Perhaps the best thing that can be said about The Dawn is that it resisted the urge to call itself The Blair Witch Projects. The story involves an “urban” (read: black) college professor (Omar Jermaine) bringing a group of black and Latino students to the woods to “experience the world before Christianity.” Apparently, “the world before Christianity” revolved around a lot of ad-libbed, weed-induced banter.
It’s truly amazing how slow this movie is; it should be called a “stillie”. Even the “scary” scenes are slow, as the potential victims sit around talking, smoking, taking a stroll, eating a balanced breakfast, practically begging to be killed. They eventually are, but the killing doesn’t start until an hour into this sub-90-minute snore-fest, and practically all of it takes place off screen. Off screen!
What is an interesting premise is just that: a premise. It’s never expounded in the least. Don’t let the cover art fool you; there are no demons, ghosts, zombies, etc. Just some punk kids. Stupid, boring, stupid, stupid punk kids. While most of the cast is full of mumbly non-actors, heroine Carmen (Alessandra Ramos) is a one-woman orgy of overacting — screaming, crying and sniveling to such an extent that it becomes the most enjoyable aspect of this bland heap.
