Against the Dark is the story of a group of survivors in a 28 Days Later-esque world… only less British and more generic Romanian. These survivors are cursed by a plague that has swept through the world, creating vampires… of course they call them “the infected”… but they’re really just vampires, in much the same way that “the infected” in 28 Days Later are really zombies. Don’t argue it! We all know they’re zombies! Anyway, these f**ks must find a way out of the city before it’s blown to shit by Keith David, who leads a surviving military presence on the outskirts of the city. With the help of a largely worthless group of ninja types, led by Steven Seagal and The Rock’s stunt double, the survivors just might have a chance… of getting their asses handed to them.

I don’t know why, but I actually kind of enjoyed this movie. For the most part, this is due to the creative decisions made by Richard Crudo, the director. Crudo does a wise thing and makes the survivors the focus of the film. Steven Seagal is relegated to a supporting character… a largely mute supporting character, and this makes all the difference in the world. Crudo also does a nice job of keeping the action fast and furious, and while there might be a little too much martial artistry on display for my liking, the pace of the film is quick enough to keep you interested. Some of the sets feel a little generic and the fact that we are pretty much limited to seeing what’s going on inside of a hospital is both a gift and a curse. On one hand, it allows the filmmakers to spend big on shit like special effects and quality actors. But on the other hand, the film’s scope doesn’t feel as grand as it could be. Hell, with a few re-writes and the ditching of Seagal and The Rock’s stunt double, this could have been a solid theatrical release… not blockbuster solid, but cult status solid.

The writing in the film is a little generic, but there are a shitload of people getting killed and some hot chicks on display, so it’s easy to overlook the fact that this is basically a 28 Days Later clone infused with vampires. Some of the logic problems in the film are annoying, but after your 20th vampire gets the f**k killed out of them, you stop wondering why these survivors are cruising through a destroyed and dangerous world without a single weapon on them. You stop asking why Seagal and his buddies have guns, but don’t use them to kill vampires… preferring to get in close and dispatch them with swords and knives… when a single bite could end them. Trust me. You will stop asking these questions… maybe.

The cast of the film is pretty solid, especially for a Seagal flick. Seagal basically romps through the movie like a dude out of The Matrix, only with less emotion, a samurai sword, and a sparsity of dialogue… in short, they made it so Seagal wouldn’t be a minus on the film. The real star of the movie, with regards to screentime and screen presence, is Jenna Harrison. Harrison feels out of place in the movie. Her looks and her acting ability would make her perfect for one of those PG-13 horror shits that are always plaguing the multiplexes. It’s bewildering how she found her way into this little flick, but I ain’t complaining. Harrison is great as one of the survivors, and in a film that’s supposed to be about these random vampire hunters, she steals the show. The rest of the cast is solid, but no one truly stands out… with the exception of Keith David, who brings to mind the line “How the mighty have fallen.”

The special effects in the film are actually pretty solid. There are plenty of kills to go around, shitloads of corpses hanging about, and some solid vampire action. The gore and the horror are definitely balanced well throughout the movie. There are even a couple sets of bloody chesticles to be found in the film. When your sets look lame, paint them in blood and gore.

Against the Dark isn’t for everyone, but if you love indie horror flicks and don’t mind Steven Seagal that much, you can have a good time with this one. Just don’t examine it too close or you’ll hate it. This is definitely one to turn your brain off for.

Final Synopsis: This a cheap version of 28 Days Later with vampires… but it works on a mindless entertainment level. Give it a rent if you run out of shit to watch and you’re a diehard horror fan.

Points Lost: -1 for cheap sets, -1 for plot holes and logic errors, -1 for survivors who are in constant danger but don’t carry any weapons, -1 for some lame fight sequences

Lesson Learned: Since vampires run around at night, you should always search for stuff at night. That way, you can constantly be attacked. Also, leaving a city populated by things that want to eat you is apparently a bad idea.