Alone in the Dark

Summary

“People here aren’t called patients. They’re called voyagers.”

I try to stay pretty current on what titles Shout! Factory releases on their Scream Factory line. A few months ago, I saw that they had announced a release of the 1982 thriller Alone in the Dark. While I had not ever seen the film, the overall enthusiasm by horror film collectors was notable in the forums and the cast and director drew my attention. The film has an ensemble cast that includes Donald Pleasance, Jack Palance, and Martin Landau. It was the writing and directorial debut of Jack Sholder who also directed The Hidden, another film I really enjoyed. Given all of those points of interest, I bought the film on a blind buy and watched it the other night. I am glad that I did.

Byron “Preacher” Sutcliff (Martin Landau) arrives at Mom’s Diner in the middle of a snowstorm. It is soon revealed that everything that Byron experiences at the diner is a dream including rain that falls inside the diner and a homicidal chef (Donald Pleasance.) Richard awakes from his nightmare in which he was castrated.  At the Haven Mental Health Institute, a psychologist, Dr. Dan Potter (Dwight Schultz,) arrives looking for Dr. Leo Bain (Donald Pleasance.) Upon entering the building, he speaks to a receptionist that is actually a patient. Dr. Bain has unique methods he employs on his patients, including empowering them to believe their delusions. He meets with the doctor so he can start his new job working with him at the institute. Potter moves into his new house with his wife and daughter. On the third floor of Haven, they have an electrical system that keeps in patients that would typically be put in maximum security prisons. Ray (Brent Jennings) works as the floor man to keep the dangerous prisoners inline. He explains that Frank Hawkes (Jack Palance) had set off the window alarm the night before. Dan is introduced to the third floor inmates including former minister Byron, antisocial bleeder Jack Scaggs, and the obese child rapist Ray “Fatty” Curtis (Ernst van Lidth.) Hawkes believes that Dr. Potter has killed the prior physician. The prior physician had simply transferred to another city, but this does not register to Hawkes. That night, the inmates, led by Hawkes, decide that they will kill Dr. Potter when the time is right. The next day Ray explains to Dr. Potter that the inmates plan to kill him and that the only thing that keeps them safe is electricity. When Dr. Leo, distracted in conversation, gives Byron some matches, he creates a distraction. Another inmate goes inside and finds the address of Potter’s house on an envelope. At Potter’s house, his sister Tony arrives to visit for the weekend. She has recently had a nervous breakdown and has come to take some time with them. She also wants to take them out to a concert by a band called the “Sick Fucks” in the city. During the concert, the city experiences a blackout. Back at the asylum, the maniacs on the third floor seize their opportunity to escape without the electrical barriers to stop them.

I really enjoyed Alone in the Dark. The film does not attempt to play by traditional slasher rules, but instead shows off a pretty effective mixture of comedy and horror. The comedy is actually funny and the horror is actually pretty thrilling, especially once the film reaches its third act. Jack Sholder wanted the film to be a social commentary highlighting how the world outside of the asylum is pretty crazy also. The film feels consistently surprising and engaging while also being very funny at times. For example, the unexpected looting sequence sticks out as such an interesting idea to pursue in the film. I liked that I could not tell what exactly would happen next in the film. The film becomes an interesting home invasion thriller in its final act, but it has plenty of style and ideas which set it apart. Its off-the-wall nature is its greatest asset aside from the wonderful cast.

Speaking of the cast, this film is stacked. I love watching Donald Pleasance in films and this is one of my favorite roles for the actor. The character of Dr. Leo was based on an actual psychiatrist that attempted to treat his patients by acting as if their delusions were valid. Pleasance brings his normal scene-stealing abilities to the film and adds a lot to the character. In the commentary track (and the included interview,) Jack Sholder mentioned that Pleasance had come up with the idea of Dr. Leo smoking marijuana on the floor like a Cheshire Cat for the character. It’s small but distinct details like this that make Pleasance so much fun to watch. Another great performance in the film is given by Martin Landau. Landau would go on years later to win an Academy Award for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood. He is a lot of fun to watch as the Bible quoting mad preacher. Jack Palance had no desire to do the film and was a bit of a handful at times for director Jack Sholder, but you would never guess that from his performance. He is wonderful. Years later, he would also win an Academy Award for his performance in City Slickers. Dwight Schultz is probably best known for his role of Murdock on The A-Team, but he is more than up to the task of playing Dr. Potter. Carol Levy is notable as a sexy babysitter and Erland van Lidth is great as the humongous Ronald Fatty Elster. There is not any deadweight in the cast.

The music in the film by Italian composer Renato Serio fits the film well and the concert performance by the band the Sick Fucks in the film is pretty amazing in its own way. The cinematography by Joseph Mangine never tries to show off too much, but does a good job of capturing the locales in the film. For a debut picture, it is really confidently made by Jack Sholder. I highly recommend checking this film out.

Video

Shout! Factory presents Alone in the Dark on Blu-ray with a good looking transfer derived from a 2K scan using an MPEG-4 AVC codec. Presented in 1080p in 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the film looks great for the most part. Grain is well resolved and the cinematography by Jospeh Mangine transfers well to the format. While the film is by no means a visual powerhouse, it is stylishly directed by Jack Sholder and has some really nice scenery in parts. Fans of the film will no doubt be very pleased with this presentation.

Audio

Shout! Factory has provided a solid DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo track that sounds very good. The score by Renato Serio is very atmospheric and unique. The film has some loud sequences (the Sick Fucks concert, the looting,) but the film is not extremely loud for most of its runtime. Dialogue is very clear and the track is well mixed. 

Supplements:

• Audio Commentary with Genre Film Critic Justin Kerswell and Film Historian Amanda Reyes
• Audio Commentary with Director Jack Sholder
• Out of the Dark – An Interview with Director and Co-Writer Jack Sholder – this is a fantastic interview in which Jack discusses his start in the business from directing short films out of college to editing trailers at New Line Cinema which led to editing films as a career. He discusses how the film was developed and how his experience editing The Burning helped him reshape the script amongst other great stories. His stories regarding a long friendship with Martin Landau and his lessons he learned working with Jack Palance are wonderful anecdotes. Michael Felsher of Red Shirt Productions is a fantastic interviewer and this is a great piece.
• Mother Choppers: The Sic F*cks Remember ALONE IN THE DARK – Snooky Bellomo, Tish Bellomo, and Russell Wolinsky reminisce on working on the film.
• Still F*cking Sick – Catching Up with The Sic F*cks – this archival piece from sixteen years earlier is another interview with Mikey T., Snooky, Tish, and Russell.
• Bunky Lives! – An Interview with Actress Carol Levy – this archival piece from the Image release is an enjoyable interview with the retired actress who is now a real estate broker.
• Sites in the Dark: The Locations of Alone in the Dark – Michael Gingold visits numerous locations from the film in present day.
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot
• Radio Spots
• Still Gallery

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4.5/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Alone in the Dark is an excellent thriller with elements of humor and horror. The script by Jack Sholder, Robert Shaye, and Michael Harrpster is consistently engaging and surprising. The cast is amazing with standout performances by Jack Palance, Donald Pleasance, and Martin Landau. Shout! Factory have done a great job on the transfer of the film and the supplemental features are wonderful. Michael Felsher of Red Shirt Pictures is a fantastic interviewer and his interview with Jack Sholder is excellent. Fans of the film will definitely want to add this release to their collection, and newcomers should feel totally comfortable with a blind buy.