Skull: A Night of Terror! (1987)

User Rating:

3.8/10   

Director:

Robert Bergman

Writers:

Robert Bergman (writer)
Jerry Ciccoritti (writer)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror

Tagline:

Tonight he goes over the edge.

Plot:

A gang of escaped convicts take over a farmhouse and hold the woman living there hostage. It turns out that her husband is a cop...

Plot Keywords:

Farmhouse | Escaped Convict | Hostage | Gang | Rape Scene

Cast

Robert Bidaman	...	David King
Nadia Capone	...	Jennifer King
Nial Lancaster	...	Gideon King
Erica Lancaster	...	Lisa King
Paul James Saunders	...	Neil Adams (as Paul Saunders)
Bonnie Beck	...	Sarah Adams
Robbie Rox	...	Skull
Isabelle Merchant	...	Ash
Paul Babiak	...	Lucas
Banito Brown	...	Hammet
Debbie Cooper	...	Alley Victim
Arlindo Vicente	...	Thug
Keith Smith	...	City Cop

Also Known As:

Don't Turn Out the Light (USA)
Night of Retribution (UK) (video title)
One Eyed Killer (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Norway:15 (video rating) | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Claremont, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Lightshow Communications

Trivia:

The film has many references to Homer's "Odyssey". For example, the township is called "New Ithaca". The chief villain is a Cyclopean one-eyed murderer. The female decoy who stops the prison van is referred to as "a siren". The hero clears his home of invaders, as Ulysses does with Penelope's suitors, using a bow and arrows.

Surprisingly good.

A surprisingly entertaining offering from debutant director, Robert Bergman, 'Don't Turn Out the Light' follows the story of a police officer named David (Robert Bidaman), who is still haunted by nightmares of the accidental killing of a civilian by his hand. However, David is forced to confront his past when another mistake leads to his family's wellbeing jeopardised by a gang of murderous thugs lead by the disturbed, sick and evil Skull (Robbie Rox).

This tense horror-thriller in the vein of 'The Last House on the Left' is quite an accomplished film, despite the poor performances from a couple of the lead actors and the occasionally dubious story. In spite of these and some other flaws, Bergman does a very good job of keeping the movie interesting through his creation of a suspenseful atmosphere and use of subtle, implied violent content. Additionally, Bergman manages to give his characters the right degree of depth so that one may feel as if they are experiencing this nightmare for themselves as well as question further the motivation behind the actions of the characters. Despite the basic premise, this is a film that can get the viewer thinking at times about what is being seen and that is never a bad element. In all, this film is much tamer than offerings like Craven's 'The Last House on the Left' (1972) and Deodato's 'The House on the Edge of the Park' (1980), but in some respects, it is equally enjoyable. Well directed and perfectly paced, if let down by the performances and occasional moments of utter absurdity. 7/10.