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Alone in the Dark (1982 film)

October 17, 2023

For other uses, see Alone in the Dark (disambiguation).

Alone in the Dark is a 1982 American slasher film co-written and directed by Jack Sholder in his directorial debut, and starring Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Donald Pleasence, Dwight Schultz, and Erland Van Lidth. The plot tells about a psychiatrist's family who are besieged by four escaped mental patients during a power blackout. Following Stunts and Polyester, it was one of the first films produced by New Line Cinema.

Alone in the Dark
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJack Sholder
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJoseph Mangine
Edited byArline Garson
Music byRenato Serio
Production
companies
New Line Cinema
Masada Productions
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release date
  • November 19, 1982 (1982-11-19)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million
Box office$1,441,000[1]

Plot Edit

Psychiatrist Dan Potter is appointed on the staff of Dr. Leo Bain's experimental psychiatric hospital, known as the Haven, in New Jersey. His predecessor, Dr. Merton, has taken a new position in Philadelphia. Dan, his wife Nell, and their daughter Lyla, move into a rural home in the area. At Haven, Dr. Bain uses lenient security methods, except with the third-floor patients, whom he keeps contained with an electric security door. Among them are former POW Frank Hawkes, pyromaniac evangelist Byron "Preacher" Sutcliff, obese child molester Ronald Elster, and a shy serial killer John "the Bleeder" Skagg, who refuses to show his face. Angered by Dr. Merton's departure, the third-floor patients irrationally blame Dan, believing he has murdered Merton and taken his place. The four men make plans to kill Dan, and retrieve his address from Dr. Bain's office.

Dan's younger sister, Toni, who has recently suffered a nervous breakdown, arrives to visit. Dan, Nell, and Toni go to a local rock club, while Lyla is left with babysitter Bunky. A regional power outage occurs. The security system at Haven fails, and the four men on the third floor escape, killing security guard Ray in the process, before killing another doctor and stealing his car. They stop by a local strip mall that is being looted during the blackout and arm themselves with weapons from a sporting goods store. They leave Skagg behind after he kills an innocent bystander.

The next morning, Preacher arrives at the Potter residence, pretending to be delivering a telegram, but Dan is not home. While Lyla is at school, Nell accompanies Toni to a nuclear power protest, where the women are arrested. Lyla arrives home from school and finds Ronald in the house, claiming to be a babysitter. After Nell phones Dan from jail explaining what has happened, Dan calls Bunky, who goes to check on Lyla. She finds Lyla asleep in her room, and invites her boyfriend Billy there to have sex. Preacher kills Billy by dragging him beneath the bed and stabbing him, while Ronald strangles Bunky. Lyla later awakens unharmed, but Ronald has vanished. Dan arrives home with Nell, Toni, and Tom, a fellow protester Nell and Toni met in jail, whom Toni is attracted to. They find police at the house, and Detective Barnett interviewing Lyla about the missing Bunky and Billy. Lyla explains that a man named Ronald babysat her; Dan recognizes him as one of the Haven patients.

Dan and Nell invite Detective Barnett to stay for dinner. While investigating a noise outside, Barnett is killed with a crossbow by Frank, which is witnessed by the entire family. Finding the phone lines cut, the family barricade themselves in the house. Meanwhile, Dr. Bain arrives after unsuccessfully attempting to reach Dan by phone, but is hacked to death by Preacher with an axe. Dan attempts to reason with the men, assuring them he has not killed Dr. Merton. Ronald throws Barnett's body through a window, and Preacher manages to infiltrate the basement, where he starts a fire. Dan bludgeons Preacher with an extinguisher canister before putting out the fire, locking the basement door behind him.

Ronald enters the kitchen and attempts to kill the family, but they work together to disarm him, before Tom kills him with a cleaver. Dan flees outside to retrieve Leo's car. While he does, Tom's nose begins bleeding profusely, revealing his identity as Skagg, the fourth patient. Hearing the screams, Dan flees back into the house. Skagg attempts to kill Toni, but Nell stabs him to death. Moments later, Preacher bursts out of the basement, but Dan stabs him to death. Frank appears with his crossbow, proclaiming, "It's not just us crazy ones who kill." Dan pleads with Frank to spare his family. Suddenly, the electricity is restored, and Frank witnesses Dr. Merton being interviewed on a local news station about the missing patients. Hysterical, Frank smashes the television and flees into the night.

A short time later, Frank arrives at the local rock club. A drunken woman approaches him inside. He pulls out a pistol, pointing it to her neck. Assuming he is playing a joke, the woman laughs, and so does Frank.

