certainly not the worst.They just don't make 'm like this anymore.

Noirdame79 As a fan of classic horror (including that of the 70s part of the genre) as well as a fan of Pamela Franklin, I had been wanting to see this film for several years and finally got a DVD copy. Robert Fuest, who directed another favorite of mine, "Wuthering Heights" (1970), did a masterful job at conveying the quiet menace and isolated feeling of dread. Two young British nurses, Jane (Franklin), and Cathy (Michele Dotrice, daughter of Roy, sister of Karen), are on a bicycling holiday in rural France, where, unbeknownst to them, a murder of young woman tourist took place a few years before. The assailant was never caught. They are blissfully ignorant of this fact, and a mysterious young man, Paul (Hungarian actor Sandor Eles) catches Cathy's eye when the girls make a stop at a small cafe. Of course, it becomes apparent to the viewers that Paul knows more about the murder than he lets on. He shadows the girls for a while, even visits the cemetery where the unfortunate victim is buried. As to whether or not this is a deliberate red herring or not is revealed as the story progresses.Jane and Cathy make another stop on the side of the road several miles down from the cafe and rest for a while on the edge of some pretty thick woods. They get into an argument and Jane leaves in a huff, while Cathy finds herself vulnerable to possibly the perpetrator of the aforementioned crime, in a frightening scene that lets one imagine the terror. After a little time has passed, Jane begins to grow concerned for her friend and regrets leaving Cathy alone. However, she is nowhere to be found. The locals seem to know something but as they don't seem to speak English and Jane knows very little French, her confusion and apprehension becomes that of the audience as well. The local British schoolteacher (Clare Kelly) believes that the killer was also a tourist. Paul claims to have worked on the case and offers to help Jane, but her suspicions and his sketchy behavior cause our young heroine to flee from him and try to get assistance elsewhere. The title of the movie is actually very appropriate, despite the fact that the story takes place in broad daylight. The fact that the later the day grows, the darker it will eventually get, signalling doom and possible death. There is also no violence or blood until the climax. Who is the murderer? Paul? One of the townspeople? The local police officer (John Nettleton)? Or has Cathy simply decided to play a joke on her friend? This movie will keep you guessing. Very nice cinematography as well, and the music is quite good, with the exception of the opening and ending credit tune, a bit bizarre considering the tone of the film.Pamela Franklin never really got the credit she deserved as an actress: she was so convincing in everything I saw her in. Here she is believable as a young nurse caught in a terrifying trap in an unfamiliar country. Dressed simply but nicely throughout, she has a doe-like quality here which makes her seem all the more vulnerable. Michele Dotrice is lovely as well (wish she could have been seen more in films). The late Sandor Eles was unknown to me at the time, but quite good. While not overly menacing or devastatingly handsome, he did possess an interesting charisma. All of the actors cast helped add to the aura of atmospheric suspense."And Soon The Darkness" was recently remade, and no doubt, the Hollywood version will most likely make everything more graphic and obvious. It seems they are running out of ideas. I probably don't have to tell you that I don't think much of remakes in general.The DVD: The film's theatrical trailer, radio spots and talent bios are included, as well as commentary by director Fuest, screenwriter Brian Clemens and Christopher Lee biographer Jonathan Sothcott. I rate the commentary as okay but I don't know why they bemoan the fact that they did not cast a different actor to play Paul. Did they have someone else in mind? I would like to have heard more about Pamela Franklin as well. Some commentaries I like to listen to more than once; this isn't one of them. It could have been better, but it's not the worst commentary I've ever heard.In conclusion, this is one suspense film you can watch during the day and still get a good scare. Recommended.

obscuringrichie And Soon the Darkness turns on a now common premise. Two young girls go out on back roads to seek the real France, only to find true danger on an isolated landscape.The film is somewhat unique in its ability to capture terror in broad daylight in a not wholly vacant surrounding. The two girls seemingly have nothing to worry about as they bike along the open roads to their next destination. The set up, though somewhat overdone in present day (and therefore mildly less powerful then it would have been in its time), creates a fairly solid foundation for a truly suspenseful ride. However, once one of the girls goes missing, the realism of the story gets thrown to the wind and some of its primary fear elements turn to frustrations hurled at the television set.While the acting is generally good, there are moments when it seems that Jane (Pamela Franklin) has completely forgotten that her friend has gone missing in the same area where another girl had been murdered not so long ago...that she is in a different country where she doesn't speak the language or know anyone...that the one man she had been confiding in now appears to be a killer. Not only that, but Jane is a reflection of an earlier model of horror victim. On the cusp of "girl power" films, Jane's only defense for the majority of the picture is to run and hide. Most notably, when Jane is in the house where Paul is breaking in, she doesn't search for a weapon. She knows where he is coming in. She has the advantage, but instead she runs on. It's an image that is somewhat hard to accept when seeing it for the first time in modern day.The true faults of the film, though, are in the actions of Paul (Sandor Eles) which never go explained. Why is her always hiding? Why does he constantly leave Jane in the dark? While I'm a fan of filling in the blanks with films, this one seems more like lackluster writing efforts than intentional mystery. For one thing, Paul must be the worst detective of all time. He destroys evidence that may have aided in bringing a killer to justice. He withholds information that could have protected Jane. He is terrible at searching trailers...how many hiding places could there really be (come on, you checked there in the last one). He doesn't see a pair of white panties on a dark ground during the day, but thinks to check under cars for missing bicycles...I find it very hard to find a film scary when the characters seems so utterly incompetent. The film does a good job of building suspense, but then you start to really not care if anyone makes it out alive. There are many others that do the same job while creating logical plot leaps, character development, and fulfilling endings. This film is not the full package.