ALONE IN THE DARK

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?