Cast Edit

Production Edit

Alone in the Dark was the first film produced by New Line Cinema, which had previously been exclusively a film distribution company. According to director Jack Sholder, he had listened to New Line founder Robert Shaye mull over the idea of getting into production of low-budget horror films, and pitched the idea of "a group of criminally insane guys escaping from a mental hospital during a blackout in NYC and creating mayhem and then getting rounded up by the mafia", citing a New York City blackout he had experienced several years prior as an inspiration. The script was considered too expensive to produce, so it was re-written as a home-invasion thriller (without the "mafia" angle).[2] While New Line raised money for the film, Sholder worked as the editor of the 1981 slasher The Burning, which he credits with helping him learn about "building scares and how to build suspense and tension".[3]

Sholder has said that the character of Dr. Leo Bain is based on Scottish psychiatrist R. D. Laing, who espoused a similar philosophy regarding the treatment of mentally ill patients.[3]

Release Edit

Alone in the Dark premiered in the United States on November 19, 1982.[4] It was later screened at the 16th Annual Sitges Film Festival in October 1983, where Elizabeth Ward received an award for Best Actress for her work in the film.[5][6]

Reception Edit

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Alone in the Dark holds a 69% approval rating based on 13 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10.[7]

Brett Gallman from Oh, the Horror gave the film a positive review, commending the film for its tense atmosphere, dark humor, and Pleasence's performance.[8] Felix Vasquez from Cinema Crazed offered similar praise, commending its unique style, gradual building of tension, performances, and twist ending. Vasquez concluded his review by writing, "Sholder succeeds in building the sense of isolation and dread in the climax, and sure, the plot twist with our characters is completely telegraphed minutes in advance, but it's still a fantastic revelation nonetheless".[9] Dennis Schwartz from Ozus' World Movie Reviews rated the film a grade B: "Though the plot is hokey and its message is crazy, the maniacs- on -the -loose thriller is chilling".[10] TV Guide awarded the film a negative 2/5 stars, calling it "a cut above the average maniacs-on-the-loose entry".[11]

Home media Edit

Alone in the Dark was released on RCA CED Videodisc in 1982, Also on DVD by Image Entertainment on September 13, 2005. Image would later re-release the film on June 5, 2007, as a part of a two-disk four movie pack.[12] It was released for the first time on Blu-ray by Shout! Factory on September 14, 2021.

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 296. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  2. ^ Burnham, Jef (April 13, 2015). "INTERVIEW WITH JACK SHOLDER, DIRECTOR OF NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2". filmmonthly.com. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Edwards, Matthew (June 19, 2017). Twisted Visions: Interviews with Cult Horror Filmmakers. McFarland. p. 83. ISBN 978-1476663760.
  4. ^ "Catalog - Alone in the Dark". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. from the original on February 19, 2019.
  5. ^ . SitgesFilmFestival.com (in Spanish). Sitges Film Festival. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  6. ^ "16 Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya - Sitges 1983 - FilmAffinity". Film Affinitty.com (in Spanish). Film Affinity. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Alone in the Dark (1982)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  8. ^ Gallman, Brett. "Horror Reviews - Alone in the Dark (1982)". O the Horror.com. Brett Gallman. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  9. ^ Vasquez, Felix. "Alone in the Dark (1982)". Cinema Crazed.com. Felix Vasquex. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  10. ^ Schwartz, Dennis. . Sover.net. Dennis Schwartz. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Alone In The Dark - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Alone in the Dark (1982) - Jack Sholder". Allmovie.com. Allmovie. Retrieved 18 February 2019.

