Alone In The Dark (No, Not The Uwe Boll Motion Picture)

Alone in the Dark (1982)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Jack Sholder

Starring: Jack Palance, Martin Landau, David Schultz, Erland van Lidth, Donald Pleasence

From: New Line Cinema

Last night on TCM Underground I saw this cult favorite, which has grown in popularity these past few years. I did not love it but I was entertained. See why below: 

This is a movie I have heard of for years now and I've seen various people praise it, yet it's not the easiest movie to track down, at least legally. Thus, when TCM Underground showed it last night, I couldn't turn down the chance to finally give it a whirl. After seeing this... suddenly I am not so surprised the second A Nightmare on Elm Street turned out as weird as it did, as this movie is from the same director, Jack Sholder, and this is also pretty weird.

The cast definitely always had my attention from the first time I ever heard about the film. I mean, Dwight Schultz takes over at a psych ward for Donald Pleasence (who seems almost as off-kilter as his patients), and the four dangerous lunatics who escape from there are Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Dynamo from The Running Man, and a fourth character who I won't reveal, because reasons. I don't think I need to clarify that this is not a nuanced measured take on what it is like to suffer from serious mental health issues.

I mean, Palance is a paranoid former POW soldier, Erland van Lidth is a child molester and Landau is the incredible combination of a pyromaniac preacher. Aside from the plot, how it is laid out and a lot of the humor being odd are two of the reasons why I say this is strange. I can't say I wasn't entertained, though, with those old pros hamming it up and such moments as seeing a punk band called The Sic F*cks perform; they're exactly what you'd expect from the name and description. In addition, one of the killers briefly wears a hockey mask; as this came out a few months after the third Friday the 13th came out. I'll say it was just a coincidence. One part of this reminded me of You're Next, and I am sure that Adam Wingard & Simon Barrett were familiar with this before they made You're Next.

I can say that this is smarter than the average slasher, and there definitely are some disturbing moments to go along with the typical slasher mayhem. I mean, the molester gets to spend some time with a little girl... talk about frightening. “The big reveal” also was nice as it was subtle and yet if you were paying attention you may have been able to figure it out beforehand. A good portion of the movie takes place during a blackout, so while there's naturally light in the day... when the sun sets, the title is appropriate. I mean, part of this is a home invasion thriller, pretty much. There is also enough kills and gory moments for those that are big into such things. The final scene... I'll just say it's hilarious for a variety of reasons. You see and hear things you never thought would be together.

I know some really love this; I don't feel that strongly about it but it was still a fine picture.