Is Dark Was the Night gory?

Somewhat — Dark Was the Night rates 2/5 on The Horror Database's gore scale: some blood, not an endurance test.

Does Dark Was the Night rely on jump scares?

Not really — Dark Was the Night leans slow-burn (25/100 on THDB's slow-burn↔jump-scare spectrum); the fear builds as dread rather than shocks.

Will Dark Was the Night stay with you after watching?

Some of it — Dark Was the Night rates 2/5 on lingering effect; it follows you to bed but lets go within a day or so.

Who is Dark Was the Night for?

Dark Was the Night is scary without being punishing (45/100 on THDB's fun-scary↔disturbing spectrum) at 2/5 intensity.

BrowseAI · unconfirmed

Dark Was the Night(2014)

Name: Dark Was the Night
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Released: 2014
Duration: 97 min

2014 · Jack Heller · 97 min

An evil is unleashed in a small town when a logging company sets up shop in the neighboring woods. Isolated and threatened, a mysterious force hidden within the trees outside the small town of Maiden Woods, strikes fear in the townspeople as Sheriff Paul Shields attempts to overcome the demons of his past while protecting those that he loves.

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Horror · Thriller

5.6287 votes

TMDB score

2/5

Intensity

2/5

Gore

2/5

Stays with you

How Dark Was the Night scares

Dark Was the Night spends most of its time building a heavy, quiet mood in a small town surrounded by woods, leaning on dread and the sense of being watched rather than constant action. The pace is slow and character-focused, following a sheriff dealing with grief and guilt while something unseen moves through the trees at night. When the creature does show itself, it's more about tension and inevitability than gore or shock, and the scares lean atmospheric rather than jumpy. It's a good pick if you want a moody, sad-tinged monster story rather than a fast, adrenaline-heavy scare fest.

Intensity over runtime

Shape only — no events

Reveal pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.

A slow-building small-town mystery that stays quiet and moody for a long while before tightening into a tense, harder-hitting final stretch.

How scary is Dark Was the Night?

On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Dark Was the Night rates 2/5 — moderately scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory 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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