Director(s) – Freddie Francis (The Doctor and the Devils, Tales from the Crypt) and Ken Wiederhorn (Shock Waves, Return of the Living Dead)
Starring – Michael Moriarty (Q, The Dead Zone), Jenny Agutter (An American Werewolf in London, I Start Counting), and Carol Lynley (Howling VI: The Freaks, Tales of the Unexpected)
Release Date – 1989
Rating – 2/5
Blu Release – 3/5
Back at the beginning of January Vinegar Syndrome announced their January releases. I wanted to see them all but two in particular really caught my eye. The one I was the most excited to see was Cthulhu Manson and the other was Dark Tower.
I went ahead and ordered all the releases for that month but because I preordered a movie due in March it meant I wasn’t getting them until then. I was lucky enough to get two films from Vin Syn to review and one of them just happened to be Dark Tower. Thank you Vin Syn for sending this one over!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a skyscraper that is under construction as they encounter several disastrous incidents. A window cleaner jumps to his death and lands on another member of the building killing them both, a security guard is killed in the elevator, and a mass shooter shoots up the lobby. An investigator is called in to look over the building and suspects that it’s something paranormal. The person over the building, Carolyn Page (Agutter), doesn’t believe him but soon she is confronted with her past and the real reason behind the killings. **Spoiler Alert**
When Dark Tower was announced by Vin Syn I was instantly hooked on it. The new blu artwork and the original poster were both absolutely fantastic and when I saw Jenny Agutter was in it I was sold on it. Sadly, the film was not as entertaining as I had hoped. The movie was slow, predictable, and the scenes that were meant to be more action heavy were extremely lackluster. I don’t know who this movie was meant for but it’s not for genre fans.
The acting in this one is pretty good. I love Jenny Agutter and this was a role I’m not accustomed to seeing her in. She does a solid job and really threw me for a loop when the twist was revealed. The supporting cast is alright as well but I never really appreciate Michael Moriarty like I should. He feels like someone’s drunk uncle wondered on set and yells the entire time until someone can calm him down. He’s always out of place and way too loud.
The story for this one has so much potential but fails to pull it all together into something memorable. A haunted skyscraper is very Poltergeist III which was only releases a year earlier. With that being said, I liked where the story actually went with the murdered man still haunting the building. That was very grounded and fun but the build up to the reveal was very half-hearted. It was almost as if the movie didn’t know it was going to be a horror film at times. The movie really needed to dive into the haunted house sub-genre and embraced it’s story.
Finally, the film has some blood and some fun make-up effects but the mask on the spirit was a bit of a let down. The Vin Syn blu features the film’s spirit which looks amazing. However, when you see it in the film you can tell it’s a mask with no way for the actor to move or make facial expressions. That was a bit of a let down. Overall, Dark Tower was a huge disappointment for me. I liked the cast for the most part and I enjoyed the ending but the road there was painfully dull. Collectors will want to snag this release from Vin Syn but people looking for something new to watch will want to check out something else on their catalogue.
Special Features:
Region A Blu-ray
Newly scanned & restored in 2k from its 35mm interpositive
“Dark Inspirations” – an interview with special effects artist Steve Neill
Promotional still gallery
Reversible cover artwork
SDH English subtitles
