If you watch this film as a movie as usual - to follow a plot, see some effects and try to relate to characters etc. you'll be confused, frustrated or bored. However if you sit down at it with the mindset of seeing something of the sorts of an art film, then I guarantee you that you will appreciate the instances it hurls you into one after the other and the experience within them. This film is a series of abstract, obscure metaphors and states to be experienced and more theatrical-like delivery than a regular movie. It's not for everyone, I agree but I personally enjoyed it very much. Simply be prepared for something abstract rather than a show to be watched on the surface.

Troubled police officer Gabriel Goodman (a solid and credible performance by Jon Bennet) finds himself trapped in some kind of bleak apocalyptic world. Several other folks help Gabriel out as he makes a harrowing descent into the abyss. Writer/director Douglas Schulze eschews graphic gore and cheap scares in favor of carefully crafting a extremely dark, eerie, and enigmatic atmosphere which becomes more increasingly grim and despairing as the narrative unfolds towards a truly startling and devastating surprise bummer ending. Moreover, Schulze makes inspired and effective use of familiar gospel songs and delivers plenty of disturbing religious-themed visuals (the shots of empty and abandoned city streets in particular are quite unsettling). Christina Sheldon makes a haunting impression as Gabriel's pregnant wife while Jeff Boerger cuts a freaky and frightening figure as a menacing Dark Angel. Bob Stewart's shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. The crisp widescreen cinematography by Steven Oatley and Robert Skates provides an appropriately moody look. However, it's the stark presentation of the simple premise which gives this picture an extra jarring and unnerving edge. Recommended viewing for fans of out of the ordinary fright fare.

Okay, I want to set the record straight. A lot of people on here have said this is the best movie ever. This is not true. A lot of people have said that this is the worst movie ever. This is also not true. It all comes down to realizing what we are watching.And what we are watching is the best of a bad situation. It's painfully obvious this move was on a shoestring budget. IMDb Pro says the budget was 80K. I find that impossible to believe. Unless, of course, all the 80K went to the actors. I find this hard to believe, but not impossible.This movie was doomed to be hated by tons of people. In the industry, there are two types of stories, high concept and low concept. Liar Liar is a high concept comedy. It's the story of a lawyer who's forced to tell the truth. There are only a few people who can pull off high concept comedy. Jim Carrey is one of those people, so the movie works, but still falls short because the premise is high. The movie Slackers is considered low concept. It is a character driven movie about people and not events. Low concept movies tend to work better because it's not as easy to disappoint the viewer. Dark Heaven is definitely a high concept film. So, being low budget, it is extremely difficult to live up to the idea. So, that explains one of the reasons why there are so many negative comments.Also, the special effects were great in some parts and significantly lacking in others. This leaves the viewer with a sense of confusion. When we see a movie, we're expecting it to be consistent. That explains another reason for the negative feedback.The acting jumps around from decent to tolerable to atrocious. I have no idea why this would happen. My only advice is that if a scene turns out bad, re-shoot it. If you don't have the money, then wait until you have the money and re-shoot it. Also, the dialogue tends to be a bit confusing and unrealistic at times. I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers. Yet another reason.One thing I really don't like is when a movie leads the viewer by the hand. Even big-budget Hollywood films fall prey to this, so you can't really gripe about it too much. I know if the movie didn't lead the viewers by the hand the people who said, "It was too easy to figure out, I hate it!" would have said "I didn't get it, I hate it!" I personally don't like it, but it doesn't make the movie bad.The story really needed some progression. The whole movie is too linear. Yes, everything is explained with annoying clarity, but I felt like I was walking a straight line on level ground. And, of course, after my journey, I ended where I started, feeling like I hadn't just watched a movie. Great movies leave you feeling something when it's over. You feel like you've been changed, if even for a brief moment. Yes, life goes on at the end of all movies, but I shouldn't be thinking about what I'm going to have for dinner as soon as the end credits start to roll.In the end, this movie is decent. I commend the people involved for pulling it off and making the movie at all. Thousands of movies will never be shot, and you simply have to give a hand to anyone who can make it. Making a movie, even a bad movie, is extremely difficult and takes lots of dedication and hard work. You can't chastise someone for getting it done. So, give it a watch, it's worth that, at least. You're not going to be overwhelmed or anything significant, but it is pretty creepy. However, I wouldn't spend the last of your paycheck on it. I, also, bought this from the bargain bin at Wal*Mart. So, if you have $6 to buy it or $2-$4 to rent it (depending on where you rent), it's worth watching. Just remember one thing, low budget! You can't go into a McDonald's and expect a 12 ounce steak with fried potatoes. You're getting a hamburger; don't be surprised when it tastes like a hamburger. Enough said.

...and then the movie ended. I saw nothing in this movie that would have any value. I didn't find some deep meaning that made being bored worthwhile, it wasn't nice to look at (it looked really horrible, actually), it wasn't exciting... Maybe some people could find something in there. But I found nothing that justified me wasting my time and money. I thought House of the Dead was the worst movie I'd ever seen, but at least that had some of my attention with the violence and nudity. The best of that they've got in here is some red paint smeared around and an out-of-shape naked guy. I'm not saying I was watching for that. I can forgive either a bad but entertaining movie, or a good but slow movie. Not both of the bad sides in one. I was interested in the angels but they look like plastic statues and they squirt milk when you stab them. I only kept watching because I thought SOMETHING must happen but it was just a predictable ending. I didn't feel anything at the end because the main character said and did the most stupid things. I understand the whole faith thing but it doesn't seem like it was done well. I'm just an average viewer, and this movie was boring and meaningless to me.