External links Edit

October 17, 2023
alone, dark, 1982, film, other, uses, alone, dark, disambiguation, this, article, missing, information, about, film, production, theatrical, release, initial, reception, please, expand, article, include, this, information, further, details, exist, talk, page, . For other uses see Alone in the Dark disambiguation This article is missing information about the film s production theatrical release and initial reception Please expand the article to include this information Further details may exist on the talk page February 2019 Alone in the Dark is a 1982 American slasher film co written and directed by Jack Sholder in his directorial debut and starring Jack Palance Martin Landau Donald Pleasence Dwight Schultz and Erland Van Lidth The plot tells about a psychiatrist s family who are besieged by four escaped mental patients during a power blackout Following Stunts and Polyester it was one of the first films produced by New Line Cinema Alone in the DarkTheatrical release posterDirected byJack SholderWritten byJack Sholder Robert Shaye Michael HarrpsterProduced byRobert Shaye Benni KorzenStarringJack Palance Donald Pleasence Martin Landau Erland Van Lidth Dwight SchultzCinematographyJoseph MangineEdited byArline GarsonMusic byRenato SerioProductioncompaniesNew Line CinemaMasada ProductionsDistributed byNew Line CinemaRelease dateNovember 19 1982 1982 11 19 Running time92 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 1 millionBox office 1 441 000 1 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Release 5 Reception 6 Home media 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksPlot EditPsychiatrist Dan Potter is appointed on the staff of Dr Leo Bain s experimental psychiatric hospital known as the Haven in New Jersey His predecessor Dr Merton has taken a new position in Philadelphia Dan his wife Nell and their daughter Lyla move into a rural home in the area At Haven Dr Bain uses lenient security methods except with the third floor patients whom he keeps contained with an electric security door Among them are former POW Frank Hawkes pyromaniac evangelist Byron Preacher Sutcliff obese child molester Ronald Elster and a shy serial killer John the Bleeder Skagg who refuses to show his face Angered by Dr Merton s departure the third floor patients irrationally blame Dan believing he has murdered Merton and taken his place The four men make plans to kill Dan and retrieve his address from Dr Bain s office Dan s younger sister Toni who has recently suffered a nervous breakdown arrives to visit Dan Nell and Toni go to a local rock club while Lyla is left with babysitter Bunky A regional power outage occurs The security system at Haven fails and the four men on the third floor escape killing security guard Ray in the process before killing another doctor and stealing his car They stop by a local strip mall that is being looted during the blackout and arm themselves with weapons from a sporting goods store They leave Skagg behind after he kills an innocent bystander The next morning Preacher arrives at the Potter residence pretending to be delivering a telegram but Dan is not home While Lyla is at school Nell accompanies Toni to a nuclear power protest where the women are arrested Lyla arrives home from school and finds Ronald in the house claiming to be a babysitter After Nell phones Dan from jail explaining what has happened Dan calls Bunky who goes to check on Lyla She finds Lyla asleep in her room and invites her boyfriend Billy there to have sex Preacher kills Billy by dragging him beneath the bed and stabbing him while Ronald strangles Bunky Lyla later awakens unharmed but Ronald has vanished Dan arrives home with Nell Toni and Tom a fellow protester Nell and Toni met in jail whom Toni is attracted to They find police at the house and Detective Barnett interviewing Lyla about the missing Bunky and Billy Lyla explains that a man named Ronald babysat her Dan recognizes him as one of the Haven patients Dan and Nell invite Detective Barnett to stay for dinner While investigating a noise outside Barnett is killed with a crossbow by Frank which is witnessed by the entire family Finding the phone lines cut the family barricade themselves in the house Meanwhile Dr Bain arrives after unsuccessfully attempting to reach Dan by phone but is hacked to death by Preacher with an axe Dan attempts to reason with the men assuring them he has not killed Dr Merton Ronald throws Barnett s body through a window and Preacher manages to infiltrate the basement where he starts a fire Dan bludgeons Preacher with an extinguisher canister before putting out the fire locking the basement door behind him Ronald enters the kitchen and attempts to kill the family but they work together to disarm him before Tom kills him with a cleaver Dan flees outside to retrieve Leo s car While he does Tom s nose begins bleeding profusely revealing his identity as Skagg the fourth patient Hearing the screams Dan flees back into the house Skagg attempts to kill Toni but Nell stabs him to death Moments later Preacher bursts out of the basement but Dan stabs him to death Frank appears with his crossbow proclaiming It s not just us crazy ones who kill Dan pleads with Frank to spare his family Suddenly the electricity is restored and Frank witnesses Dr Merton being interviewed on a local news station about the missing patients Hysterical Frank smashes the television and flees into the night A short time later Frank arrives at the local rock club A drunken woman approaches him