The Dark

I first became aware of this film because of the William Devane factor. Unfortunately Devane's character is extremely "boorish". All is not lost however because of the eclectic cast. The story is a mish-mash of "Jack the Ripper" and sci fi, with neither angle very impressive. What I do like is the quite sharp and often darkly amusing dialog. Overall the acting is acceptable, with Jaquelyn Hyde giving a standout supporting performance as a "medium" who can predict where the monster will strike next. You might remember her as "Mrs. Blair" in Woody Allen's hilarious "Take the Money and Run". With Richard Jaeckel, Keenan Wynn, and Cathy Lee Crosby also contributing, "The Dark" is almost saved from being a "bomb", but not quite. - MERK

There's a creature. It kills people. Then the film ends.

Yup.

This is one of those movies that makes absolutely no impression on the mind. People talk to each other, occasionally there's a killing of some sort, people talk some more, then it all wraps up without the slightest interesting event occurring. William Devane is wasted in his role, he's excellent at playing sinister characters in other contexts, but here he's squandered.

I'm honestly unsure why this movie exists. It might be the biggest "sci-fi horror" film that doesn't have a single reason to exist. It says nothing. Nothing happens. It accomplishes nothing. Nothing nothing nothing.

The end.

Years ago while watching this picture on TV for the first time, I figured about half way through 'Hey, this ain't a sci-fi alien-on-the-rampage flick! It's an occult zombie movie hastily re-edited in a fever of post-production panic to cash in on the popularity of the same year's Alien'. Phew. What a literal thinker I was. Looking at IMDB's 'trivia' section, I see I was right. Wasn't I clever way back then? No. It really IS that obvious.

Disjointed, silly B movie. Not without some pleasures though. Keenan Wynn's fearful walk through a darkened underground car park worked for me, and there are a few unintended laughs here and there eg. William Devane's rather strange reaction to the sight of his dead daughter lying on a mortuary slab: he burps, and somewhat skittishly too. I wonder what Lee Strasberg would have thought of that. Perhaps William was expressing his heartfelt feelings toward the movie he found himself in. Actors get up to these tricks, you know.

And then there's Casey Kasem's police pathologist who is asked by a cop what colour the murderer's (still assumed to be human) skin is. Shaggy Kasem's reply of 'It's grey' is pleasantly creepy and recalls similar moments from Kolchak: The Night Stalker. In fact, Carl Kolchak's shadow looms large over this picture, even down to the unexpectedly spectacular denouement featuring a growling monster throwing cops bodily in all directions. VERY Kolchak.

Actually, damn it, I recommend this movie. It's enjoyable trash if you're in the right mood. But be warned - thanks to/in spite of post-production re-cutting (complete with inept Ed Wood type voice-over to fill in the plot holes) IT MAKES NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. Might be part of it's idiotic charm.

The first smartest being Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Contrary to what other commenters say, this was not supposed to be a quasi sci-fi horror entry until AFTER initial screenings were sour. Then the producers decided to cash in on the ALIEN bonanza by adding prologue and epilogue and the laser-beam eye blasts. Devane was excited thinking he'd be working with Hooper, but with Hooper's leaving, he barely walks through the motions, Cathy Lee is only a little better. Wynn and Jaekal do well to hold things together, and John Bloom is perfectly cast once again as the lumbering creature. The best thing to be said about this is that it looks, sounds and feels like a 1970s ABC TV movie of the week, and why not? Just look at who wrote it and what else he has written. If you watch it thinking that it should have been made for TV, it's more enjoyable because your expectations might not be too high, and it comes off as fairly average. Actually, replace Devane with Darren McGavin, Wynn with Simon Oakland, make KFVI a newspaper, keep Richard Jaekal as Kolchak's nemesis, add a lot of Kolchak wit and cut it down to 50 minutes, and it's a good Night Stalker teleplay. Of course, don't forget the funky horns that announce Kolchak on the go.

THE DARK (aka: THE MUTILATOR) is a wonderfully bizarre movie about a serial-killing alien (John Bloom) that can decapitate or obliterate its human prey with one blazing glance. Writer Roy Warner (William Devane) is on the creature's trail after it kills his daughter. He teams up with TV personality Zoe Owens (Cathy Lee Crosby) in this endeavor.

This movie is highly rewatchable, and is even better the second time around! Director John "Bud" Cardos piles on the cheeeze, yet manages to make it work. There are some truly effective, creepy sequences, especially the wham-bam finale, when the extraterrestrial terror faces off against the police force.

Devane and Crosby are a good pair, and Keenan Wynn is his usual crusty self as Owens' crusty boss. Watch for Richard Jaeckel as the top cop on the case. Casey Kasem is the pathologist! Special mention must be made of Jacquelyn Hyde as mystical medium De Renzy. Her encounter with the monster -in her living room!- is a must-see!

Don't blink, or you'll miss Phillip Michael Thomas in his microscopic role...