The Harsh Light Of Day (2012) Review

The Harsh Light Of DayDaniel and his wife Maria have an idyllic life in the countryside. Everything seems to be going right for them until one night they are visited by what appear to at first be 3 burglars. Unfortunately, these 3 burglars have more than theft on their mind.

If this alone is not enough of a nightmare, they kill Maria and leave Daniel unable to walk. This is not the ending of the nightmare however, as Daniel begins to seclude himself from the outside world, with only his carer Fiona to keep him company.

A friend offers to help Daniel seeks revenge on the killers, and when he accepts this appears in the mysterious form of the man only known as Infurnari. Infurnari offers Daniel the power of eternal life and a means of exacting revenge on those who caused him heartache and pain. Daniel however does not really want any of it, and is at first reluctant to believe that he has accepted an offer from someone who potentially could be the devil!

The Harsh Light Of Day

Daniel begins to have flashbacks of the night of his wife’s murder and he is unable to eat anything at all. The only thing he does appear able to do is make a withdrawal from the blood bank (In plain words: he’s a vampire folks!).The Harsh Light Of Day

Plus sides to being a vampire:

  1. Healing abilities
  2. He can walk again (Hallelujah)
  3. Eternal youth
  4. Lifetime membership of Readers Digest (Oops, wrong review, sorry!)
  5. Dental care not necessary. Hey your teeth will stay permanently white and are as strong as rocks.

Sold?

Having discovered that he can now track and hunt the killers, Daniel sets about finding them and exacting his revenge. Will Daniel achieve his goal or will his life come to an unexpected end? Rent or buy the DVD to find out!!!!

So, Cut and Slash what did you think?…

Starting off as what appears to be a slasher movie, the film turns into a detective movie, as Daniel tracks down and hunts his wife’s killers. I was expecting a vampire movie, and whilst there are elements of vampirism in the film, it takes nearly an hour for the action to kick in. I felt like I was watching a Guy Ritchie type movie at some points during the film and rather than being a vampire film, I would say this was more of a revenge movie with light horror elements.

If I had to compare the film to another I would compare it to I Spit On Your Grave, although there would be a twist due to the fact that one victim is dead and the other is undead so to speak.

Harsh Light of Day

On a budget of £100,000 the film confused me as some scenes appeared to be relatively high quality, but were interspersed with scenes which seemed to be very low grade indeed. Whilst this did not effect the overall viewing of the film, it did distract. It would have been more consistent to film in low grade over the whole movie, as this would probably have added a grittier feeling to the experience. I have nothing but good to say about the whole casts performances, particularly Dan Richardson as Daniel and Giles Anderson as Infurnari.

Dan is exceptional at portraying someone who is not only trying to deal with the loss of the love of his life, but also how to come to terms with the fact that he is never going to die. Giles is also very convincing as someone who appears to be the devil and who is continuously tempting Daniel into seeking revenge. Overall the film has a large quota of action within, but failed to embrace the horror element which I craved whilst watching the film.

Any extras?The Harsh Light Of Day

Short Film ‘ Speechless ‘
Interviews with Director
Trailers
Gag Reel
Deleted Scenes
Tips on Independent Film-Making

If I had to recommend the film to anyone, I would recommend the film to action movie lovers, as the action in the movie is quite brilliant. However if you are a horror movie buff like me, you will not be very interested in the film as a whole. Great performances from the cast, but lacking in gore and horror-bility.

Movie Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Trailer:

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Cut and Slash

A lot of horror films involve a lot of cutting and slashing, and so when we revived the curriculum vitae of the man known only as ‘Cut and Slash’ asking if he could write us some reviews, we emailed him back straight away... More

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