The Dark (1979)

An alien mutilator stalks and kills human prey during the night.

Director:

John 'Bud' Cardos

Writer:

Stanford Whitmore

Stars:

William Devane, Cathy Lee Crosby, Richard Jaeckel

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Devane	...	Roy Warner / Steve Dupree
Cathy Lee Crosby	...	Zoe Owens
Richard Jaeckel	...	Det. Dave Mooney
Keenan Wynn	...	Sherman 'Sherm' Moss
Warren J. Kemmerling	...	Police Captain Speer (as Warren Kemmerling)
Biff Elliot	...	Detective Jack Bresler
Jacquelyn Hyde	...	De Renzy
Casey Kasem	...	Police Pathologist
Vivian Blaine	...	Courtney Floyd
John Bloom	...	The Dark
Bill Derringer	...	Herman Burmeister (as William Derringer)
Jay Lawrence	...	Jim Hampton
Russ Marin	...	Dr. Baranowski
Vernon Washington	...	Henry Lydell
Mel Anderson	...	Policeman

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | laser beam | police | city | murder | 

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Taglines:

When Night Moves In ... Terror Walks Alone.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 April 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Mutilator

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Ventures International (FVI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The television station is KFVI. The last part "FVI" refers to this film's production company, Film Ventures International. When Shelley is by the movie theater at the beginning of the film, two posters can be seen for Beyond the Door (aka "Beyond the Door") and The Night Child (aka "The Night Child"). These Italian horror films were distributed by Film Ventures International.

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Quotes

Zoe Owens: Come on Sherman, I want to do this story.
Sherman Moss: Why?
Zoe Owens: Because this is the first impact on my career.
Sherman Moss: Why the hell do you think I sent you to do those swim suit shows? You've been with us exactly seven months.
Zoe Owens: Well look at the ratings!
Sherman Moss: Well of course! Half the male population of L.A. is staying up all night trying to get in your pants!

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Connections

References The Night Child (1975)

User Reviews

wake me when it's over

"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).