Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- gritty
- foreboding
- late night thriller viewing
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the strong cast and brooding atmosphere undermined by a convoluted, twist-heavy adaptation with a rushed and far-fetched resolution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Libby revisits the 1985 murders while the film intercuts contemporary inquiry with events surrounding the massacre.
Libby has lived for thirty years under the consequences of surviving the farmhouse killings and accusing her brother.
The original investigation attributes the murders to a satanic cult, while the later inquiry challenges that sensational narrative.
The Kansas countryside, farmhouse massacre, troubled family, and sordid peripheral characters create a distinctly rural gothic atmosphere.
Films like Dark Places, and why
Gone Girl
shared rural crime mystery, psychologically scarred female protagonist, and nonlinear investigation of a family tragedy
Mystic River
shared bleak crime atmosphere, childhood trauma, and an investigation shaped by unreliable memories and buried secrets
In Cold Blood
shared true-crime fascination, sordid rural communities, and brooding reconstruction of a violent past
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
shared female-led investigative thriller, grim domestic secrets, and oppressive psychological tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Gilles Paquet-Brenner
- Release Date
- 2015-04-08
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (1396)
Cast
- Charlize Theron
- Nicholas Hoult
- Chloë Grace Moretz
- Christina Hendricks
- Tye Sheridan
- Corey Stoll
- Andrea Roth
- Sterling Jerins
- Shannon Kook
- Drea de Matteo
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dark Places about?
- A traumatized Kansas massacre survivor reopens the case that sent her brother to prison when amateur true-crime investigators challenge her childhood testimony.
- What is Dark Places like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dark Places as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Dark Places violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Dark Places as graphic.
- What did critics think of Dark Places?
- Critics generally found the strong cast and brooding atmosphere undermined by a convoluted, twist-heavy adaptation with a rushed and far-fetched resolution.
- Which films are like Dark Places?
- Films with a similar feel include Gone Girl, Mystic River, In Cold Blood, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
- How long is Dark Places?
- Dark Places runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dark Places?
- In United States, Dark Places is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
