31 by 31 Challenge #10: SUPER DARK TIMES (2017)

Pulling pages from everything from A Nightmare on Elm Street to The Craft, debut director Kevin Phillips' Super Dark Times is like the emo, nihilistic older sibling of Stranger Things; a psychological horror-drama that explores the aftereffects of trauma during adolescence and the terrible acts one can be driven to in the name of self-preservation.

Super Dark Times
Released: September 29, 2017
Director: Kevin Phillips
Screenplay: Ben Collins & Luke Piotrowski

Cast:
Owen Campbell as Zach Taylor
Charlie Tahan as Josh Templeton
Elizabeth Cappuccino as Allison Bannister
Max Talisman as Daryl Harper
Sawyer Barth as Charlie Barth
Amy Hargreaves as Karen Taylor


Best friends Zach and Josh are typical suburban teenage boys. They ride their bikes, trash-talk each other while playing video games, and lust over the pretty girls in their school, especially Allison. When hanging out in Josh's older brother's room with friends Daryl and Charlie, they find a samurai sword and head to the woods to chop up milk cartons and generally dick around, ninja-style. In the midst of their misguided mischief, however, a scuffle breaks out and something goes terribly, tragically wrong. As dusk approaches, the boys make a decision that will ripple throughout their lives and their community in the cruelest possible ways.

Super Dark Times is all about trauma management. It's a Hitchcockian examination of secrecy, guilt, malice, and mental stability. The characters are fleshed out, real people, and watching their self-destructive path is riveting. We see them deal with bullies, go to parties, vie for the attention of cute girls, and generally struggle with what it means to be a young adult, all before the violence that turns the story on its head. This is what sets the film apart and makes every scene after the turning point so uncomfortable to watch. It's dark times, indeed.

SUPER dark times, to be exact. Josh, in particular, does not cope with the aforementioned trauma well. Charlie Tahan gives an incredible performance, portraying Josh with great sympathy that magnifies the horror when Josh's odd behavior finally becomes clear to Zach. It's a shocking, disturbing revelation that drives the third act to a tragic conclusion that will have you biting your nails and hiding behind pillows. For all the pure tragedy of the film, it's still authentic and honest, aiming to take shots at the dark underbelly of suburbia and succeeding with aplomb. A mesmerizing, beautiful yet bleak film that's impossible to look away from and destined to become a genre favorite.

Super Dark Times
5 - Totally Terrifying
4 - Crazy Creepy
3 - Fairly Frightening
2 - Slightly Scary
1 - Hardly Horror