inside He pulls out a pistol pointing it to her neck Assuming he is playing a joke the woman laughs and so does Frank Cast EditJack Palance as Frank Hawkes Donald Pleasence as Dr Leo Bain Martin Landau as Byron Preacher Sutcliff Dwight Schultz as Dr Dan Potter Erland Van Lidth as Ronald Fatty Elster Deborah Hedwall as Nell Potter Lee Taylor Allan as Toni Potter Phillip Clark as Tom Smith John Bleeder Skaggs Elizabeth Ward as Lyla Potter Carol Levy as Bunky Keith Reddin as Billy Gordon Watkins as Detective Burnett Brent Jennings as Ray Curtis Frederick Coffin as Jim Gable Annie Korzen as Marissa Hall Lin Shaye as Receptionist at Haven Sic F cks as punk bar bandProduction EditAlone in the Dark was the first film produced by New Line Cinema which had previously been exclusively a film distribution company According to director Jack Sholder he had listened to New Line founder Robert Shaye mull over the idea of getting into production of low budget horror films and pitched the idea of a group of criminally insane guys escaping from a mental hospital during a blackout in NYC and creating mayhem and then getting rounded up by the mafia citing a New York City blackout he had experienced several years prior as an inspiration The script was considered too expensive to produce so it was re written as a home invasion thriller without the mafia angle 2 While New Line raised money for the film Sholder worked as the editor of the 1981 slasher The Burning which he credits with helping him learn about building scares and how to build suspense and tension 3 Sholder has said that the character of Dr Leo Bain is based on Scottish psychiatrist R D Laing who espoused a similar philosophy regarding the treatment of mentally ill patients 3 Release EditThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it February 2019 Alone in the Dark premiered in the United States on November 19 1982 4 It was later screened at the 16th Annual Sitges Film Festival in October 1983 where Elizabeth Ward received an award for Best Actress for her work in the film 5 6 Reception EditOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes Alone in the Dark holds a 69 approval rating based on 13 critic reviews with an average rating of 6 3 10 7 Brett Gallman from Oh the Horror gave the film a positive review commending the film for its tense atmosphere dark humor and Pleasence s performance 8 Felix Vasquez from Cinema Crazed offered similar praise commending its unique style gradual building of tension performances and twist ending Vasquez concluded his review by writing Sholder succeeds in building the sense of isolation and dread in the climax and sure the plot twist with our characters is completely telegraphed minutes in advance but it s still a fantastic revelation nonetheless 9 Dennis Schwartz from Ozus World Movie Reviews rated the film a grade B Though the plot is hokey and its message is crazy the maniacs on the loose thriller is chilling 10 TV Guide awarded the film a negative 2 5 stars calling it a cut above the average maniacs on the loose entry 11 Home media EditAlone in the Dark was released on RCA CED Videodisc in 1982 Also on DVD by Image Entertainment on September 13 2005 Image would later re release the film on June 5 2007 as a part of a two disk four movie pack 12 It was released for the first time on Blu ray by Shout Factory on September 14 2021 See also EditBlackout 2008 American horror film featuring a similar premise List of films featuring home invasionsReferences Edit Donahue Suzanne Mary 1987 American film distribution the changing marketplace UMI Research Press p 296 Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada Burnham Jef April 13 2015 INTERVIEW WITH JACK SHOLDER DIRECTOR OF NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2 filmmonthly com Retrieved November 8 2019 a b Edwards Matthew June 19 2017 Twisted Visions Interviews with Cult Horror Filmmakers McFarland p 83 ISBN 978 1476663760 Catalog Alone in the Dark AFI Catalog of Feature Films Los Angeles California American Film Institute Archived from the original on February 19 2019 FESTIVAL ARCHIVES Sitges Film Festival Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantastic de Catalunya SitgesFilmFestival com in Spanish Sitges Film Festival Archived from the original on 9 August 2020 Retrieved 18 February 2019 16 Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya Sitges 1983 FilmAffinity Film Affinitty com in Spanish Film Affinity Retrieved 18 February 2019 Alone in the Dark 1982 Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved September 24 2021 Gallman Brett Horror Reviews Alone in the Dark 1982 O the Horror com Brett Gallman Retrieved 18 February 2019 Vasquez Felix Alone in the Dark 1982 Cinema Crazed com Felix Vasquex Retrieved 18 February 2019 Schwartz Dennis aloneinthedark Sover net Dennis Schwartz Archived from the original on 21 June 2018 Retrieved 18 February 2019 Alone In The Dark Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings TV Guide com TV Guide Retrieved 18 February 2019 Alone in the Dark 1982 Jack Sholder Allmovie com Allmovie Retrieved 18 February 2019 External links EditAlone in the Dark 1982 at the American Film Institute Catalog Alone in the Dark 1982 at AllMovie Alone in the Dark 1982 at IMDb Alone in the Dark 1982 at Rotten Tomatoes Alone in the Dark 1982 at the TCM Movie Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alone in the Dark 1982 film amp oldid 1173955505, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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