Search - Alone in the Dark on DVD

Jack Palance Wants You!!!

Stanley Runk | Camp North Pines | 01/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What can be scarier than being stuck Alone In The Dark with Martin Landau and Jack Palance? This film attempts to answer that question and does a fine job. I'm a huge nut for any B horror picture, and it's nice sometimes to actually see some real star power in them. Granted, Landau and Palance weren't at the highest point in their careers when they did this. The film has Dwight Schultz, who you may remember as Murdock in the A-Team, as a new therapist at an asylum run by Psychiatrist, Donald Pleasance(who smokes pot in his office). "The men on the 3rd floor" are the extremely dangerous lunatics who decide to kill Murdock coz they believe he has murdered their former therapist. There are 4 central killers-First is Marin Landau as "Preacher", a bible quoting psycho. He's fantastic in this part. Palance is the paranoid Vietnam vet named Hawkes, who is basically the ringleader. He doesn't have alot of lines, but since it's Jack Palance, he's wonderfully creepy and convincing. The third is played by Erland van Lidth as a child molester who is childlike himself. You may remember Erland as the opera singing Roman Stalker in The Running Man("Cut! Cut! Go to commercial!!"). The fourth is rarely seen and this makes him interesting. Since his face is always off camera, a name actor isn't necessary. He's called The Bleeder, and comes off as the most dangerous of the 4 coz he doesn't speak and at one point pre-dates Jason Voorhees by wearing a hockey mask. Donald Pleasance is awfully nutty and funny in his role of the doctor. In fact, you start to wonder if he's actually a mental patient himself. Schultz is decent as the straight man, a far cry from his Murdock character. This film starts and builds up wonderfully. It has a fantastic buildup to the point where it becomes like Night Of The Living Dead with Schultz and his family trapped inside their home during a blackout with the band of crazies outside. Unfortunately the film falls kinda flat here. With such a good buildup and collection of characters, you expect alot more out of this confrontation than you get. It's actually kinda boring and not very intense at all. Despite this shortcoming, the film is well worth watching for the performances."

Start studded horror flick

J. Cook | Buffalo | 01/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"[good things]
One of the most cleaver films of the 1980's slasher craze. This film has an all-star cast, great acting, great and likable characters (even the kilelrs are likable) and a great all around atmosphere. The plot twist with "The Bleeder" was very cleaver and very well done. It took me by great surprise, but after watching the movie for a second time it seemed very obvious.


[the bad]
The movie really lacked bloody kills, but the film didn't really need it. I personally would have liked to see alot of blood, but the film would have worked even if there were no kills at all.


[final thoughts]
Like I said, one of the greatest movies of the 1980's slasher era and genre. The cast was great and in my opinion, the chemistry was perfect. Martin Landau was great, my favorite of the movie. His character reminded me of Drayton Sawyer in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Jack Palance played a very lovable and misunderstood paranoid schitzophrenic. Dwight Schultz was a perfect doctor and Donald Pleasence played himself as he was a "weird" psyciatrist (as in Halloween). I liked when "The Bleeder" donned a hockey mask and took afew people out, it may be mistaken that this was an homage to Friday The 13th when this movie was filmed before Friday The 13th Part 3, the movie in which Jason dons his trademark hockey mask for the first time. "The Bleeder" uses a small garden cultivator to take his victim, which was an exact scene from the slasher "homage" film Bloody Murder 2, a film which was based on (or in some people's opinion) outright stole ideas, scenes, kills, and cliches from popular slasher franchises. Steve Dash (credited as Steven Daskawisz) made a breif, but memorable appearance as a doctor who gets killed by the murderous gang. Steve Dash played Jason Voorhees in friday The 13th Part 2.
This movie is a must see for any fan of the horror genre. Martin Landau, Dwight Schultz, Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence and Steve Dash in the same movie? YES.

"

Great Movie - Bad Discs

Johnny Darter | Lincoln, NE | 03/03/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, I was stoked to see this movie after seeing it on list after list of top horror movies. However, I really only got to see about half because the first CD and then the subsequent replacement CD sent both had major flaws and wouldn't allow me to see the movie without pixelated images the entire time. However, from what I did see, this was a great movie with an interesting twist - -note: pay attention to the nosebleed! If you can find the movie elsewhere or from another production company, do so."

Better Than It's Reviews

Thomas Ruttan | USA | 09/30/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This horror flick flew under the radar but don't let the negative reviews scare you off. I think it's better some of the so-called genre classics and definitely worth your time. If your expecting Shakespeare, you might be disappointed. Otherwise, you'll be in for a real treat!"