That "The Dark" is largely unknown on this continent is a shame, because this is a movie that could have and should have enjoyed a vastly larger audience, and brought more mainstream viewers over into horror, without watering the film down to '97-style 'horror-lite'. The tagline is 'One Of The Living For One Of The Dead', referring to an old part of Welsh folklore where a death on this side could sometimes bring back someone from Anwyth, the afterlife in ancient Welsh beliefs. The family in "The Dark" consists of two parents who recently broke up (Sean Bean and Maria Bello) and their twelve-ish daugther Sarah, who lives with the mother in America while her father has relocated to his native Wales. During a mother-and-daughter trip to see the father, a terrible accident happens and Sarah is washed into the ocean. Not knowing if she's alive or dead, an extensive search is organized drawing on pretty well everyone from the nearby village. And as the search is ongoing, strange things start to appear and to happen, and the supernatural elements enter.

"The Dark" is well acted - with a standout performance from the perrennially under-rated Sean Bean -, well made with realistic effects and high production values, has an upper-level musical score, and is all played out against the magnificent vista of Wales's green fields, high rocky cliffs, and mighty crashing waves, the beauty of all of which can turn very threatening under the right conditions. With a powerful emotional punch on top of all that, this one's highly recommended.