# Dark Was the Night (2014 film)

Dark Was the Night (released as Monster Hunter in the UK) is a 2014 American horror film directed and produced by Jack Heller, and written by Tyler Hisel. It stars Kevin Durand, Lukas Haas, and Bianca Kajlich.

## Plot

In the forest near the small town of Maiden Woods a team of loggers go missing. The Foreman searching for them finds a logger's severed arm before being killed by a creature.
Meanwhile, farmer Ron insists that one of his valuable horses has been stolen, though without evidence of theft it is assumed that the horse merely escaped. That night, a boy named Adam sees a creature in the back yard. While investigating, Adam's father, Sheriff Paul Shields, hears it in the trees.
The next morning, Paul finds footprints in the snow around his house that appear to come from an animal with hooves that walks on two legs. The footprints are around everybody's houses in Maiden Woods. Paul and his new deputy, Donny Saunders, follow the footprints into the woods and find claw marks on the trees where the footprints disappear. No known animal with hooves can walk such a distance on two legs, so Paul assumes that the whole thing is a prank. Meanwhile, several local animals have gone missing. Ron's daughter and several hunters confront Paul with fears about old aboriginal stories of creatures living in the woods, though he dismisses this. Earl, another hunter, says that even though it is hunting season, all the deer and other forest animals have disappeared, meaning a new predator may be in the area.
As Paul drives Adam home, they both see a creature in the back yard. When Paul investigates, all he finds is a bridle up a tree that he confirms is from Ron's missing horse. The next day, Paul and Donny witness a flock of birds flying south when they should be flying north. That night, Paul is called to Ron's farm, where he sees the creature attempt to enter the stables before it flees. Paul later discovers a dead deer that had been mauled in the road, but before he can move it, the creature appears and takes the body away.
The next day, three hunters are attacked in the woods. Two are killed and one makes it back to town. The bodies of the dead hunters are later found hidden high in the trees. Paul bans any more hunters from entering the forest and orders everybody in town to stay indoors at night. He also reports the deaths and calls in park rangers to hunt the creature down. That night, a snow storm hits the surrounding area and most of the town evacuates. Paul theorizes that the creature had been pushed from its territory by the logging company, is looking for a new home, and sees humans as a threat. A hunter shows Paul film footage of a creature walking on two legs. As the storm gets worse, the creature breaks into Paul's house, where he barricades himself and Adam in the bathroom until the arrival of Donny scares it away.
Paul gathers everybody who did not evacuate into the church, saying that it is the safest place to be in until the rangers arrive in the morning. When the creature appears, Paul leads everybody into the church's basement storm shelter. He tasks the hunters to guard the door then takes Donny to kill the creature.
While following the creature through the church, Paul and Donny split up. Donny is attacked in the kitchen but manages to shoot the creature. Paul follows the creature and is attacked. He flees back into the main hall and hides beneath the pews. However, the creature finds Paul, who shoots it before it disappears. Paul realises that it can climb as it drops down from the ceiling. As it rushes towards him, Paul shoots the creature again but drops his pistol as it overpowers him. He then draws a hunting knife and stabs the creature to death.
Paul later tells everybody in the basement that the creature is dead and leads them back into the church. However, while examining the creature's body, Donny realises that he had shot it in the shoulder, yet the wound was missing. Paul and Donny realise that there is more than one creature in the church. Outside, dozens of creatures swarm over the roof.

## Cast

* Kevin Durand as Paul Shields, Sheriff of Maiden Woods County
* Lukas Haas as Deputy Donny Saunders
* Bianca Kajlich as Susan Shields
* Ethan Khusidman as Adam Shields
* Nick Damici as Earl Lerner
* Steve Agee as The Foreman
* Heath Freeman as Jim
* Sabina Gadecki as Clair
* Minerva Scelza as Mrs. Poplar
* Joseph Pallister as The Hunter
* Charles Parshley as Kyle

## Production
### Development

Tyler Hisel's screenplay for The Trees (later to become Dark Was the Night) was included in the 2009 Hollywood Blacklist (the annual list of the top 100 screenplays). The film is loosely based on the real-life events that unfolded in Topsham, England in 1855, known as the Devil's Footprints. The small town woke to find freshly fallen snow and apparent hoof prints tracing the landscape. Dark Was the Night investigates the question of how a present-day community would react to similar event.

### Filming

Jack Heller directed, and the film is said to include a "never-before-seen monster", drawn from various pieces of American folklore.
Production started in February 2012, filming in Southampton, New York.

## Release

Dark Was the Night was released in theaters on July 24, 2015, through Image Entertainment.

## Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 52% based on 21 critic reviews with an average score of 6.00/10. On Metacritic, it has a score of 40, indicating "mixed and average reviews."