A Light in the Darkness

Story Line: Released from a mental institution after a lengthy confinement, Taylor Melnick (Matt Terzian) still suffers from hallucinations revolving around his late, tyrannical mother (Karen Black). He's also forced to cope with problems created by his scheming Uncle Stanley (Geoffrey Lewis) and alcoholic housekeeper Kira Hansen (Troy Beyer).

Bottom Line: There are some effective sequences in Light in the Darkness—especially the hallucinations in which Terzian's character is tormented by his shrewish mother—but on the whole, this thriller offers very few thrills. Director Uzzle strings together scenes without much thought to pace or suspense, and viewers will have trouble figuring out how they are supposed to feel about Taylor, who comes off as sympathetic in some instances and menacing in others. Competently made with some nice location lensing, Light is far from a disaster, but it might satisfy only the genre's strongest devotees.