Expert: 7devonapes - 7/24/2007

Question
Hi, I've searched high and low and come up with nothing, perhaps you can help.

This particular film was on UK TV some time around the 80's and the parts of the plot I can remember are as follows ...

A man and a beautiful brunette are having a big argument (outdoors somewhere) and it escalates to where the nasty man slaps the woman across the face ... then the lead male character intervenes and asks if the woman is ok, words are exchanged with the nasty man and he leaves saying stuff like "you don't know what you're getting into" and the like ...

After this, the lead man and the woman get romantically involved but the woman is still petrified about what the nasty man might do, she tells the new b/f that the nasty man is into some seriously dark cult stuff and the b/f vows to take care of her.

Strange stuff starts happening around their house like a load of people just standing on the lawn staring then when they close the curtains/shutters the wall starts to stretch and buckle inwards taking on the shape of many peoples faces and upper bodies with some very eerie sound FX.

I think she convinces the b/f that they should split for a while as it is too dangerous and that she can handle the nasty man.

Shortly afterwards, she calls the b/f telling him she has to meet the nasty man on this beach ... the b/f goes along to watch and make sure she's ok. When he arrives, this coven is dancing around by a fire and the girl is laid out ready to be a human sacrifice ... the b/f steams in and because he loves her so much he insists that they should sacrifice him in her place.

Then the twist - it comes to light that HE was the intended sacrificial victim all along and it was no chance encounter that he was there when the argument was taking place at the very beginning of the film.

I think they also had to do this sacrifice under a full moon  at midnight on a certain day (as is usual for these things) but that the person being sacrificed had to be completely willing or it wouldn't work (whatever the reason for the sacrifice was).

How the film ended exactly, I don't recall.

Does this sound familiar ?

Thanks in advance for your help :)

Answer
Hi JedOi,

I'll take a guess (and I bet I'll be wrong) and say the movie you are looking for is called "Darklands" from 1996. A plot summary from imdb.com follows:

"Darklands follows journalist Frazer Truick as he investigates the mysterious death of the brother of trainee journalist Rachel Morris. Delving deeper, Truick becomes convinced that the tragedy was murder, committed by a bizarre religious cult. But as the evidence unfolds, things take on a more sinister and potentially lethal significance for the reporter, as he becomes embroiled in devil worship, witchcraft and ultimately human sacrifice!"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127500/

You can check out pics from the film here:

www.prolificfilms.freeserve.co.uk/

DVD copies are available on eBay, and VHS copies on Amazon.com

Best of luck,
Ryan