Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘From Black’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoiler for the motion picture, ‘From Black’.
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Stories that revolve around the power of grief, the real power of it that is, tend to follow a very visceral and bittersweet format. One where of course, the main character loses someone they love, and they fall into a deep depression. Wherein they struggle to find any joy in life because their light is gone, and we watch them suffer in great detail before something incredible happens. In that, they begin to find a reason to live again, through a friend or a lover, or a character that gives them perspective on their experience and just like that… we are privy to a story where that person climbs out of the darkness and eventually returns to the light. All done in a manner designed to inspire anyone settled into read or watch that particular type of story, and there is merit to offering up a happy ending.
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Because it acknowledges the fact, we can overcome, and someone going through that may find the strength to go forward because of that ending. But while all of that does indeed make for a wholesome and hopeful story, it doesn’t look at the entire picture. Because in reality, there are people who don’t recover from grief for various reasons, and we oddly… ignore that in an effort to highlight only the good things in life, but we shouldn’t. For life is tough, and unfair and we don’t always win, and it is important to acknowledge that and that grief can destroy a person if the situation allows for it, and it just so happens… that a new movie on Shudder, takes the time to acknowledge that unfortunate truth, and that makes From Black, a supremely powerful film that gets that point across in a stunning manner.

A feat that this film accomplishes, by introducing us to a woman named Cora that is deeply suffering. For it wasn’t that long ago that she lost her son. And despite using that tragedy to get clean of her addiction and despite working to move forward, she is struggling. For every single day, the pain of losing her little one is with her, and she simply cannot let it go. For everywhere around her there is a hint that she is responsible for his end, despite the fact that the evidence points toward a kidnapping, something that few parents can do anything about. But that is no solace for Cora, and she continues to struggle, that is until a friend named Abel offers her quite the proposition. In that, if she were to ignore what she’s learned about life and embraces a little dark magic… then there’s a fair chance a summoning ritual can bring her son back, and now… Cora must decide how far she is willing to go to have her son home, since the price for this ritual… is quite high.

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Which at first glance is a story that appears to be grounded more in ghostly horror concepts, and a great deal of the movie backs that line of thinking up. After all, Abel does indeed have a line to something sinister and evil that lurks in the shadows, and it demands a great deal of bloody things in this story, and harbors other twisted wishes. Which helps to bring forth… all of the horror elements in this tale. Since the creature in question is quite wicked and fast and intense and its arrival in any given scene, is handled in a manner that will catch you off guard with a fine jump scare. And even the setting of the movie is disturbing and haunting, giving this motion picture a real gothic vibe, courtesy of bleak visuals and ethereal framing that never feels natural or comfortable. In fact, one could say watching this film is akin to watching a nightmare from afar. 
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But beneath the scares and those off-putting views of a desolate world where death and destruction rule the day… there is quite the tragic story here. Because Cora really is in a dark place in this tale and understandably so, since losing a child is the worst-case scenario for any parent. But watching her glide through life, is hard to bear witness to at times, as is watching her reject the teachings she receives in group counseling to further punish herself for her perceived transgressions and to keep the pain fresh, so she doesn’t forget and well… that is where the movie shows us… her fall from grace. Since we watch her slide deeper and deeper into the darkness until it finally consumes her and makes her a shell of herself. Allowing for the monster to serve as the allegory for the darkness that grips her and giving us that sour ending in question. 

One that truly hammers home that despite support and love, sometimes the perfect storm of darkness claims people and they are lost to grief forever. Because that is life and that makes… for one powerful motion picture. One that is both scary and compelling and heartbreaking and we’d be foolish to not point out that much of this story works because of its star, Anna Camp. Since she is the one who takes us on that emotional journey/downward spiral and sells it with a painful and horrifying honesty that will outright haunt your dreams, and really, all of these elements make this motion picture an absolute must-see. Simply because this is that rare horror feature that holds nothing back. Especially when it comes to its honest portrayal of the power of grief and how a person’s experiences with it, are sometimes as tragic as the loss they endured.  

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