Super Dark Times (2017) Review

 

Super Dark Times (2017)

Super Dark Times follows Zach and Josh, who after an accidental murder, spiral down a hole of paranoia and violence.

Shoutout to Hulu’s for you page for recommending absolute bangers lately. On the surface, this is a complex movie with lots of moving parts, but when analyzed deeper, is one of the more intricate movies on this page. The accidental murder of Daryl (whom I’ve never rooted for someone to be killed so bad in my life), kicks everything off, causing the two main friends, Josh and Zach to go completely crazy out of paranoia. I love how quickly and tonally their friendship alters from here forward, as it sets Zach back in terms of emotional availability for Allison, but makes Josh a bit bolder, as we’ll come to see. It’s subtle, but the growing suspicion that Josh is the one picking off people he doesn’t like is tough because for Zach’s sake, you don’t want it to be true.

As for that super mysterious ending, I have a theory that Allison was actually in on the murders since the second with Josh. There’s so many little hints like the caller ID, the causal eye contact before Meghan gets killed, the lack of blood in the shower, and just the stark contrast between Josh and Zach, who both like her but in different ways. The intro with the moose is also a big indicator that she herself was fascinated with death, making it wholly possible for her to be in on it with Josh.
I’m also not usually one for pointless period pieces, but the 90s setting felt less gimmicky than usual and actually has it’s own story to tell in it’s characterization of the youth of the time, feeling very River’s Edge-y.

The cast was surprisingly pretty good, starring Elizabeth Cappuccino, Amy Hargreaves, Charlie Tahan, and Owen Campbell. Tahan’s change from a nerdy guy who just wants to get laid, to a downright serial murderer is haunting and I love the darkness he unleashes.

Super Dark Times, directed by Kevin Phillips, is an intricate and (it’s right in the title) super dark film that mixes the classic coming of age story, with a terrifying look at the grim, edginess of the 90s in this thrilling, visual nightmare.

8.7/10