A Candle in the Dark (2002)

Pack: Decrepit Crypt of Nightmares
Disc: 1

Subgenre(s): Vampires

Year: 2002

Rated: R
Length: 40 minutes (35 minutes according to the DVD sleeve)

Director: Richard Poche
Writers: Michael Anthony Lee, Richard Poche
Starring: Kirstin McLaughlin, Cliff Poche, Alexandra Ackerman

Synopsis: A series of "vampire" style murders on campus has Sarah scared of her own shadow - It doesn't help that her new dorm mate Lilith wears only gothic clothing, is afraid of crosses, avoids daylight and resembles a member of the undead. Sarah becomes convinced that Lilith has something to do with the horrendous murders. When Sarah can't convince others of her outlandish theory... she becomes the next target.

Screencaps:

Review: There's not really all that much to say about A Candle in the Dark other than it feels a lot longer than 40 minutes due to the terrible acting, horrible dialogue, and sub-YouTube quality camerawork.

Apart from quite a few pretty girls (and a couple that aren't), A Candle in the Dark is just another no-budget vampire story with a load of unnecessary exposition two-thirds of the way through. There's a kind of twist involving Lilith (Alexandra Ackerman) which is nicely handled, but that's the only good thing about this movie.

Watch out for the fat security guard (Joe Costales) who can't act at all, and then marvel at Jessamyn Dawson (as Nicole) who looks like she can.

It's all very gloomy, and the audio quality isn't much better. If you get the impression that this was put together one weekend using a bunch of friends and a camcorder, you would probably be right.

Most Memorable Moment(s): Sarah reading Stephen King's Salem's Lot in the library to find out about vampires.

Originality: None. It's just another vampire movie.

Best Line(s): "You're not packing enough heat, little lady."
Worst Line(s): "I have a gun... and mace."

Best Effect(s): The fangs.
Worst Effect(s): The bullet wounds.

Goriness (out of 10): 2
Sexiness (out of 10): 1
Profanities (out of 10): 1

Hottest Actor/Actress: Alexandra Ackerman as Lilith.

Picture Quality: Slightly below average
Audio Quality: Average

Rating (out of 10): 2

Trailer: None
IMDb or Wiki: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799973/

Final Thoughts: Quite a chore to get through even at only 40 minutes long. It feels like twice that due to the slow pace and lack of action.