The Dark Side to Love (1984)

Pre-medical student Glen Marshall (Rick Barnes) falls head-over-heels for Gretta (Meridith Haze), a blue-movie actress who plays piano at a tawdry night club. Gretta leads Glen into a ... See full summary »

Director:

John Carr

Writer:

Philip Yordan

Stars:

Merideth Haze, Rick Barnes, J. Martin Sellers

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Merideth Haze	...	Gretta Connors
Rick Barnes	...	Glen Marshall
J. Martin Sellers	...	George Youngmeyer
Toni Covington	...	Contessa Pacelli
William Charles	...	Federico Libuse
Norm Keefer	...	Mary Contrary
Mark E. Ridley	...	Prince Flubutu (as Mark Ridley)
Theresa Jenson	...	Helen
David Lee Daniels	...	Lola the Drag Queen
Lou Dornbush	...	Poppa next door
Dorothy Mitchell	...	Momma next door
Michael G. Cavanaugh	...	Porno shop salesman
Tom Costello	...	Producer in office
Phyllis Guerrini	...	Glen's mother
Kim Keeler	...	Movie director

Storyline

Pre-medical student Glen Marshall (Rick Barnes) falls head-over-heels for Gretta (Meridith Haze), a blue-movie actress who plays piano at a tawdry night club. Gretta leads Glen into a nether-world of bizarre characters, including a group of rich patrons whose desires are not only quirky but dangerous. Bored and jaded by all of life's sensualities, they play their own imaginative versions of Russian roulette, seeking their final rush of adrenaline...death! Glen rebuffs the group at the first suicide game he attends. Gretta overdoses. Grieved, Glen attends her funeral. Nights later, he discovers Gretta is not dead but has become piano-player "Charlie White." Glen's obsession to restore Gretta to the woman he cherished incites the sinister circle to take them captives for the ultimate chilling and killing charade.

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Plot Keywords:

club | russian roulette | electric chair | kidnapping | carnival | 

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Taglines:

It's a Killer Place to Be.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Carnival of Fools

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pan American Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited into Night Train to Terror (1985)

User Reviews

That Was an Odd One....

I first saw some footage of this movie through the Philip Yordan film Night Train to Terror. Night Train to Terror is an anthology of three short stories that are actually full length films, just trimmed down to fit in a short stories film. Death Wish Club is the second story in the movie and it caught my interest with the excessive amount of nudity and gore. So, I tracked an old VHS copy of the movie down and to my disappointment, much off what was shown in Night Train to Terror was cut out of the version I have, but, I was still left with a very bizarre movie.

The movie is about a woman named Gretta, a bizarre type of gal who is a porno actress and a nightclub musician. When she gets wrapped up with a nice college kid she introduces him to an underground club. A club of people that like to play many forms of Russian Roulette.

That is the basic story to the movie but there is so much more going on in this movie that the main storyline becomes secondary. Gretta has split personalities, one of which she thinks she is a fish... The whole death club is bizarre and is never fully explained as to why they are so suicidal. Matter of fact, this movie has more plot holes in it then I can count!

If you are into really weird type of character films this is one to check out. Kind of reminds me of a really drugged up version of a David Lynch film. 6/10