Dark Encounter(2019)
2019 · Carl Strathie · 97 min
A year after the mysterious disappearance of an 8 year-old girl, we meet her grieving family as they return home from her memorial service in their small town. Later that evening, strange lights appear in the nearby forest and the family is exposed to an inexplicably strange phenomenon that rattles them to the core. The origin of the lights appear to be visitors from another world that seemingly terrorize the family. What they don't realize is that these 'beings' will lead the family to the truth behind the little girl's disturbing disappearance.
Science Fiction · Thriller · Horror
5.4127 votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
2/5
Stays with you
How Dark Encounter scares
Watching this feels heavy and sad more than thrilling, since it wraps its scares around a family still grieving a lost child. The pace is slow and moody, leaning on unease, strange lights, and quiet dread rather than constant jolts or gore. It mixes sci-fi mystery with emotional drama, so the fear creeps in through grief and confusion rather than jump-out-of-your-seat moments. This suits someone who wants a sad, atmospheric mystery with a supernatural edge rather than a fast, fun scare-fest.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Dark Encounter rates psychological 4/5, visceral 2/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 2/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 4 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 2 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 30 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 30 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 55 of 100 — balanced
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, grief-heavy start gives way to mounting unease that builds steadily into a tense, intense final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is Dark Encounter?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Dark Encounter rates 2/5 — moderately scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. The fear is mostly in your head — it unsettles far more than it assaults. Expect it to be restrained with gore and scary but not punishing. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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