Stars: Missy Keating, Marcella Plunkett, Padraic Delaney, Charlotte Flyvholm, Stephen Wall, Robert Donnelly, Susie Power, Richard Dormer, Catherine Walker, Simon Boyle, Olga Wehrly, Mark Huberman, Katie Kirby, Clare Barrett, Art Parkinson | Written and Directed by Marina de Van
Dark Touch is the story of an eleven year old girl called Niamh (Missy Keating) whose parents and baby brother are killed when household objects seemingly begin to attack them of their own accord. Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Niamh’s declarations of supernatural events occurring at the family home and goes to live with family friends but the mysterious occurrences start to happen again and the nightmarish horrors of Niamh’s past return to claim more victims.
Featuring a French crew and an Irish cast and one wonders if something drastic was lost in translation…
Dark Touch is apparently a film about child abuse but it misjudges...
Dark Touch is the story of an eleven year old girl called Niamh (Missy Keating) whose parents and baby brother are killed when household objects seemingly begin to attack them of their own accord. Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Niamh’s declarations of supernatural events occurring at the family home and goes to live with family friends but the mysterious occurrences start to happen again and the nightmarish horrors of Niamh’s past return to claim more victims.
Featuring a French crew and an Irish cast and one wonders if something drastic was lost in translation…
Dark Touch is apparently a film about child abuse but it misjudges...
- 10/3/2014
- by Jack Kirby
- Nerdly
Click here to read our french "Dark Touch" movie review, directed by Marina de Van with Missy Keating, Marcella Plunkett, Padraic Delaney starring.In a remote town in Ireland, eleven-year-old Niamh finds herself the sole survivor of a bloody massacre that killed her parents and younger brother. Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Neve's explanation that the house is the culprit. To help ease her trauma, dutiful neighbors Nat and Lucas take her in with the supervision of a social worker. Neve has trouble finding peace with the wholesome and nurturing couple, and horrific danger continues to manifest....
- 3/10/2014
- www.ohmygore.com/
IFC Midnight just dropped the release details and artwork for one of their latest home video offerings, Dark Touch, and we have everything you need to see and know right here! Check it out!
Look for it on DVD this coming January 28th.
Synopsis:
After a mysterious and bloody massacre in her isolated country house leaves her parents and younger brother dead, 11-year-old Neve (Missy Keating, The Sea) is taken by police to friends of the family to be looked after.
When Neve tries to explain that an evil force within the house caused the deaths, she's met with disbelief from both the authorities and her new family. But before long it becomes apparent that whatever killed her family has followed Neve to her new home, and soon she and all those around her are in mortal danger of some malevolent power that seems to be tied to the unfortunate girl.
Look for it on DVD this coming January 28th.
Synopsis:
After a mysterious and bloody massacre in her isolated country house leaves her parents and younger brother dead, 11-year-old Neve (Missy Keating, The Sea) is taken by police to friends of the family to be looked after.
When Neve tries to explain that an evil force within the house caused the deaths, she's met with disbelief from both the authorities and her new family. But before long it becomes apparent that whatever killed her family has followed Neve to her new home, and soon she and all those around her are in mortal danger of some malevolent power that seems to be tied to the unfortunate girl.
- 1/9/2014
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
On the outside, the English-language debut of French director Marina de Van looks like a traditional supernatural thriller, complete with a requisite “creepy” kid, and mysterious telekinetic powers. On the inside, Dark Touch is a heartrendingly sad, unflinchingly intimate exploration of the trauma of abuse: a horror movie that draws its nightmares from the sordid, squalid corners of real life. While de Van is possibly best known for her 2002 art house self-cannibalism shocker In My Skin, her latest feature proves that her ability to viscerally assault and disturb audiences remains undeterred.
Set in a bleak, isolated Irish village, the film centers around eight year old Niamh (played by a mesmerizing Missy Keating). Niamh’s parents and younger brother are brutally killed after their home appears to turn on them when inanimate objects and innocuous furniture are possessed by a murderous, destructive rage. Niamh, the only witness to the tragedy, is...
Set in a bleak, isolated Irish village, the film centers around eight year old Niamh (played by a mesmerizing Missy Keating). Niamh’s parents and younger brother are brutally killed after their home appears to turn on them when inanimate objects and innocuous furniture are possessed by a murderous, destructive rage. Niamh, the only witness to the tragedy, is...
- 10/5/2013
- by Becki Hawkes
- DailyDead
The horror genre is rife with awful and evil parents permanently scarring their children, from Norma Bates and Margaret White to Pamela Voorhees, and several more. An intriguing new film from IFC, Dark Touch, touches on many of these themes, including a horrifying portrait of child abuse, as a girl is haunted by her past, and untold demons. The film, from Marina de Van, is now available on VOD and available on SundanceNOW.
