Alone in the Dark is a very entertaining slasher-horror-thriller that came out of the early 1980s that bucks the trend of having a bunch of teenagers being slaughtered by some faceless psycho, instead three scary individuals.
Alone in the Dark
— Collector’s Edition —
(1982)
Genre(s): Horror, Suspense/Thriller
Shout Factory| R – 93 min. – $34.98 | September 14, 2021
Date Published: 10/04/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Shout Factory provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3¾/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: At a secluded mental institution, electricity fuels the hi-tech security system that keeps the nearby neighborhoods safe from deviant menaces like Frank Hawkes (JACK PALANCE) and “Preacher” (MARTIN LANDAU). Dr. Bain (DONALD PLEASENCE) maintains strict order while a new doctor, Dan Potter (DWIGHT SCHULTZ), arrives in town with his family. But the inmates don’t take kindly to Potter’s presence and believe he has killed off their former therapist. Suddenly, a power outage leaves the town in chaos… and now the maniacs are free to roam the streets and hunt down the man they believe has invaded their lives. With the area quickly descending into riots and chaos, the innocent few must fight for their lives when they’re left terrified, cornered and Alone in the Dark.
Quick Hit Review: Alone in the Dark is a solidly entertaining early 80s slasher-thriller that, in comparison with something like Assault on Precinct 13 (better association than Friday the 13th), this one is a bit tame though has its moments of sheer terror, done really nicely thanks to Jack Sholder’s direction and a great cast that includes Jack Palance Palancing the hell out of the screen alongside Martin Landau and his crazy eyes and Donald Pleasance as a naïve new-age psychiatrist. In addition, Dwight Schultz (of The A-Team fame), also isn’t too bad in his own right. Alone in the Dark is a simple movie but one that is perfect to watch on Halloween night, there are plenty of scares and makes for an entertaining fun time. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3½/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover and the interior sleeve is reversible with the film’s original poster artwork. Audio Commentaries:
As I’ve said in the past, I do like it when these catalog Blu-rays come with multiple tracks, giving different viewpoints of a project and the first with Sholder provides a first-hand account of the production while track #2 has a more historical viewpoint and also breaks down a variety of elements from casting, locales, etc. Interviews:
A decent selection here, Sholder is the lengthier interview going into detail, some rehash of the commentary, but has a good time reflecting on his work on the film. Sites in the Dark (11:38) looks at the locations used in the film and what they look like today. Also included: Theatrical Trailer (2:11), a TV Spot (0:33), 2 Radio Spots (1:22) and lastly a Still Gallery. |
VIDEO – 4/5 |
| Alone in the Dark comes to Blu-ray from Shout Factory and is presented in the theatrical 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer which was taken from a new 2K scan of the interpositive. While this was not an amazing looking transfer, this still not half bad at all. Detail is relatively decent throughout while black levels are well balanced. Colors are on the more muted side since a fair portion does take place at night with only “candlelight” lighting the scenes. The original film grain and noise is still thankfully present and with a film nearing 40 years old, this is still pretty dang good looking. |
AUDIO – 3¾/5 |
| The included DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo track is fairly good with dialogue coming across clear enough and not a significant amount of white noise but no obvious pops or hisses. The depth is on the average side of things but still adequate for a film of this age. |
OVERALL – 4/5 |
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Alone in the Dark is a very entertaining slasher-horror-thriller that came out of the early 1980s that bucks the trend of having a bunch of teenagers being slaughtered by some faceless psycho, instead three scary individuals who are absolutely frightening. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.