Nuit noire

i saw "One Dark Night" in the theater when i was 12 years old, and BOY...was i scared! HEHEHE Seeing it now, im obviously not shaking in my seat, but it its still a fun ride. A lot of 'zombie' movie fans have a lot of trouble with this movie (evident of the other comments on this page), but the corpses in this film aren't really zombies as much as puppet-like instruments used by the 'psychic vampire' to terrorize those trapped in the mosoleum. i will agree that this film takes an awfully long time to get off its feet, and all the talk of psychics and psychic power being inheritied bog the story down. However, once Meg Tilly finds her way into the deserted mosoleum, its a lot of fun, and a little gory (which is fun in itself, right?)

The first sixty-or-so minutes of this undeservedly obscure horror film, when we're introduced to a fairly typical group of prankish teens, is unremarkable. However, the film offers a memorably horrifying climax that's well worth hanging on for: As the kids are setting up an elaborate practical joke in a mausoleum, a supernatural force causes numerous corpses, in varying stages of decay, to leave their coffins and pursue the now-terrified pranksters through the dark corridors. The film contains no gore (which is unusual for a horror movie of this period), but if your tastes run to ambulatory corpses it really delivers the goods. By the way, the film's shooting title was "Rest In Peace".

I consider myself a veteran of horror films from the late 70's to the early 80's, so that time frame is in my wheelhouse, and this fits right into that category. While nothing in this mainly forgotten film has the wow factor, it also doesn't have the typical boring formula that plagued so many horror films around that time. This movie's "mausoleum" subject matter was sandwiched between other films of similar subject matter, such as Phantasm(1979), and Mausoleum(1983). The familiar faces include a serious acting Adam West, and Meg Tilly, as this was one of her first starring roles. I'm sure you know the plot by now, so I'll skip the details, but I felt the Raymar character was different from the standard "bad" guys in the horror genre, although the purple rays emanating from his eyes were a tad overdone when the madness and mayhem break out. I do feel the PG rating hurt, and perhaps that's a reason why it doesn't get the attention it probably deserves. Let me also mention I'm glad there wasn't the pointless nude scene, as films in that era were known for, but perhaps something could've been added to get an R rating. If you get the chance to catch this rarity, and you're a fan of the genre like me, then by all means spend the 90 minutes of your life deciding if this is worth your time. I'm glad I did.

Unlike the other movie with the occasional alternate title "Mauseoleum"; this one has a few great things going for it IMO. The effects were much better... the amateurish dialog writen to justify teenagers hanging out in the place was kept to a bare minimum (Thankfully) and the atmosphere was dark and very cool. I even like the concept and fee of the film. It is fairly original as far as you can say any horror movie is. Some other readers seemed confused about the "zombies" not moving their feet. They were not zombies at all!!!... The audio tape that 'Ramar's' daughter listens to explains that he used to like to 'move' a dead animal to scare the other still living animals in their cage to freak them out. His draining people of their life force psychically and using the corpses to scare the girls in the mauseoleum was a pretty cool story line and idea. I'm not suggesting this deserves any awards but the major flaws inherent in almost all horror movies did not render their ugly heads enough to detract me from enjoying this when I saw it years ago.. and a few days ago. It holds up pretty well for a 20 year old flick with a tiny budget and 'Batman's' pseudo dramatic line delivery. Don't expect an academy award winner... but watch it if you can locate it and see if you can get past it's flaws... I think you'll find a diamond in the rough.

Like others who have commented on this movie, I saw One Dark Night at the movie theater when I was a youngster. For a reason I can't seem to put my finger on, this film captured me and has stayed with me through the years. From time to time I love to "go back in time" and view this film over and over again. Right of the bat, I will say that some people may not care for this movie due to it's old school feel and cinematography; but for me it's a movie that I've always cherished and will always hold a special place in my heart.

This movie has a certain bizarre and eerie feel to it that will give you the creeps, and as a matter of fact One Dark Nights oddity and unorthodox flavor is one of the reasons I'm so taken in by it. I'm certainly old school, and I feel like current horror movies have lost the feel and authenticity that some older films seem to have. One Dark Night certainly brings that "certain" flavor.

One Dark Night is the type of movie that would be perfect to watch on a rainy late evening or on Halloween night. I guess you could say it's a cinematic example of what Halloween is all about. It's has lots of spooky elements you look for in horror films: The atmospheric dark Mausoleum, Telekinesis, Gothic funeral procession, sad and thought provoking letters left by children of the dead, spooky graveyard and coroner scenes, a very odd and eerie scene of crime where 6 dead girls are found with a chilling open eyed gaze. It's just good old school horror, they just don't make them like this any more. I also have to give kudos to the background music or the score that's used throughout the film, it's helps the viewers experience. Much more so than I think people realize, the score is a compelling and powerful component that richly adds to the movies effectiveness and brings forth mood which is essential to any good horror film.

The casting in this film also came off(sort of in a unexpected way) very well. Adam West, who played Batman in the original series in the 60's adds to this films folklore. Meg Tilly plays her part very well and has a "look" about herself that seems tailored for a horror movie. The 3 prankish teen girls who were in the High School Sorority clique called "The Sisters "were perfectly casted; including one Sister who always gnawed and chewed on a toothbrush, even up to the point of her demise.....gimmicky indeed. It's finer elements like these that seem to endure me to the film.

Scenes at the end where Raymar tortures members of "The Sisters" in the Mausoleum with corpses could be viewed as silly but still some how manages to come over as okay and tolerable. The movie One Dark Night is currently out of print and could be considered rare. Although some may not agree, I consider the film to be a classic example of the genre. If you are a horror buff like myself, I would recommend this movie, you just may find it to be a keeper, and like it for its odd,creepy terror.