Excellent, a Must See

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

i bought this for 5.50 at wal-mart, because, as stated by other users, the box art caught my eye. The box cover is about the only good part. I dunno if it was because i was tired, or because we had to have the volume at level 100 (what the hell is wrong with the audio on this DVD) to understand it a little, but this movie was kinda lame. That angel monster fight scene was real bad. It just had lots of weird camera shots that were artsy.So it seemed like the director/writers were like "lets film a bunch of scenes of a cop walking around looking dumb holding a shotgun and call it a movie>"

(Minor spoilers.) A police officer Gabriel Goodman wakes up after some trauma to find himself nearly alone in a world, which seems to be in the grips of the Apocalypse, in this interesting reworking of 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.' When your lead character's name is 'Goodman,' you expect the symbols and metaphors to fly fast and furiously and they sure do here! There's nothing wrong with that provided the symbols and metaphors add up to something in the end. Sadly, they don't, and that's the problem with this often interestingly little movie. I applaud writer/director Douglas Schulze's economy and sense of style. He manages to do a great deal with very little.He manages to convey the breath of the Apocalypse with only a handful of characters. The film is also well shot and the special effects are decent. Granted, the action is slow, but it is never boring. Unfortunately, the film falls apart at the end. One never knows what is truly at stake in the climatic conflict? If you're like me, and you've figured out the central conceit from the beginning, you have to wonder whether anything that Goodman can do in the climatic confrontation can change anything? If not, what the point? (Sorry about the vagueness, but I don't want to give everything away.) And that is my final judgment on the film: What was the point? However, I did enjoy this film more than 'Jacob's Ladder,' which tried to do something similar.

Dark Heaven is an excellent example of a film that entertains by taking its audience on a creepy journey. A ghost house filled with crucifixes and dark angellic beings. The goal isn't to frighten us but to unsettle you. And, it works! Douglas Schulze's use of "spiritual subject matter" was an excellent choice through which to tell his modern day "creepfest". Why? Because it is still relatively unexplored territoryo. Sure you have "The Exorcist", "The Omen" and a few rather silly evangelical flicks like "Left Behind" but these films tend to emphasize demonic possession a topic that has become very cliché. DARK HEAVEN follows a man who has lost his spiritual faith (nothing cinematic ally new there) but it's the story that follows that is so compelling and interesting - no apparent demonic possession here. A man who is a "good man" but has come to question his faith. Much like that old short story "YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN" (check it out, you'll get many of your answers there). I don't think that this film was ever meant to be "The Omen". I think that it is exactly what it set out to be, "creepy entertainment". Obviously the film has/is succeeding. I have read that a DARK HEAVEN 2 is coming and am eager to see it. Bravo filmmaker Douglas Schulze. I GET THE POINT AND I WAS ENTERTAINED.

I saw DARK HEAVEN when it premiered at the 13TH FESTIVAL OF FANTASTIC FILMS in Manchester, England - it was rightfully given a Jury Award. What a refreshing yet creepy story. I was waiting for the DVD release and must say that I was impressed. Writer, Director Douglas Schulze has made a very personal film while managing to appeal to the Avant-Garde Horror crowd. You definitely need to bring your brain to this viewing but I guarantee the ride is worth it. This film has been given a major release by indy studio THINKFILM the guys behind the Academy Award nominated SPELLBBOUND and DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS and it's at BLOCKBUSTER VIDEOS across the nation. SEE THIS FILM. SEE IT A FEW TIMES. The mood is infectious. The film is not without flaw but for it's limited budget it achieves wonders. The negative comments I've read seem highly judgmental and suspiciously jaded. DARK HEAVEN 2?