Dark Touch ranks with such horror disasters such as Children of the Corn. The first few minutes is stylish but that's all. The script is hackneyed, acting is weak, and plot is bizarre. People say it's about an abused girl. Not quite, but rather it is society's view of what abuse is. We think we recognize it, we think we know its symptoms and we take an adults view how an abused child reacts to situations. This is actually more about hiding and misinterpreting abuse. Adults seem to think they know what's happening, but they don't. We see slapping and yelling. But it doesn't justify what Niamh does. Consider who Niamh killed in the beginning (I can't give it away), someone young and innocent. Again, she kills dozens of innocent, young people. Not just adults. So for those who think it's about abuse, think again. That's a clouded perception which audience are just as clueless as the adults in the film. Everyone suspect abuse, but can't put a finger on it. It's really more a classical tale of poltergeists, that children can manipulate (if you are unsure, look it up). It really is about evil and poltergeists, how we can misinterpret what that is. That is, poltergeists are considered delusions from ambiguous stimuli. That actually describes what happens in this movie. It's never clear what exactly triggers the whistling or object movements to kill but they occur with Niamh's crying and thoughts. Missy Keating who plays Niamh (or Neve) plays only two emotions, one flat lacking expression and the other screaming. Supporting actors are mostly one-dimensional. Script is weak at times and the plot wanders around. The ending is very bizarre with Niamh and her two sidekicks. It's a bad version of Firestarter. About the same time, I saw this movie, I saw one about real abuse, in Jug Face. The latter is also about a girl, much older, in a superstitious cult. A far superior film.
Review of Dark Touch
