SHADOW PEOPLE

Shadow People (12A)

Director: Matthew Arnold
Written by: Matthew Arnold
Starring: Dallas Roberts, Allison Eastwood
Now you will see them too

You know, I’ve long wanted to talk to some of the people and departments in the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification), and ask them what the deal is, with some of the comments on their rating boxes. They contain additional information, so parents of children (or people that are too thick to guess that “Bloody Violent Massacre: Part II” might contain some gore) can ascertain if the film is suitable for viewing. Now I can understand text like “contains strong bloody violence” or “contains sustained strong language”. That’s useful. It’s the more surreal comments that get me. For instance I’ve seen a Pixar film that contains “mild peril”. Now, what in the name of Hade’s jockstrap is “mild peril”?! Peril just isn’t peril if it’s mild! I’ve also seen a nature film that “contains scenes of chicks in distress”, which is misleading in more than one way. And apparently, according to the BBFC, “Shadow People” contains “moderate supernatural threat”. That line means sod-all and tells you nothing, but could indicate that Casper the Friendly Ghost had finally lost it and gotten hold of a flick-knife.

Anyway…  Supposedly based on a true story, “Shadow People” is a supernatural thriller detailing how the urban legend of the aforementioned nasties apparently rose to fame in the USA, during the 1970’s and 80’s. Shadow People are supposedly either inter-dimensional douche-bags, or incorporeal demons, that terrorise unsuspecting victims in their beds. The story itself concentrates on the story of Charlie Crowe (Dallas Roberts), who is a late-night DJ on a small town radio station. Alongside the usual crackpots, he gets a call one night from a 17-year boy, who tells him that he is being menaced by living “Shadows” in his bedroom. This is followed by a gunshot, which understandably freaks Charlie out. The boy is apparently safe, but later dies mysteriously in the hospital from no apparent cause. Charlie starts to research the myth of the “shadow people”, with the aid of materials which had been sent to him by the boy before his death. When a young student and a nurse die in the same manner, he becomes obsessed with the phenomenon and devotes his radio show to the subject. As call after call comes in, with people experiencing menacing dark figures in their own homes, and many suffering from sleep paralysis, he realises that he is onto something very real. A CDC (Centre for Disease Control) investigator (Alison Eastwood) works with him on identifying a cause, but Charlie is convinced that there are genuine supernatural menaces abroad and that he must find proof to reveal their existence…

The trouble with “Shadow People” is that it just doesn’t know what the hell it’s supposed to be, and tries to be everything at once. The film mixes “documentary” footage (I’ll explain the speech-marks later), with a semi-realistic dramatic narrative, and scenes of people being menaced and killed by demonic beings. And still manages to be dull and disappointing. The real shame is, that there’s definitely a superior scary movie to be made out of this subject, but this ain’t it. If the director (Matthew Arnold), had just done a balls-to-the-wall fictional scare-athon on the subject, or a truthful documentary on the phenomenon, you could imagine it would be a belting movie. And the Shadow People do genuinely exist (in the same way the Loch Ness monster and Sasquatch “exists”), as a quick search on Google and YouTube will confirm. So a fictional version based on this urban legend, in the manner of “Candyman” would work very well.

However, far too much time is spent on Charlie’s domestic life, with his ex-wife and disapproving teenage son, which really slows the story down. In fact whenever the story gets some pace, an excerpt from a documentary or a talking head is inserted, sometimes next to the “real” movie itself. Yes, these “documentaries”… Apparently (according to the credits) these are called “The shot heard around the web” and “Your worst nightmare” and contain interviews from the friends and family of those in the main story. There are even clips of the “real” people from the story (played in the main narrative by Roberts and Eastwood). A major plot point is the posting of a viral video on YouTube, of a scientific experiment called “Sleep Study GR16 1971” (you KNOW you’re going to search for it…). The trouble is that all across the web, there is no evidence of these documentaries, the people who took part, and the viral video is obviously faked. It just smacks of “Blair Witch” type chicanery. I’d love to be proved wrong, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. In the same way that “The Fourth Kind” tried this angle and failed, “Shadow People” is even more of a disappointment.

There are things that do work in the movie. The (far too few) haunting sequences with the Shadow People zapping about and lunging at sleepy victims are sometimes genuinely unnerving. There’s a nice touch when Charlie empties his house of furniture and lights to eliminate mis-leading shadows. The whole idea that Shadow People are attracted to thoughts of themselves is quite intriguing. As one character says, “How do you STOP thinking about something?”, and another likens it to sharks smelling blood in the water. Roberts gives a nice performance, even if he is required to turn from a laconic, jaded hack into a twitchy, conspiracy-theory nut, almost overnight. Eastwood is pretty much wasted though, and even seems a little embarrassed to be there.

Overall though, you will be disappointed. Scooby Doo plot twists abound, with buried film in a coffin, and an experienced CDC investigator racing across town because (after several weeks on the case) she only JUST realises that the “illness” could be caused by a placebo effect.

The “12” certificate should also give you an idea on just how “intense” the material is. So despite the creepy subject matter, it’s really not worth your time. You would be better off returning to “Blair Witch” or any of the “Candyman” movies.  Having said that, I will be quaffing large amounts of coffee this evening, and sleeping with a torch next to my bed. Just because the film’s not very scary, it doesn’t mean that “they” aren’t… *shiver*.

DVD Extras: As insubstantial as a shadow itself. Nothing.

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This is an awkward mix of slow paced supernatural thriller, and documentary style exposé. There are one or two affective scare scenes, but it just doesn’t work as a whole. The use of “real” interviews and footage feels like sub-“Blair Witch” manipulation. Although the mythology gets creepier the more you think about it, the film doesn’t. Sweet dreams!