The First Great Horror Film Of 2024 Is Here In Andrew Cumming's 'OUT OF DARKNESS' [Review]

We’ve got one on the board so far. Andrew Cumming’s “Out of Darkness” has been described as “paleolithic horror,” which is certainly part of the elevator pitch, but that just scratches the surface of its many descriptors.  It’s a dark, foreboding film that has a few twists on what initially seems like a simple set-up.  

Chuku Modu as Adem (left) and and Kit Young as Geirr (right) in a rare daylight respite.

Taking place 45,000 years ago, a clan of stone age nomads traverse a harsh, wasteland to find a home.  The group’s leader, Adem, exudes confidence, despite the harsh vistas they discover.  When his protegé Geirr discovers the desiccated corpse of a wooly mammoth, Adem is shaken, yet undeterred.  Adem’s pregnant wife Ave keeps the faith while tribe elder Odal is cynical.  When Adem and Ave’s son Heron is kidnapped from their campfire by an unseen source, the tribe sets out to get him back from who, or whatever took him.  The group’s apparent outlier is  Beyah, a “stray” who joined them in hopes of finding a new world, only to become a de facto final girl in their quest to stay alive in the dark. 

Safia Oakley-Green as Beyah, the “stray” who rises up.

The darkness in the film is almost a character itself, at once empty and claustrophobic.  We don’t know what’s out there, but we hear distant screeches, which conjure up visions of something that could easily kill a wooly mammoth.  Much of the film has the characters running from what they (and we) can’t see and it’s legitimately frightening.  The secret weapon here is Cinematographer Ben Fordesman, known for his work on the films of Rose Glass.  In one scene where the characters enter a wooded area, the moonlight shines on the branches, making them look like spikes.  Adem and his people have entered a meat grinder and something is waiting for them.

Modu as Adem, wondering what he got himself into.

Cumming and his co-writers Ruth Greenberg and Oliver Kassman (also a producer who received a “story by” credit) have crafted something truly immersive.  The film was shot in Scotland, but it looks like it could be anywhere in the prehistoric era.  A new language named “Tola” was created for the characters to speak.  Ultimately, the film resembles a combination of “Clan of the Cave Bear,” “Meek’s Cutoff” and “Alien.”  It also resembles an infamous 70’s horror film that I wouldn’t dare mention for fear of spoilers.  Let’s just say this tale of settlers trying to survive in an unknown world ends on a note about colonialism that makes you reconsider much of what you’ve just seen.  It’s still early in the year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if “Out of Darkness” lands on several top 10 lists.

“Out of Darkness” is now playing nationwide.

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