It was only supposed to be a fun camping trip with a group of friends….

Marty Wilkes and his three friends, Rob, Dave, and Tims, are looking to have a good time. With his fiancé back at home, Marty is eyeing the other campers, including a group of sorority sisters. Unfortunately, things are about to get very dangerous WHEN DARKNESS FALLS….

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS has flashes of brilliance that kept me intrigued. The storyline itself is nothing new as a man looking to cheat on his fiancé and running into a sexy woman who catches his interest and then meeting with horrendous consequences has been done before. The vampire twist, however, makes Chris Morrow’s story stand out.

Marty Wilkes isn’t initially very likeable. He is too easily attracted to sorority sister, Allison Jones, but his fear as the story progresses makes him seem much more human. However, it is Allison herself who truly makes this story work. Chris Morrow describes her character so well that it’s hard not to feel empathy for her as she faces such a fearful event.

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS is a quick albeit very memorable tale. The beginning is a bit campy (no pun intended!) and oversexualized (note to horror authors: not all Debbies are vapid and shed their clothes publicly). However, Chris Morrow shows a true gift at developing the sense of fear that one needs to make a horror story work. 

Reviewed by Debbie

BUY IT!

Rating:

Posted June 2008