SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Fantastic!

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

The lovely, voluptuous Monica Keena stars as a date rape victim, the drug used killing her. She is trapped in a sort of limbo, a sanctuary whose light is dimming, her Celia needing to find the door into heaven. Donovan(David Anders)has been a kind of guardian angel for Celia, keeping her from harm..that is until now where she has to avoid "soul eaters" which have secured her grandfather's soul since his life before death had been less than satisfactory for heaven. Celia spends most of the film running from the darkness and the creatures which desire to feast on her soul. Donovan's motives, which seem just, may not be what they seem. Donovan wishes for her to enter a room which may not be access to heaven, but instead somewhere as dark as damnation itself. Tim Thomerson has a nice role as Celia's grandfather, who she must save while staying one step ahead of the soul eaters out to get her. Celia also seeks to find a way out of her predicament so she can join her mother and grandmother in the afterlife. In the movie, Celia receives pointers on how to successfully attain her desired goal, through ambiguous means from her loved ones. We see that her father(a drunk who left Celia behind) and a childhood friend(a volleyball player), however, weren't so lucky. Director Steven R Monroe keeps his movie moving at an exhausting pace, creating, and maintaining, a disorienting and nightmarish atmosphere where poor Keena must go wherever sanctuary resides, barely able to catch a breath for any long periods due to the darkness which manifests and attempts to engulf her. The beautiful Jessica Stroup(HOMECOMING)is Keena's best friend, Justine, who she must keep safe from the same fate as she suffered. Monroe shrouds the character of Donovan with enough mystery and doubt that we aren't ever completely sure of his real reasons for helping Celia. Monroe shoots Celia's journey after death(and, actually, before she is killed)in a discombobulated fashion to convey how confounding her situation really is..how does one face such a terrifying scenario as not only having to accept that you're dead, but keep from being consumed by evil which comes at you from all angles? Keena's role is demanding physically because she's constantly running about to and fro, and she must show the emotional upheaval as well. Kudos to her in a tour-de-force performance.

I thought this movie would be a lot better especially since a lot of the other Stephen J. Cannell straight to DVD movies i've seen were pretty good.Ones like It lives,the garden and room 6 were enjoyable but left in darkness was a good script and good idea but it reminded me more of an all ages movie that you would see on TV.The score was more like a Disney movie and the acting was OK but not great.It was just not scary.I can't believe Steve and the director actually thought it was scary when they said it was in the making of or behind the scenes extra feature.The character of Donovan was the worst written because when he died he was an 8 year old boy,so why was he 20 something all of a sudden when Celia died.I didn't realize you aged after you died.I assumed you stayed the same age.Also why was he her guardian angel while she was alive,and then a demon or devil when she dies.That whole part was stupid and made no sense.It would have made more sense if she met Donovan again as an 8 year old boy the way he appeared to her in a cemetery.But aging him and making him evil is just very inconsistent.And as if a little girl is going to fly through the air after nearly being hit by a car.The monsters looked more like something from a sci-fi or fantasy movie not a horror.It was very predictable and not well executed.I have seen movies with way lower budgets that are actually scary and seemed believable.This one was more of a disappointment.

Have you ever seen a horror movie where the protagonist is so dumb you want them to get eaten, because, quite frankly, they deserve it? This is one of those movies.In Left in Darkness, the main character, Ceila is killed at a frat party and ends up in purgatory, purgatory being the same house she was killed in during the party. There she is chased by "souleaters" which as the name suggests, eat the souls who enter purgatory. The only other "person" there with her is Donavan, who claims to have been her imaginary friend when she was young and also that he was her guardian angel. Donavan repeatedly warns her to stay in the light (souleater's won't enter it), stay in the house (sould eaters can't come in unless she invites them), and stay away from pretty much anyone she meets (because souleaters can take the shape off and the memories from any soul they eat and thus impersonate people she knew before death.) Therefore, she leaves the house, walks in darkness, and time after time falls for a souleater's illusion and almost gets eaten. Which brings us back to the beginning. At some point during the movie, probably around the fourth or fifth complication, you want her to get eaten, just so the movie will end.

Be forewarned - There may be spoilers in this review! I really liked this movie! I have to admit, I don't really like movies with a lot of gore, so I tend to avoid most, if not all, horror movies. This movie, however, seemed to rely more on mood and suspense instead of blood and guts. I feel as though the movie really upped the ante because instead of just having the heroine trying to flee for her life, she is trying to save her soul.Also, for all of you David Anders fans, you will not be disappointed. He did an excellent job and I really hope to see him in more movies. It was as if this role was written just for him. I couldn't imagine another person in the role.I highly recommend this film!