| The Dark | |
|---|---|
| |
| Riffed by | RiffTrax |
| Riffers | Mike Nelson Kevin Murphy Bill Corbett |
| Series | None |
| Date Released | June 22, 2018 |
The Dark is a 1979 American science fiction horror film directed by John “Bud” Cardos from a screenplay by Stanford Whitmore (The Eyes of Charles Sand; Night Gallery) for Film Ventures International.
RiffTrax released their riff in June 2018.
Plot Synopsis and Preview[]
RiffTrax The Dark (Preview)
This well-acted but wildly disjointed sci-fi/horror film stars William Devane as a writer who takes a personal interest in a series of baffling decapitation murders in the L.A. area, all of which seem to indicate some kind of supernatural force at work. He is joined in his investigation by a TV reporter (Cathy Lee Crosby), while detective Dave Mooney (Richard Jaeckel) puzzles over evidence that the killer may not even be human.
Their subsequent monster hunt is both stylish and suspenseful but completely collapses at the end, trashing any attempt at explanation by revealing the murderer as a lumpy-browed alien brute with ill-fitting slacks and laser-beam eyes. After a tension-filled 80-minute set-up, the moronic climax brings the suspense to a jarring halt and was probably added late in the game by a lame-brained studio executive who decided in mid-production to change the killer into an alien.
Cast and Crew[]
- William Devane as Roy Warner / Steve Dupree
- Cathy Lee Crosby as Zoe Owens
- Richard Jaeckel as Det. Dave Mooney
- Keenan Wynn as Sherman 'Sherm' Moss
- Warren J. Kemmerling as Police Captain Speer
- Biff Elliot as Detective Jack Bresler
- Jacquelyn Hyde as De Renzy
- Casey Kasem as Police Pathologist
- Vivian Blaine as Courtney Floyd
- John Bloom as The Dark
- Bill Derringer as Herman Burmeister
- Jay Lawrence as Jim Hampton
- Russ Marin as Dr. Baranowski
- Vernon Washington as Henry Lydell
- Mel Anderson as Policeman
- Roberto Contreras as Max
Quotes[]
- "Oh, I've seen this. The meteor lands in Dr. Fred's yard, and you get to put a hamster in the microwave."
Mike's talking about things that happen in the video game Maniac Mansion.
- "Oh, the Dark! That's my favorite thing to potentially be afraid of on Nickelodeon."
Throughout the 1990's children's network Nickelodeon aired a young adult horror show titled Are You Afraid of the Dark?
- "You didn't expect it to be easy, did ya? I mean, really?" "The makers of Battletoads said the same thing."
Battletoads was a video game first released in 1991. It's notorious for being one of the most difficult video games ever made.
- "Wow! Shaggy became a pathologist?"
Casey Kasem, who plays the pathologist in this movie, voiced Shaggy from the Scooby Doo cartoon franchise for many years.
Notes[]
- Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) was originally hired to direct, but he left the project early in the production and was replaced by John "Bud" Cardos.
- Roger Ebert picked this movie as his Dog of the Week on the June 7, 1979 episode of Sneak Previews.
- This is one of multiple movies supplied to RiffTrax by Multicom Entertainment Group.
Gallery[]
See Also[]
- The House on Sorority Row
- The Fairy King of Ar
- Godmonster of Indian Flats
- Invasion of the Animal People