Hannah Emily Anderson – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

BERKLEY BRADY on DARK NATURE, Career and Creative Choices – Marina Antunes interviews

June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 Marina Antunes Berkley Brady, Dark Nature, Hannah Emily Anderson, Kyra Harper, Madison Walsh

Wilderness survival stories are commonplace in the horror space but few bother to develop any sort of meaningful characters or relationships. That’s certainly not the case with Dark Nature. Writer/director Berkley Brady’s debut feature introduces a group of women who make their way into the Rocky Mountains in what is being sold as a journey of healing and self-discovery. But the beautiful and serene outdoors quickly devolves into a nightmare when the women find themselves hunted by an entity. Part survival story, part friendship story, and part folk tale, Dark Nature delivers an effective bit of terror alongside well-developed concepts of survival, abuse and friendship. We recently had the chance to speak with Berkley about the film

Reviews

DARK NATURE – Review by Rachel West

May 16, 2023June 5, 2023 Rachel West Berkley Brady, canadian films., Dark Nature, Hannah Emily Anderson, Helen Belay, horror, Jaryl Lim, Kyra Harper, Madison Walsh, Tim Cairo

Female trauma and horror tend to go hand-in-hand, easily setting up the idea of a survivor who is about to face their greatest challenge yet. Therefore, it is no surprise that director Berkley Brady makes her feature directorial debut with the blood-soaked Dark Nature which leans into the deep psychological wounds of a group of women to drive the film’s integral theme. The ironically named Joy is six months out of an abusive relationship with a man who is both physically and psychologically cruel and continues to struggle in her recovery. Her friend Carmen has the perfect solution to help her move forward – a healing nature retreat with a group of trauma survivors. Since this is a horror film, it can only be expected that instead of a healing nature quest, the women face a dark presence intent on inflicting some new trauma.