Movie review
May 13, 2016 · 92 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
A suburban family returns from a Grand Canyon vacation with five mysterious stones that unleash ancient demons linked to Anasazi folklore. The supernatural events play out against the family's personal struggles, including the autistic son's behavior, the daughter's eating disorder, the mother's drinking, and the father's work pressures. The film contains no audience-visible identity politics, activist dialogue, forced representation, or modern social-justice framing in its story, marketing, or execution.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Darkness.
Woke representation / casting
Family cast fits a typical 2010s Los Angeles suburban household with no forced diversity, race or gender swaps, or visible identity signaling.
Woke political dialogue
No activist, political, or social-justice dialogue appears in the script or delivery.
Identity-driven story themes
Autism is used as a plot device for supernatural sensitivity (some reviewers found this insensitive); Anasazi lore serves as exotic ancient evil with no contemporary identity affirmation or reframing.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Story stays with personal family flaws and an ancient curse; no modern institutional critique, toxic masculinity portrayals, anti-conservative framing, or challenges to traditional norms.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant; original fictional story with only loose marketing claim of "true events."
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No woke-related backlash or praise; minor reviewer notes on disability handling and cultural stereotypes stayed focused on taste and quality, not ideology.
Creator track record context
Main creatives and most crew have commercial horror or genre backgrounds with no activist patterns; one minor crew member (Marielle Woods, second-second assistant director) has a public queer and genderfluid identity but held a technical role only.
