Making a black-and-white film in the 21st century is certainly a risk, commercially, but as Darling writer/director Mickey Keating told AMFM magazine at last year's Fantastic Fest, it made complete artistic sense: “I think all the movies that I had been watching when I was writing influenced it. I just saw the world in black and white. So, it was totally 'Repulsion,' it was totally 'The Haunting'…'Shock Corridor' by Sam Fuller, it seemed right and it seemed necessary. I think that when you have that kind of gut instinct, to shy away from it, well there”s no point.”
Judging from the buzz on the street, Keating's gamble paid off. The film received terrific reviews at last year's Fantastic Fest and seems primed to become a word-of-mouth hit on VOD, where it's debuting on April 1 (the film will also find its way into limited theaters). The newly-released trailer is pretty fantastic, showcasing Keating's classical visual style and a reportedly scintillating performance from indie horror star Lauren Ashley Carter (Pod, Jug Face, The Woman), who carries almost the entire film as the young caretaker of an L.A. mansion whose sanity slowly unravels. There are definitely shades of Repulsion here, not to mention Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Add this one to my list of 2016 horror films to look forward to.