This film is not for every horror fan. Not only is a slow burn with practically only two characters, but it also relies heavily on the power of imagination. If you seek jump scares or gore, stay away.

The real horror is inside the protagonist Sophia, brilliantly played by Catherine Walker. The horrible feelings that she hides inside, including the crave for revenge and the emptiness, are nothing compared with the horror that would be finding nothing that could heal her hounds after putting so much hope in this last chance for healing.

The house used for the ritual is very well filmed. You are always guessing what is happening across the room or down the corridor. The real events…

This is NOT a horror film for everyone, and there are two reasons why. First of all, it's definitely a slow-burning movie where the focus is on the situation itself rather than a chain of events. Second, A Dark Song really approaches the ritual with a lot of attention – it's not a glamorous portrayal of witchcraft, it's drawn out, it's unsettling, it's dirty, it goes for realism, and it doesn't yield immediate obvious results. If you have an issue with either of those – I don't think this film is for you.

That being said, I really enjoyed A Dark Song, particularly because of how different it was from other supernatural films based around rituals. It's a beautifully shot,…

I feel like I might be a dumb person because literally everyone else loves this movie and I was struggling to keep engaged with this film. And I LOVE movies about magick and the occult and seances and foreign accents.

What happened for me was that right from the get go the guy character was just a fucking annoying loud mouth git who kept yelling at the poor woman. And then there's a point where he does something REALLY shitty and gross to the woman and I was just out of it. I was done. The movie really just bummed me out.

And the seance stuff dragged oooon and oooooon.

And I don't even know what the fuck to make…

Every review I've seen for this said "It's not going to be for everyone" and boy is that accurate! A uniquely interesting and 'stripped back' horror film with pretty much just two characters who have chosen to be trapped in a house to perform a dangerous ritual. There's genuinely a lot of good in here and I agree with those reviews, to the right person this will be something special. Great atmosphere, strong acting and really keeps you on your toes. And yet... it didn't work for me anywhere near as much as I wanted it to. A bit too monotonous for my tastes at times, the one character in here can be so insufferable and I didn't love the…

I’ve seen a number of references to this film in reviews of the recently released The Surrender (2025). As I had not seen A Dark Song, it made me curious as I did enjoy The Surrender.

Though they are indeed similar in many ways, there are two main differences in the films. First, A Dark Song is MUCH more slow-paced. There are many “downtime” scenes as the ritual progresses. Lots of moments where we watch them ponder or perform mundane tasks. It’s not necessarily a knock - I feel that this builds on the grueling, time-consuming process they’ve undertaken. The other thing is the message. They’re distinctly different, but I won’t spoil either as that’s kind of what both movies build up…

There have been some really wonderful debut horror films in the last few years, and A Dark Song falls into that lot, by way of Irish writer/director Liam Gavin. Most notably he showcases a penchant for calculation in both his filming and his writing, where every scene is staged carefully to elicit a certain feeling or perspective, and the incredibly detailed rituals and processes of the plot are laid out painful detail. Together, it creates a film that establishes the world that it lives in, the rules and the methods, and carefully works within its own boundaries and guidelines, no matter how fantastical they grow to become.

The first thing I noticed out the gate is that the film is…

A great slow burning horror film that takes ideas seen so many times in the genre, but spins it fresh with a realistic approach. A Dark Song takes place almost entirely in one location and has just two central characters; a grieving woman and an occultist, who are brought together as she wants help conducting a ritual for her own ends. The film is very well paced. The subject matter, which mainly concerns magic and the occult is fascinating; and the film always gives just enough to keep things interesting without ever really explaining anything. The house where everything takes place is very well shot and makes for a great central location. The film is very tense and has some…