Alone in the Dark

Production: Benni Korzen (Executive Producer)

Screenplay: Jack Sholder (Story) — Robert Shaye (Story) — Michael Harrpster (Story)

Music: Jean Standish (Music) — Pino Bernardini (Music) — Renato Serio (Original Music Composer)

Cinematography: Joseph Mangine (Director of Photography)

Taking advantage of a total blackout, four maniacs escape from the city's psychiatric hospital. After procuring axes and knives, they go to visit their psychiatrist, who lives in an isolated villa with his daughter, wife, and sister, seeking blood and revenge. Starring a cast of big names (including Donald Pleasence, Martin Landau, J. Palace), "Alone in the Dark" is a classic slasher that nevertheless presents some elements of originality compared to the genre's stereotypes: for example, the killers are four instead of one; and then the victims, for once, react violently to their attackers. Too bad for some script limitations (the dialogues are really bad) and for the poor Italian dubbing. Nothing exceptional but always better than the predictable sequels of "Friday the 13th" or "Halloween". One last curiosity: one of the killers, for a brief sequence, wears a hockey mask very similar to the one Jason puts on his face in "A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge", third episode of the "Friday the 13th" saga; both films are from 1982, who had the idea first?

Simple but entertaining suspense-thriller with a fun cast that includes Jack Palance, Martin Landau and Donald Pleasence. The horror element was decent and acting pretty solid for the most part. The one minor twist in the finale I had an inkling about yet was still effective. Would make for a great viewing on Halloween night. 3.75/5

Inmates escape the loony bin with Pleasence, Palance and Landau

During a blackout, several violent patients break out of a progressive asylum in New Jersey (Jack Palance, Martin Landau & Erland Van Lidth) and threaten a new doctor and his family at their farmhouse (Dwight Schultz, Deborah Hedwall, etc.). Donald Pleasence is on hand as the eccentric head of the facility.

"Alone in the Dark" (1982) is a fairly obscure horror flick that borrows from “Silent Night, Bloody Night” (1972), “Halloween” (1978) and “Night of the Living Dead” (1968). Pleasence, Palance and Landau are a highlight; basically veteran actors making some extra cash in their twilight years and having a good time doing it.

Lee Taylor-Allan (Toni) and Carol Levy (Bunky, the babysitter) stand out on the feminine front. The latter is good-looking, but needed to eat some cheeseburgers.

While nothing spectacular, the movie has some welcome quirks and highlights, such as the idea of a “progressive” sanitarium, Toni’s situation (she’s recovering from a recent nervous breakdown), the contrasting of different levels of crazy whether inside or outside of mental institutions and the performance of The Sic F##ks at a local club. Speaking of the latter, a member of the band ran into Palance several years later and informed him who he was. Jack responded, “We were all sick f##ks in that movie.”

The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in New Jersey (Ridgewood, Newark, Hillsdale and Englewood).

GRADE: B-/C+

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ALONE IN THE DARK