I came across Niamh Algar a few weeks ago when I saw her in The Virtues so decided to check out her back catalogue.

This is the tenth film)series I have seen her in and one if my favourites with her being more feminine and vulnerable here but enjoyed her ballsy roles in Pure, Deceit and The Bisexual.

There is not much in the way of script here but the film with its small cast is much better than Niamh's later horror efforts in Without Name and Censor.

The cameraman seems to be besotted with her rear, taking shots of her from behind seemingly at every opportunity.

I know the film is set at night but it is very dark and difficult to see what is happening at times.

I am not a big horror fan but there were a few occasions that I did feel squeamish here so the director did his job well.

A great low budget film which has taken Niamh onto greater things but she does seem to have gone of the rails a bit with her performances in Wrath Of Man and Raised By Wolves but I am sure they will prove to be great vehicles for her future.

I know many have given this a low mark but I did really like it and would watch it again.

I am off for a bit of comedy now to see Niamh in The Last Right. A little less tense me thinks.

A couple is driving through the country when they get lost as their phone's GPS is "constantly recalculating". The wrong turn leads to the car getting stuck in the mud. At the beginning of the film before we meet the couple, a farmer is attacked by a vampire who had been buried in the earth with a stake in its heart as he was digging a hole. Pulling the stake out because his shovel had struck it, the farmer unknowingly releases the vampire from its "sleep". The vampire then does what is expected of it…it bites the farmer. The couple soon encounters the farmer, then the vampire.

"From the Dark" doesn't reinvent the wheel here, as the simplistic plot doesn't task the viewer. Instead this is about creeping you out and developing a dread over time. It keeps things small-scale in terms of storytelling but the superb photography and moody lensing of the location (particularly during the nighttime) itself really are what I think this film will bring in terms of appeal to a horror audience. The Irish countryside in the film is scary in the film because even though it is so rural, spacious, and dreary, it is yet on the outskirts of civilization, off the beaten path, and rather isolated. Turning onto a road that places him and/or her out of touch with any nearby city where technology is important, and a car stuck in the mud, the couple is then placed in a difficult situation regarding finding help. Help in the hopes that they can get off the wrong road and on the right one. Instead, the potential help is wounded by a vampire which will eventually turn him into a feral creature of the night.

The camera ingeniously uses a method that keeps the vampire elusive from a total detail for us. It is developed as a type of specter, a figure that is very dangerous but not distinct or elaborate for us to see in complete form. The sound design is booming when need-be and vivid to depict the snarl and movements of the creature. Its ferocity is emphasized as are its actions when after the couple. The lighting is dutifully stunning to capture the surroundings and place. This a very competent and efficient little horror show.

What might be held against it is the minute plotting. This wasn't developed to necessarily confront you with something that has you dwelling on the details of its plot. "From the Dark" is more about getting a reaction, a jolt, a mounting gulp in your throat, and to envelope you with its visual presentation. I think it succeeds as a bit of chiller theater, a film that keeps things simple and lean. It is damned good looking, quite attractive aesthetically. I'd like to see this director offer the horror genre future projects. He has some real talent. Perhaps Conor McMahon will give us something in the future that is cerebral to go along with his visual skills behind the camera.

I'm not certain why the bad reviews. Yes, there are cliches, yes there are plot holes, yes there are some questionable choices made, but they are not Entirely stupid as in so many horror movies. I quite enjoyed it. And some of the cinematography was quite nice as well.