We’re thrilled to offer you the chance to see this film for free by entering this week’s contest on FM. One lucky horror fan will get the chance to see this film for free. All you have to do to enter this unique giveaway, is tweet @FMWolfmandy your favorite (or least favorite) mother and/or father from a horror movie. A random winner will be selected by Wednesday 12 Pm Pt, and an online code for...
We’re thrilled to offer you the chance to see this film for free by entering this week’s contest on FM. One lucky horror fan will get the chance to see this film for free. All you have to do to enter this unique giveaway, is tweet @FMWolfmandy your favorite (or least favorite) mother and/or father from a horror movie. A random winner will be selected by Wednesday 12 Pm Pt, and an online code for...
- 9/30/2013
- by Andy Greene
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
If Only They Knew She Had the Power: De Van’s Somber Telekinetic Exercise Lacks Verve
Previously a scribe and actress for Francois Ozon in some of his early works, Marina De Van has become a notable director in her own right, mostly due to a phenomenal debut with 2002’s In My Skin, in which she stars as a woman obsessed with cutting off parts of herself…and eating it. While she consistently delves into matters of the grotesque, she hasn’t quite matched the intensity of her first feature, though odd and offbeat often describe her works, such as the schizoid 2009 Bellucci/Marceau headliner Don’t Look Back. Her latest film, Dark Touch, set in Ireland and filmed in English, has her signature ambiguous menace in an otherwise straightforward genre effort focused on an abused preadolescent female with telekinetic powers. Unfortunately, the film will have you recall Carrie more...
Previously a scribe and actress for Francois Ozon in some of his early works, Marina De Van has become a notable director in her own right, mostly due to a phenomenal debut with 2002’s In My Skin, in which she stars as a woman obsessed with cutting off parts of herself…and eating it. While she consistently delves into matters of the grotesque, she hasn’t quite matched the intensity of her first feature, though odd and offbeat often describe her works, such as the schizoid 2009 Bellucci/Marceau headliner Don’t Look Back. Her latest film, Dark Touch, set in Ireland and filmed in English, has her signature ambiguous menace in an otherwise straightforward genre effort focused on an abused preadolescent female with telekinetic powers. Unfortunately, the film will have you recall Carrie more...
- 9/29/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Elegantly atmospheric indie horror drama plumbs typically unseen depths of children’s coping mechanisms in the face of terrible real-life experience. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A young girl, Niamh (amazing and heartbreaking Missy Keating), is the only survivor of a violent attack on her family home in the remote Irish countryside, which kills her parents and her infant brother. The cops figure it to be the work of vandals, Niamh (pronounced “Neve”) insists it was the house itself… but we saw what happened, and damned if it didn’t look like some sort of telekinetic storm that the girl herself manifested. But why? We know, from our history with horror flicks, that this sort of event doesn’t happen out of the blue but as a reaction to something far worse. And we know,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A young girl, Niamh (amazing and heartbreaking Missy Keating), is the only survivor of a violent attack on her family home in the remote Irish countryside, which kills her parents and her infant brother. The cops figure it to be the work of vandals, Niamh (pronounced “Neve”) insists it was the house itself… but we saw what happened, and damned if it didn’t look like some sort of telekinetic storm that the girl herself manifested. But why? We know, from our history with horror flicks, that this sort of event doesn’t happen out of the blue but as a reaction to something far worse. And we know,...
- 9/27/2013
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
IFC will release Dark Touch on September 27th and writer/director Marina de Van took part in a brief Q&A with us to discuss her work on the movie.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Can you tell our readers how Dark Touch came to be your latest project? Why was this a story that you wanted to take on as both a writer and director?
Marina de Van: Because It’S A Very Personal Subject, A Subject Which Touches Me Deeply, And I Always Want To Direct The Movies That I Write When It’S About A Subject That Touches Me. I Don’T Know Why I’M Touched By It, Maybe Because The Damages Of Child Abuse Are Permanent, According To Me, And Bring Obstacles To Feel Free And Well In The World, To Feel In A Good Place And Safe, Which...
Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Can you tell our readers how Dark Touch came to be your latest project? Why was this a story that you wanted to take on as both a writer and director?
Marina de Van: Because It’S A Very Personal Subject, A Subject Which Touches Me Deeply, And I Always Want To Direct The Movies That I Write When It’S About A Subject That Touches Me. I Don’T Know Why I’M Touched By It, Maybe Because The Damages Of Child Abuse Are Permanent, According To Me, And Bring Obstacles To Feel Free And Well In The World, To Feel In A Good Place And Safe, Which...
