The Dark (1979)

An alien lands in Los Angeles and proceeds to decapitate humans using its laser-beam eyes.A change of director mid-production (Tobe 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' Hooper replaced by John 'Bud' Cardos) and a last-minute alteration to the plot (the original script's zombie replaced by a nasty extraterrestrial) undoubtedly contributed to The Dark's failure as an effective horror movie. But the worst thing about the film is the fact that it more than lives up to its title by being extremely dark, making it a real strain on the eyes throughout.It's a shame, because there's a fun film in there trying to get out: Cardos isn't a 'great' director, but he's more than capable of delivering an entertaining B-movie as evidenced by his Kingdom of the Spiders and Mutant. The cast is also pretty good for this kind of fare, with William Devane and Cathy Lee Crosby making affable leads, and Richard Jaeckel suitably stoic as the beleaguered cop on the case Det. Dave Mooney. Also surprisingly good is Roger Kellaway's soundtrack, with dischordant music and eerie whispering voices providing plenty of atmosphere.4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for the pew pew alien eyeball police massacre at the end.

The Dark (1979)* 1/2 (out of 4)A former convict turned reporter (William Devane) sees that his daughter has been brutally mutilated so he sets out to try and find the killer as does a detective (Richard Jaeckel) working the case. It turns out that a space alien has landing on Earth and is doing the brutal murders.THE DARK has an interesting production history that is actually a lot more interesting than the film itself. Originally Tobe Hooper was to direct this film and he got several days into the production when he either quite or got fired. The somewhat notorious John 'Bud' Cardos took over the production and the end result is a rather tame sci-fi picture that's biggest problem is the fact that it lives up to the title.I say that because this film was shot way too dark and often times you can't even tell what's going on. I mean, I'm all for movies keeping the monster in shadows and what not but the problem here is that whenever the alien goes on the attack it's so dark that you can't see anything. Or, at least, you can't see anything too clear. The other big problem with the picture is the fact that it drags so slowly that the 90-minute running time seems double that. There are non-stop scenes of people talking and fighting yet none of it is very entertaining.It's really too bad that the film is so lame and doesn't feature that good of an alien or gore effects because the cast is actually pretty good. Devane is always worth watching and he turns in a nice performance here. Jaeckel is also very good in his role as is Jacquelyn Hyde and Keenan Wynn in their small roles. You can also look quick for Casey Kasem and Vivian Blaine. Who knows what might have happened with the film had Hooper stayed on but as it stands, THE DARK isn't a very good movie and it's not nearly the best "alien run amok" movies from this period.

This movie deserves a higher IMDb rating than its current 3.4. Not THAT much higher, granted, but at least 4.5. Almost the entire cast turn in very solid performances, elevating the weak material just by taking everything entirely seriously. A good job was done on the photography, particularly the use of lighting (and, by definition, the shadows) in night scenes. The highest praise could be that the whole thing comes across as a feature-length Kolchak (the police chief even bears a vague resemblance to McGavin's character).The script has a couple of strong points. Devane's character's past gives him an added depth and a good basis for the tension between him and the detective character played by Richard Jaeckel. Some of the night scenes are genuinely suspenseful. On the downside, the plot has very little real development, almost nothing is properly explained, and the ending is both well-choreographed and...well, silly. Also, the whispering voice on the soundtrack detracts from the movie - it's never clear if the voice is supposedly to actually be occurring within the scene or not, so it would have been better to omit it altogether.If for no other reason, the well-publicized post-production change to the movie and Kasem's cameo are two items that make this a curio worth tracking down.

I remember that this one used to come on quite frequently on one of the networks during the early 80s. I used to kick back and watch it in the dark. It freaked me out! I know. It was lame, stupid, but I was no more than five or so, so I couldn't have known any better. And the only reason why I remember it was because of the narrator and then the screaming. The last time I rented this, I found myself laughing somehow through it. Honestly can't remember why or where?It's kind of weird how this flick came out the same year as Alien though. And from what the legend holds, the filmmakers didn't seem to be intentional w/ that being that it was supposed to be another cheap zombie flick. It took the success of star wars to make them change their minds. I suppose it was the fate of 79? As far as the film and its mechanics go, then everything everyone said about it so far is true. The film's about as murky as the bowels of Loch Noss! And it is a contender for the top 5 worst films of all time. The Planet of the Apes remake had suffered similarly tragedy w/ switching cast & crew, but it turned out way better, even if the talent was superior and the budget was bigger.