My take: Female serial killer from the 1940s? Yes, please.

My rating: 2 out of 4 stars

The title Daughter of Darkness gives no indication of what the film is about. I really didn’t know what to expect when I hit play. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised by the slow-building tension in this thriller.

daughter of darkness

There’s Emmy, being pursued by another man. It will not end well for him.

The story is about a young Irish girl named Emmy, who is sent away from her home town because the women all think there is something evil about her. They can’t seem to describe exactly what evil lurks behind that pretty face, but they hint at the men being tempted by her.

Emmy is sent off to a farm in England. It does not take long for the men to start pursuing her there as well. But Emmy is not a girl to be trifled with. She may flirt, but behind that coy smile is a killer, ready to take out any man who tries to go too far.

This movie reminded me a lot of Cat People. Just like with that movie, the violence is all innuendo and hidden in the shadows. The terror is psychological and it relies on fear and tension to draw you in, as opposed to special effects and jump scares.

I would recommend Daughter of Darkness to people who like psychological thrillers and serial killer movies.

I got the movie through Netflix’s DVD service. There isn’t a trailer on YouTube, but I did find this clip, which shows the eerie way men are drawn to Emmy and her aloof flirtations: