| 词条 | The Man in the Shadows |
| 释义 |
| name = The Man in the Shadows | image = | caption = | director = Joshua Fraiman | producer ={{Plainlist|
}} | writer = Adam Tomlinson | starring ={{Plainlist|
}} | music = Adrian Ellis | cinematography = Andrew Cymek | editing = Andrew Cymek | production companies = Good Soldier Films, Thunder Wolf | distributor = Tombstone Distribution[1] | released = {{Film date|df=y|2015|06|01|Dances With Films}}{{Film date|df=y|2015|09|22|Cinéfest}} | runtime = 89 minutes[2] | country = Canada | language = English | budget = }}The Man in the Shadows (US/UK video release: The Shadow Man)[3] is a 2015 Canadian supernatural horror film,[3] the first feature film directed by Joshua Fraiman and written by co-star and co-producer Adam Tomlinson, based on a personal experience, as well as on reports by "millions of people around the world" of so-called shadow people,[4] a phenomenon associated with sleep paralysis. The plot centres around a prescription drug-addicted[5] newlywed photographer (Sarah Jurgens) who appears to be stalked by a dark man in a brimmed hat who follows her from her nightmares into reality.[4] Rachel is aided by William (Adam Tomlinson) who has been investigating the "Hat Man" phenomenon.[3] PlotRachel Darwin, a pregnant woman going through a career crisis, has recurring dreams in which a shadow man wearing a fedora forcibly removes a deformed baby from her womb. Searching online, she discovers a world of night sufferers like herself, visited by watchers while they sleep. Her husband Scott believes that her experiences are hallucinations born from a subconscious still coping with his previous infidelity and a fear of childbirth. She seeks help and determines she is suffering from sleep paralysis. Troublingly, she also sees the "Hat Man" while awake, as a distorted blur in the background of a photograph, or a flicker in the corner of an eye. Rachel believes she may be being stalked by a malevolent supernatural entity. At her regular group therapy session for recovering addicts, Rachel shares her experience and befriends the only person who believes her, a strange man named William who claims to suffer from a similar sleep paralysis and visions. Rachel goes to William's apartment to learn more about his investigations into shadow people. His research has convinced him that multidimensional beings surround everyone, creatures who feed on human souls. Rachel is now even more terrified. She slips into an intoxicated dream confronted by horrors from her past. The nightmares get worse and Rachel begins to struggle as she slips between reality and nightmare. Scott takes her on a weekend getaway to an isolated winter cabin to take Rachel's mind off the Hat Man and rekindle their feelings for each other. Meanwhile, William examines photographs he secretly took of Rachel during group therapy and sees the Hat Man standing behind her. Rachel continues dreaming of the Hat Man at night and catching brief glimpses of him during the day. Frustrated with Rachel's aloofness and strange behaviour during her waking nightmares, a drunken Scott tries to rape her. Rachel knocks him out and returns to the city in their car. Rachel spends the night at William's. He shows her the pictures he took of her, but the Hat Man is not there. Rachel believes him; the same thing happens to photographs she has taken. Rachel and William have sex. He is sure that, with her help, he can put a stop the shadow figure. The next morning, Scott wakes and has his legal assistant Sally pick him up. Scott learns from the recovery group leader that Rachel was last seen with William. Scott bribes the group leader for William's address. William hypnotizes Rachel in an effort to explore her subconscious and confront the shadow man. Rachel once more has a vision of the Hat Man removing the baby from her womb. Rachel sees her childhood home, where the shadow man appears behind Rachel's mother after she kills herself in the bathtub. Rachel sees William's apartment and her own hypnotism session. William realizes that Rachel is astral projecting. She sees the Hat Man appear and kill William by supernatural means. Rachel stabs herself in order to wake up, and discovers William has indeed been killed. Arriving at William's during the attempt to fight the shadow man, Scott finds the door locked. The Hat Man attacks Rachel, who wrests his knife away and stabs him. He disappates. Scott tries speaking with Rachel through the door, and she realizes that her belly is bleeding. The Hat Man reforms out of the shadows and stabs Rachel repeatedly to death. The door then unlocks on its own, and Scott discovers to his horror the two corpses. Scott is arrested for the murders. During questioning, Scott realizes that his wife was telling the truth when he sees the Hat Man materialize in a photograph as well as behind the interrogating detective. Cast{{Castlist|
}} ProductionBackground and inspirationAdam Tomlinson first clarified what was meant by the "inspired by true events" tagline at the film's post-premiere question-and-answer session; that the core story is based on his personal experience of seeing "a hat man" and then discovering his nightmare sighting was a worldwide phenomenon.[6] Tomlinson's fascination with shadow people began with a nightmare in which he was being followed by a man in a hat, and then awakening to find the man was in his bedroom, watching him. He actually forgot about it until a friend told him of a similar dream. Tomlinson then turned to the Internet, and found thousands of similar reports from around the globe: "No one really knows what they are ... You wake up from a dream and find a man in a hat standing over you or sitting on your bed and you're unable to move."[7][8] Tomlinson said shadow people first gained prominence in 1999 when Art Bell mentioned them on a radio show. More than 4,000 people responded with their own reports of encountering shadowy figures after waking.[7] However, according to co-executive producer Brigitte Kingsley, "People through hundreds of years have seen this figure, or shadow person appearing in their dreams, causing sleep paralysis and sometimes seen in waking life as well".[8] Estimates of how many people experience sleep paralysis vary from 5 percent to 60 percent; the scientific explanation for it is "a disconnect between body and mind" in which one becomes mentally aware before the body "wakes up" from its paralyzed state, potentially a terrifying experience, especially if, as frequently happens, these episodes are accompanied by hallucinations and the sensation of breathlessness.[6] There may be a sense of an intruder: shadow figures, malevolent watchers and the Man In the Hat. The Old Testament is filled with stories of night terrors. In the Middle Ages, people were visited by demons and incubus. The word "nightmare" refers to the Scandinavian "mara", a spirit sent to torment or suffocate sleepers.[6][9] Writing and characterizationTomlinson wrote much of the script while living with his parents in Grimsby, Ontario, and insisted on the factual basis of his story: "It's fiction based on real life ... Everything is based on fact. I think that's scarier because it's real."[8] The Man in the Shadows is the first full-length film Tomlinson has both written, co-produced, and starred in.[7] His character is a Fox Mulder-like character "who walks the main character down the path of learning about shadow people."[8] The downward spiral the main character experiences was inspired by interrupting comments made by a homeless man who approached Tomlinson while talking to a friend about shadow people: the man approached him and said: "They will ruin your life and take all your money." Those comments "set the tone for the journey the main character endures."[8] Sarah Jurgens is the actress who portrays that main character, Rachel Darwin, a photographer addicted to prescription drugs who begins to lose her sense of reality as she grapples with her broken marriage and her nightmares. According to Jurgens, the most challenging thing about this project was "arcing" the character's descent into delusion.[5] The Man In The Shadows gave me the permission to explore the experience of being haunted, hunted and stalked ... I was given the opportunity to live in a state of mental unraveling. I enjoyed the challenge of playing a character who was wrestling with truth and illusion, experiencing the slippage of her own sanity.[5][9] FilmingJoshua Fraiman's background in film was primarily as a cinematographer,[10] with The Man in the Shadows representing his directorial debut.[8] Principal photography took place over a tight twelve days[6] in Toronto, Muskoka, and Port Perry.[8] At least 50% of the material written into the original draft was cut.[6] Release and receptionThe Man in the Shadows had its world premiere at the Dances with Films Festival in Los Angeles, on 1 June 2015,[10][11] and its Canadian premiere at Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival on 22 September 2015,[9] where it was presented by Fraiman and Kingsley, who grew up in Sudbury and still has family there.[12] The film was also chosen as an Official Selection of the 2015 Scare-A-Con Film Festival where Jurgens was nominated for a Best Actress Award, and the film nominated for a Best Feature Award.[9][13]Critical responseWith a few exceptions, critics of the film were disappointed by The Man in the Shadows, despite an interesting premise based on a relatively-little explored phenomenon, as effectvely summed up by Peter Hopkins: "Those wanting a horror film which explores the worldwide phenomenon of the shadow man will be sadly disappointed by this Canadian thriller."[14] While the film may have "undeniably fascinating ideas", it never quite follows through on them.[15] The script is confused, the characters lack substantial connection and talk too much, breaking an imporant rule of cinematic storytelling: "show, don't tell."[16] Shannon McGrew was extremely disappointed by the film for its "atrocious" acting, "ridiculous" dialogue that makes no sense in context, non-existent chemistry between Rachel and the other characters, and for not doing justice to the titular urban legend: I wish writer Adam Tomlinson had focused more on the legend of The Shadow Man as it would have made for a much more intriguing story. In the case of this film, we have a convoluted story with plot points that never really get resolved. For example, Rachel's husband, Scott (Baillie), tries to rape her because he's upset that she won't have sex with him after finding out he cheated on her. Then the mysterious stranger William (Tomlinson), takes pictures of women during AA, which we never get an explanation for, and then suddenly becomes an expert on all things related to shadow men. Rachel becomes so enamored with him that she ends up sleeping with him. So with that said, we have a man that takes unwanted photos of women and another man that tries to rape the lead – none of these get resolved and both of these plot points never needed to happen.[17] Ian Sedensky of Culture Crypt gives the film a rating of 45 (out of 100). While the film looks fine cinematically, there is not enough substance for those fascinated by the sleep paralysis phenomenon to engage with. Noting that half the original script was cut, he concludes that "the producers settled solely on keeping only scenes that were fast and easy to shoot, as the movie consists of a whole lot of talking, and not much else"; the film is "the kind of boring where activity takes place onscreen and words are actively spoken, but little of it comes with forward momentum." A movie with this premise should be mortaring bricks of suspense while building a foundation of tightening terror. Instead, people pontificate pointlessly on what would be a perfect way to die, on possible explanations for sleep paralysis that are never explored further, and on half-formed thoughts regarding scientific ideas and conspiracy theories behind the phenomenon. None of it adds up to a hill of beans. That's when the realization comes that "The Man in the Shadows" does not actually have a plot.[18]While actress Sarah Jurgens has a "striking" screen presence, her character, Rachel, "is mired in such malaise that her personality never magnetizes an audience connection", and "other than an aborted Google search and perfunctory perusing of a loon's newspaper clipping collection" she does not mount a specific effort to sort out her situation, ambling casually from scene to scene, "happening to exist in whatever mundane moment has some vague connection" to her visions.[18] Nick Baillie's character Scott, with whom she has limited chemistry, "has the charisma of a wet sock," likely because the script forces attempts at "wooing charm" into his dialogue; his attempt at reconciliation is the only "clear point A to point B arc motivating movement with a discernible destination in mind."[18] Blair Hoyle found the film perplexing, as though Joshua Fraiman "set out to intentionally make an awkward film": "From the performances and the wild overreactions of the characters to the strange aesthetic of the film's antagonist, and the eerie score reminiscent of made-for-TV movies of the '90s, it's all completely unconventional and downright bizarre."[42] Hoyle likens the film to a mixture of The Mothman Prophecies, Stir of Echoes, and The Babadook, predicting the film is sure to be a "polarizing" one for its non-traditional, and peculiar techniques, and asserts that the film only "really hits its stride in the third act, which plays out like a kooky horror film." For the first time, the film slips into full-on genre territory, as laughs and scares begin to come semi-regularly. For a small window of time, the film is so fun and weirdly energetic that it's a bit frustrating that the rest of the running time is spent in the suspense-building stage.[19]Peter Hopkins agreed that "only in the final 15 minutes does the film go back into the genre it was hoping for." While the premise behind the film and its core story is interesting, both are "pushed into a boring plodding mess"; the film is full of suspense but is sadly lacking a punch that is worth the build-up.[14] Florian Halbeisen concurred that the film improves in the third act: it may not make much sense, but is at least entertaining.[16] Nik Holman takes the opposite view of most critics: it is a "great" film that is "well written and acted" with "witty dialogue", but with an "underwhelming" and conventional third act.[20] Robin Menken said The Man In The Shadows was one of the more interesting film at Dances With Films: "The first two thirds of the movie balance creepiness and marital problems, but by the third act, we're in full out horror mode, unleashing some wack scares."[6] Nick Redfern praised the film unreservedly, appreciating the research that "clearly went into the making of the movie", the acting, the "believable" characters, and the "solid and sinister atmosphere" achieved by "imaginative camera-work."[21] Nominations
Home media and streamingThe Man in the Shadows was expected to debut on iTunes in Canada some time in Spring 2016, and globally in June.[7] The DVD was released in Canada on 16 December 2016, including special features, deleted scenes, and feature length audio commentary, the feature run time 88 minutes.[4] In the UK, a DVD was released on 16 October 2017 from High Fliers Films.[14] In the US, both DVD and VOD releases occurred on 31 October 2017 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[2] The special features include deleted scenes and audio commentary by director Joshua Fraiman, writer Adam Tomlinson, and executive producer Andrew Cymek.[3]SequelTomlinson had already written the sequel by the time of the film's release; filming would depend on the success of the original.[7] References1. ^{{cite web |title=The Man in the Shadows |url=https://www.covercity.net/cover/dvd-covers-the-man-in-the-shadows-94599 |website=Cover City |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 2. ^1 {{cite web |title=The Shadow Man (2017) |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Shadow-Man-The-(Canada)#tab=summary |website=The Numbers |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 3. ^1 2 3 {{cite web |title=The Shadow Man – Canada, 2015 |url=https://horrorpedia.com/2017/08/29/the-shadow-man-2015-canadian-horror-movie-overview-cast-plot-review-dvd-trailer/ |website=Horrorpedia |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 4. ^1 2 {{cite web |title=The Man In The Shadows (DVD) |url=https://defiant-empire-distribution.myshopify.com/products/the-man-in-the-shadows-dvd |website=Defiant Empire Distribution |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 5. ^1 2 {{cite web |last1=Greenbaum |first1=L. (interviewer) |title=An Interview with One of Canada’s Hottest Actresses, Sarah Jurgens! |website=International Film Review |url=https://internationalfilmreview.net/2015/09/15/an-interview-with-one-of-canadas-hottest-actresses-sarah-jurgens/ |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 6. ^1 2 3 4 5 {{cite web |last1=Menken |first1=Robin |title=The Man In the Shadows |url=https://cinemawithoutborders.com/3835-the-man-in-the-shadows/ |website=Cinema Without Borders |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 7. ^1 2 3 4 {{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Amanda |title=Grimsby cafe to screen film exploring 'shadow people' phenomenon |url=https://www.niagarathisweek.com/whatson-story/6387280-grimsby-cafe-to-screen-film-exploring-shadow-people-phenomenon/ |accessdate=28 March 2019 |work=Niagara This Week |date=11 March 2016}} 8. ^1 2 3 4 5 6 {{cite news |title=Cinefest: 'Shadows' a creepy thriller |url=https://www.thesudburystar.com/2015/09/22/cinefest-shadows-a-creepy-thriller/wcm/c72ad07e-b110-5706-a1ba-24989c906e25 |accessdate=28 March 2019 |work=Sudbury Star |date=21 September 2015}} 9. ^1 2 3 4 {{cite web |last1=Wilder |first1=Lorraine (interviewer) |title=From “Swearnet: The Movie” to “The Man in the Shadows,” Sarah Jurgens is an Actress We Love to Watch |url=https://tinseltownnewsnow.net/2015/09/15/from-swearnet-the-movie-to-the-man-in-the-shadows-sarah-jurgens-is-an-actress-we-love-to-watch/ |website=Tinsel Town News Now |accessdate=28 March 2019 |date=25 September 2015}} 10. ^1 {{cite web |last1=Mack |first1=Andrew |title=THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS: Watch The Trailer For Indie Horror Flick |url=https://screenanarchy.com/2015/05/the-man-in-the-shadows-watch-the-trailer-for-indie-horror-flick.html |website=Screen Anarchy |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 11. ^{{cite web |last1=Moore |first1=Debi |title=2015 Dances with Films Lineup Includes The Horror, All I Need, Shevenge, Bad Exorcists, and More! |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/103456/2015-dances-with-films-lineup-includes-the-horror-all-i-need-shevenge-bad-exorcists-and-more/ |website=dreadcentral.com |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 12. ^{{cite news |last1=Stradiotto |first1=Laura |title=Cinefest: From Timmins to the jungles of Laos |url=https://www.thesudburystar.com/2015/09/22/cinefest-from-timmins-to-the-jungles-of-laos/wcm/32f10942-432c-a57e-65ca-d90afcd9bcd4 |accessdate=30 March 2019 |work=Sudbury Star |date=21 September 2017}} 13. ^1 {{cite news |title=One of Canada’s Hottest Talents of the Stage and Screen: Sarah Jurgens |url=https://www.groundreport.com/one-of-canadas-hottest-talents-of-the-stage-and-screen-sarah-jurgens/ |accessdate=28 March 2019 |work=Ground Report |date=22 September 2015}} 14. ^1 2 {{cite web |last1=Hopkins |first1=Peter |title=Film Review: THE SHADOW MAN (a.k.a. The Man In The Shadows) (2017) |url=https://www.horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk/2017/09/film-review-shadow-man-aka-man-in.html |website=Horror Screams Video Vault |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 15. ^{{cite web |title=The Man in the Shadows (2017) |url=https://www.moriareviews.com/horror/man-in-the-shadows-2017.htm |website=Moria |accessdate=30 March 2019}} 16. ^1 {{cite journal |last1=Halbeisen |first1=Florian |title=The Shadow Man (2017) – Review |url=https://www.yearsofterror.eu/2017/05/the-shadow-man-2017-review-kritik/ |work=100 Years of Terror |accessdate=30 March 2019 |language=German |date=24 May 2017}} 17. ^{{cite web |last1=McGrew |first1=Shannon |title=Blu-ray/DVD Review: THE SHADOW MAN (2017) |url=http://www.nightmarishconjurings.com/2017/11/10/blu-ray-dvd-review-the-shadow-man-2017/ |website=Nightmarish Conjurings |accessdate=29 March 2019}} 18. ^1 2 {{cite web |last1=Sedensky |first1=Ian |title=THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS (2015) |url=http://culturecrypt.com/movie-reviews/the-man-in-the-shadows-2015 |website=Culture Crypt |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 19. ^1 {{cite web |last1=Hoyle |first1=Blair |title=“The Man in the Shadows” Review |url=https://cinemaslasher.wordpress.com/2015/06/03/the-man-in-the-shadows-review/ |website=Cinema Slasher |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 20. ^{{cite web |last1=Holman |first1=Nik |title=‘The Shadow Man’ DVD Review |url=http://www.nerdly.co.uk/2017/10/20/the-shadow-man-dvd-review/ |website=Nerdly |accessdate=29 March 2019}} 21. ^{{cite web |last1=Redfern |first1=Nick |title=The Shadow Man – A Movie Reviewed |url=https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/12/the-shadow-man-a-movie-reviewed/ |website=Mysterious Universe |accessdate=30 March 2019}} External links
5 : 2015 films|Canadian films|Canadian drama films|Canadian horror films|Supernatural horror films |
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