- 9/25/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
If you wanted to describe the excellent new horror film from Ireland called Dark Touch as "Carrie Junior," you wouldn't be all that much off the mark, at least not on a surface level. But there's a lot more to the film than just one angry young girl and a bunch of flying furniture. Despite a handful of familiar components and a whole lot of telekinetic mayhem, Dark Touch is not so much a Carrie acolyte as it is one seriously frank and powerful horror film about the disastrous and irrevocable effects of child abuse.
Written and directed by Marina de Van (In My Skin, Don't Look Back), Dark Touch opens in an oddly disconcerting fashion -- a strange little girl wanders into a neighbor's house with all sorts of bizarre injuries -- slowly settles into a fairly conventional tale of well-meaning foster parents and their insidious new charge. But...
Written and directed by Marina de Van (In My Skin, Don't Look Back), Dark Touch opens in an oddly disconcerting fashion -- a strange little girl wanders into a neighbor's house with all sorts of bizarre injuries -- slowly settles into a fairly conventional tale of well-meaning foster parents and their insidious new charge. But...
- 9/18/2013
- by Scott Weinberg
- FEARnet
Prepare yourself for suspense with IFC Midnight’s latest film, Dark Touch. French filmmaker Marina De Van’s (In My Skin) latest eerie and intense thriller dives straight into the darkness that can possess a child’s heart.
In a remote town in Ireland, eleven-year-old Neve finds herself the sole survivor of a bloody massacre that killed her parents and younger brother. Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Neve’s explanation that the house is the culprit. To help ease her trauma, dutiful neighbors Nat and Lucas take her in with the supervision of a social worker. Neve has trouble finding peace with the wholesome and nurturing couple, and horrific danger continues to manifest. Haunted objects, an eerie score and a moody, oneiric look complement this intense and frightening peek into child abuse and the searing imagination of writer/director Marina de Van.
The film stars Missy Keating,...
In a remote town in Ireland, eleven-year-old Neve finds herself the sole survivor of a bloody massacre that killed her parents and younger brother. Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Neve’s explanation that the house is the culprit. To help ease her trauma, dutiful neighbors Nat and Lucas take her in with the supervision of a social worker. Neve has trouble finding peace with the wholesome and nurturing couple, and horrific danger continues to manifest. Haunted objects, an eerie score and a moody, oneiric look complement this intense and frightening peek into child abuse and the searing imagination of writer/director Marina de Van.
The film stars Missy Keating,...
- 9/11/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
We recently brought you news that IFC will release Marina de Van’s Dark Touch on September 27th. Here’s a look at the newly released Dark Touch trailer:
“At night, an isolated house deep in the countryside takes on a monstrous life of its own.
Objects and furniture run riot against the inhabitants, leaving 11-year-old Neve the only survivor of a bloody massacre that destroys the bodies of her parents and culminates in the death of her little brother, Ciaran.
Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Neve when she tries to tell them about the murderous rage of the house. She is taken in by friends of her parents who, with the help of a local social worker, try to ease her trauma by surrounding her with love and rebuilding the semblance of a normal life. But Neve doesn’t find peace. Far from it…
All around her,...
“At night, an isolated house deep in the countryside takes on a monstrous life of its own.
Objects and furniture run riot against the inhabitants, leaving 11-year-old Neve the only survivor of a bloody massacre that destroys the bodies of her parents and culminates in the death of her little brother, Ciaran.
Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Neve when she tries to tell them about the murderous rage of the house. She is taken in by friends of her parents who, with the help of a local social worker, try to ease her trauma by surrounding her with love and rebuilding the semblance of a normal life. But Neve doesn’t find peace. Far from it…
All around her,...
- 9/11/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Dark Touch is an international film which was shot in Ireland. This horror title deals with the parental abuse of a young child. The film's disturbing matter is alluded to in the early promotional material for Dark Touch (left). The film's story follows Niamh (Missy Keating). She is the sole survivor of a brutal massacre, which leaves her parents dead. Niamh believes that her own home is responsible for their deaths, but no one will listen. Who is responsible for her parents' murder and can they be found before more violence finds Niamh? IFC Films will distribute Dark Touch in North America. The release date for the film is September 27th, 2013 on Video-on-demand. Fans of psychological horror titles can preview the available info' on the film here: a film poster and early still. Release Date: September 27, 2013 (VOD) Director/writer: Marina de Van. Cast: Padraic Delaney, Robert Donnelly, Charlotte Flyvholm, Ella Hayes,...
- 9/5/2013
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
IFC will release Marina de Van’s Dark Touch later this month and we’ve been provided with a new poster and photos. The film will be released in the Us simultaneously on VOD, digital outlets, and select theaters on September 27th:
“At night, an isolated house deep in the countryside takes on a monstrous life of its own.
Objects and furniture run riot against the inhabitants, leaving 11-year-old Neve the only survivor of a bloody massacre that destroys the bodies of her parents and culminates in the death of her little brother, Ciaran.
Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Neve when she tries to tell them about the murderous rage of the house. She is taken in by friends of her parents who, with the help of a local social worker, try to ease her trauma by surrounding her with love and rebuilding the semblance of a normal life.
“At night, an isolated house deep in the countryside takes on a monstrous life of its own.
Objects and furniture run riot against the inhabitants, leaving 11-year-old Neve the only survivor of a bloody massacre that destroys the bodies of her parents and culminates in the death of her little brother, Ciaran.
Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Neve when she tries to tell them about the murderous rage of the house. She is taken in by friends of her parents who, with the help of a local social worker, try to ease her trauma by surrounding her with love and rebuilding the semblance of a normal life.
- 9/4/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
From the press release:
Are you ready for a spine-chilling global avalanche of Indian zombies, Israeli oldboys, vengeance-crazed Vikings, Swedish mesmerists, Irish telekinesis, Argentine undead, Aussie bone-crushers, murderous Mormons and Chilean assassins?
Film4 FrightFest 2013, returning for its 4teenth year, has unveiled its biggest line-up in history. From Thurs 22 August to Monday 26 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will be at the Empire Cinema in London’s Leicester Square to present 51 films on three screens. Empire 1 will house the main event while the Discovery strands will play in Empires 2 & 4. The new FrightFest Xtra strand, also in Screen 2, will allow fans to catch up with sold-out performances of the most popular attractions.
This year there are eleven countries representing five continents with a record-breaking thirty-three UK or European premieres and ten world premieres.
The world premieres include our opening night attraction The Dead 2: India from the Ford Brothers,...
Are you ready for a spine-chilling global avalanche of Indian zombies, Israeli oldboys, vengeance-crazed Vikings, Swedish mesmerists, Irish telekinesis, Argentine undead, Aussie bone-crushers, murderous Mormons and Chilean assassins?
Film4 FrightFest 2013, returning for its 4teenth year, has unveiled its biggest line-up in history. From Thurs 22 August to Monday 26 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will be at the Empire Cinema in London’s Leicester Square to present 51 films on three screens. Empire 1 will house the main event while the Discovery strands will play in Empires 2 & 4. The new FrightFest Xtra strand, also in Screen 2, will allow fans to catch up with sold-out performances of the most popular attractions.
This year there are eleven countries representing five continents with a record-breaking thirty-three UK or European premieres and ten world premieres.
The world premieres include our opening night attraction The Dead 2: India from the Ford Brothers,...
- 6/30/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Believe me, I get it. I didn't especially want to see a movie about a little girl being sexually abused either. Honestly if I'd known that was the plot, I probably would have skipped the film entirely. But that's the beauty of any film festival-- it encourages you to step into a theater to see a film you know almost nothing about, and allows you to push your own comfort zone by encountering a director you've never heard of, and a film unlike almost anything else. Well, that's not entirely true. Dark Touch, the fourth feature from French director Marina de Van, owes a great debt to Carrie, unspooling a story about a young girl who's experienced severe trauma and develops kinetic powers to cope. Neve (Marie Missy Keating) is a luminously pretty but reserved 11-year-old who shows up at the neighbors' house one night covered in blood and screaming,...
- 4/26/2013
- cinemablend.com
Toward the end of Dark Touch, a girls-gone-Carrie nightmare of flying knives and pencil-porcupined corpses, director Marina de Van offers up an unsettling vision of just what it is decent people enjoy about the kind of just-pretend pain and disfigurement that this film so adeptly exploits. A flock of little girls sit on the lawn at a birthday party, playing with their dollies, plastic-craniumed babies with just the kind of dead eyes you might expect. The group is creeped out by the weird girl, Neve (Marie Missy Keating), a pale and brooding brunette invited to the party by concerned mothers, and whose eyes--wouldn't you know it!--also are deadened to the point of spookiness.
The girls, discomfited, begin abusing their dolls: slapping them together, denting the skul...
The girls, discomfited, begin abusing their dolls: slapping them together, denting the skul...
- 4/24/2013
- Village Voice
The grisly, perverse, and otherwise edgy thrills of the Tribeca Film Festival's "midnight" section begin this year with Thursday's world premiere of Dark Touch, a brooding chiller about children in rural Ireland who are haunted by abuse. The latest from fearless French auteur Marina de Van is a tamer affair than her cringe-inducing dermatological shocker In My Skin, but it continues her penchant for disturbed female protagonists whose pathological baggage manifests as physical abnormality (see also: 2009's Don't Look Back). Here, the unraveling mind belongs to 11-year-old Neve (Marie Missy Keating), a volatile loner who survives the supernatural slaughter of her parents and baby bro, only to face similar terrors within her school and new foster home. The film is mor...
- 4/17/2013
- Village Voice
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