The Dark (1979)An alien mutilator stalks and kills human prey during the night. Director:John 'Bud' CardosWriter:Stanford Whitmore |
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The Dark (1979)An alien mutilator stalks and kills human prey during the night. Director:John 'Bud' CardosWriter:Stanford Whitmore |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| William Devane | ... |
Roy Warner /
Steve Dupree
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| Cathy Lee Crosby | ... |
Zoe Owens
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| Richard Jaeckel | ... |
Det. Dave Mooney
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| Keenan Wynn | ... |
Sherman 'Sherm' Moss
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Warren J. Kemmerling | ... |
Police Captain Speer
(as Warren Kemmerling)
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| Biff Elliot | ... |
Detective Jack Bresler
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Jacquelyn Hyde | ... |
De Renzy
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| Casey Kasem | ... | ||
| Vivian Blaine | ... |
Courtney Floyd
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John Bloom | ... |
The Dark
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Bill Derringer | ... |
Herman Burmeister
(as William Derringer)
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Jay Lawrence | ... |
Jim Hampton
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Russ Marin | ... |
Dr. Baranowski
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Vernon Washington | ... |
Henry Lydell
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Mel Anderson | ... |
Policeman
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At night the Mangler stalks the streets of Los Angeles, killing and mutilating random victims. On the trail are a TV reporter, the father of one of the victims, and a police detective, but despite their efforts only the mysterious psychic DeRenzy knows what the killer is and how to stop it. Written by Jeremy Lunt <durlinlunt@acadia.net>
"The Dark" is an exceedingly dull thriller from the late 70's. It concerns a series of murders in Los Angeles committed by an alien creature. Unlucky people wander alone into dark places and end up having their heads ripped off by the "mangler". Cathy Lee Crosby stars as a newswoman and William Devane plays the father of one of the victims. They team up to try to catch the creature.
The writer, director and editor were so lazy they didn't even attempt to make a watchable film. They only have about 15 minutes of movie but insist on padding it out with lame claptrap so we're stuck watching it for 92 minutes. The R-rating is inexplicable. It's so tame it could have easily gotten by with a PG or maybe even a G. If you can make it that far, the cheesy special effects at the end provide limited entertainment value. Double-blind studies have shown "The Dark" to be superior to both Ambien and placebo in the treatment of insomnia. Barely rates 1/2 star (of four).