Dark Skies(2013)
2013 · Scott Stewart · 97 min
From the producers of Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Sinister comes Dark Skies: a supernatural thriller that follows a young family living in the suburbs. As husband and wife Daniel and Lacey Barret witness an escalating series of disturbing events involving their family, their safe and peaceful home quickly unravels. When it becomes clear that the Barret family is being targeted by an unimaginably terrifying and deadly force, Daniel and Lacey take matters in their own hands to solve the mystery of what is after their family.
Science Fiction · Thriller · Horror
6.42k votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
2/5
Stays with you
How Dark Skies scares
There's a creeping unease that builds slowly through everyday family life before tipping into sharper jolts and startles in its second half. The fear comes from feeling watched and helpless inside your own home, with strange events piling up before anything is fully explained. It leans more sci-fi than ghostly, with an otherworldly threat that feels cold and unknowable rather than magical. It's tense and unsettling in the moment, but it's more of a scary ride than something that will haunt you for days.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Dark Skies rates psychological 3/5, visceral 2/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 2/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 3 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 2 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 55 of 100 — balanced
Supernatural vs Real-world: 30 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 45 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-building creeper that piles on small unsettling moments before tightening into a tense, harrowing final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is Dark Skies?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Dark Skies rates 3/5 — solidly scary, balancing creeping dread with well-placed shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. 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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