A Dark Song 2017

A heartbroken Sophia Howard rents a secluded house in the serene countryside of Wales, hoping to persuade the irritable occultist Joseph Solomon to guide her through a rigorous, months-long ritual from The Book of Abramelin. This is her desperate quest to summon her guardian angel, who she means to ask about her deceased seven-year-old son. Solomon warns her that abandoning the ritual midway could spell disaster and emphasizes that she must withstand a series of arduous tasks involving real demons and angels. With unwavering determination, she agrees, enduring a multitude of grueling exercises but stands firm against the forgivable ceremony. In return for her refusal, Solomon insists she must consume his blood and partake in a sexual act as part of the ritual. After coercing her into stripping, he uses the moment for his own satisfaction, claiming it’s not tied to the ritual. Infuriated by his manipulation, Sophia retaliates by urinating in his breakfast the following morning.

As the days turn into weeks, their begrudging camaraderie begins to form. Yet, after several months of torment, a frustrated Sophia voices her annoyance at the slow progress, leading to an accusation from Solomon that she is hindering the ritual due to her dishonesty. Eventually, she confesses that her true intent in approaching the angel is to seek vengeance on those who abducted and murdered her son. That night, Solomon awakens her with a dire proclamation: her dishonesty has tainted her spirit, necessitating a disturbing rebirthing ritual in the bathtub. However, in a terrifying twist, he drowns her, recites an incantation, and revives her through CPR. Infuriated by his actions, she shoves him, causing him to tumble onto a sharp kitchen knife, suffering a grievous injury. As she bandages his wound with scarce supplies, he reveals that this occurrence signifies the ritual is becoming effective and promises her that her vengeance will come to fruition. Solomon expresses his wish to the angel—an invisible existence, away from the chaos of humanity, as he longs for peace before facing the inevitable chaos of life.

As Solomon pushes through his injury, Sophia begins to experience haunting visions and the eerie sounds of her son’s voice echoing within the house. When Solomon’s wound takes a turn for the worse, he succumbs to an infected fate, passing away quietly in his sleep. Desperate for guidance, Sophia returns to his texts, only to find them rendered illegible and heavily crossed out. Attempting to escape beyond the boundaries of the house, her car fails to start. After wandering down an empty road, she is horrified to find herself back at the very mansion she sought to leave.

Upon re-entering, she faces nightmarish demons that torment her and inflict pain, severing one of her fingers as she pleads for forgiveness. Just as despair grips her, a brilliant white light engulfs the house. In this radiant moment, she encounters a magnificent, armored angel, to whom she poses a profound request for the power to forgive. After a gentle smile from the angel, she finds hope. Subsequently, she holds a water burial for Solomon, finally releasing her burdens before driving away toward an uncertain future.