Director(s) – John “Bud” Cardos (Kingdom of the Spiders, Mutant) and Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist)
Starring – William Devane (Marathon Man, Red Alert), Cathy Lee Crosby (Wonder Woman, The Last Horror Film), and Richard Jaeckel (Starman, Airplane II: The Sequel)
Release Date – 1979
Rating – 3/5
Blu Release – 3.5/5
With October in full swing I’m spending all my spare time binging as many horror titles that I can when not spending time with my family and at work. Several weeks ago MVD announced two new installments in their highly impressive Rewind Collection. The first was 1982’s One Dark Night which I had previously reviewed. The second film was the 1979 horror/sci-fi flick The Dark. Honestly, this looked like the perfect movie to dig into with Halloween approaching. Like always, I want to thank MVD for sending this one over to review.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a reporter and the father of a victim as they comb through the city at night searching for the killer known as The Mangler. Their search eventually leads them, and the authorities, face to face with a being from another world. **Spoiler Alert**
The Dark, much like One Dark Night, is a straight forward horror flick that entertains but doesn’t deliver characters or creatures that stand out. It’s one of those movies you like but you don’t really remember a lot about it a few days after watching it.
The acting in this one is pretty solid. The cast really goes all in to their roles but the characters are extremely flat and not that well written. The film is really lacking characters that the viewer can latch on to but that’s not the cast’s fault. The story for this one reminded me a light of Night Beast and Evil Night. That late 70s and early 80s blend of horror and sci-fi in a slasher based late night creature feature is something that I’m extremely open to. It does drag on in scenes and the predictability does take the impact away but it’s still fun for what it is.
Finally, the film has several wild deaths with over the top practical effects. They are not the best looking effects but the kills fit the film while delivering a little unintentional humor. Overall, The Dark is a fun late night watch that would pair well with the likes of Night Beast and Evil Night. Watching an alien run amok in the city is fun but it does get a little old before the film ends. The blu from MVD looks great and I would highly recommend it.
Special Features:
High Definition (1080p) presentation of the main feature in 2.35:1 aspect ratio
Audio: LPCM 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles: English
Commentary features producer Igo Kantor and director John ”Bud” Carlos.
Interview with Composer Roger Kellaway (SD, 25:29)
Interview with John ‘Bud’ Carlos (SD, 13:32)
Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:34)
Collectible Mini-Poster
