Dark Intruder

It's 1890 San Francisco and a killer is on the loose. Brett Kingsford (Leslie Nielsen) is a rich Sherlock-like sleuth and an expert in the supernatural. Nikola is his diminutive man-servant and Evelyn Lang is his fiancée. Brett follows the tiny figurines found at the murder sites to an oriental demon. His friend Robert Vandenburg (Mark Richman) is disturbed with surprising connections to the murders.

This theatrical movie is only an hour long. It does feel shortened as a full length movie. It's too bad because I was going along on the ride. It turns out that it may have been a pilot for a never-developed show. I can absolutely see it as a modern supernatural mystery series. Nielsen is great as a Sherlock Holmes like character. It's set up for an intriguing early supernatural TV show and a missed opportunity.

Atmospheric TV movie about a Sherlock Holmes type (Leslie Nielson) who occasionally assists the San Francisco police with serious crimes. Set in 1890, the whole thing feels very Jack the Ripper-ish, and there is a Mr. Hyde styled monster running loose in town seemingly killing people at random. Nielson's breezy private detective eventually puts two and two together, and realizes the creature has something very specific in mind with each murder. Mark Richman plays a troubled acquaintance who may hold the key to the mystery, and Werner Klemperer of all people plays the Mr. Hyde-ish killer. Tame by today's standards, this low-budget but fanciful tale still packs a punch. Later released theatrically. Too bad it wasn't shot in color. Nielson, whose hair was still dark in those days, is an absolute hoot.

"Dark Intruder" stars the incomparable Leslie Nielsen as Brett Kingsford, an occult expert who is brought in to help the police investigate a series of ritualistic slayings. In each case, an ivory carving of a gargoyle is left at the scene. Brett has a friend, an importer named Robert Vandenburg (Peter Mark Richman), who is deathly afraid that he might be responsible, given that he is prone to blackouts.

Set in San Francisco in 1890, this decent spook show was a busted pilot for a proposed TV series, which then ended up playing in a number of theatres. Therefore, it's not exactly highly cinematic, but it's certainly a respectable effort, just the same. It makes one think that any series that might have resulted would at least be fairly entertaining. Director Harvey Hart ("The Pyx") gives it superb atmosphere and suspense, and the period recreation is reasonably impressive. Granted, the story (credited to Barre Lyndon) falls short in terms of the mystery quotient, but overall this is fun and a painless way to kill just under an hour.

Nielsen is fun, as usual, playing an unflappable hero with a sense of humour. Richman delivers the standout performance as the story's ultimately tragic character. There's a show stopping role for Werner Klemperer as the mysterious Professor Malaki, an energetic portrayal by Judi Meredith as Roberts' fiancée Evelyn, solid work by Gilbert Green as the police inspector, and an appealing performance by Charles Bolender as Bretts' diminutive butler Nikola. Character actors Vaughn Taylor, Peter Brocco, Bill Quinn, and Richard Venture lend some valuable support.

Punctuated by a shuddery score by Lalo Schifrin, "Dark Intruder" is definitely good of its kind, and worth a look for any fan of genre TV of this period, or Leslie Nielsen completists.

Six out of 10.

This title is now available via Sinister Cinema. The print is in great shape with just a few frame jumps scattered throughout the film. This pilot plays out like you would expect it to. The script is tight to keep the film to @60 minutes. It does have the feel and pacing of a television episode but is done well. The acting is good and the film is very atmospheric. I was surprised to see Leslie Nielson in the lead role. He has a rather evil looking dwarf for a manservant. I kept looking for Werner Klemperer as I noticed his name in the opening credits but must admit he got by me. I only found him by checking the acting/character names at the end of the film. He is in heavy makeup while on screen and even his voice is not recognizable. One negative note is the soundtrack composed by Lalo Shifrin. It contains some mighty cheesy organ playing and detached female vocalizing not unlike the original Star Trek theme! Catch this if you can. It's a neat little thriller and you could do a lot worse.

Leslie Nielsen is energetic, to say the least, as Bret Kingsford, ostensibly a playboy to everyone he knows in late 19th century San Francisco. But there is more to him than meets the eye. He is an expert on the occult, and secretly helps the local police force when a horrible string of murders are committed. Somehow his soon-to-be-married friend is involved, and Bret suspects someone or something not quite human is at the bottom of it. Leslie dons disguises to meet with the police chief to protect his social status, his victorian mansion has secret doors and passageways, and he plays at being uninterested while mentally taking notes and then disappears, leaving his guest staring at an empty chair. He's somewhat miscast in this film as a playboy, but when he throws off that persona he's fantastic. The foggy atmosphere of San Francisco is used to great effect to enhance the supernatural aura of the film.

This was a failed pilot produced by Jack Laird, who went on to produce "Night Gallery" a few years later, and was released theatrically at a few theaters. It's impossible to find, but deserves to be seen as the unique production it is. In some ways it is a clear precursor to "Kolchak, the Nightstalker", and also to the wonderful demon-themed TV movie "Spectre".