Fade to Black (1980)

A shy, lonely film buff embarks on a killing spree against those who browbeat and betray him, all the while stalking his idol, a Marilyn Monroe lookalike.

Director:

Vernon Zimmerman

Writer:

Vernon Zimmerman

Stars:

Dennis Christopher, Tim Thomerson, Gwynne Gilford

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Christopher	...	Eric Binford
Tim Thomerson	...	Dr. Jerry Moriarty
Gwynne Gilford	...	Officer Anne Oshenbull
Norman Burton	...	Marty Berger (as Normann Burton)
Linda Kerridge	...	Marilyn O'Connor
Morgan Paull	...	Gary Bially
James Luisi	...	Captain M.L. Gallagher
Eve Brent	...	Aunt Stella Binford (as Eve Brent Ashe)
John Steadman	...	Sam
Marcie Barkin	...	Stacy
Mickey Rourke	...	Richie
Peter Horton	...	Joey
Hennen Chambers	...	Bart
Melinda O. Fee	...	Talk Show Hostess (as Melinda Fee)
Anita Converse	...	Dee Dee

Storyline

Shy, lonely Eric Binford delivers film cassettes and film-related supplies in Los Angeles for a living. But he really exists only to watch movies and immense himself in fantasies about cinematic characters and stars. Frequently bullied and betrayed, Eric comforts himself by pretending to be one of the many tough heroes and villains who have captivated him from the silver screen. However, his sanity takes a turn for the worse and he launches grotesque murders all patterned after characters and incidents from his beloved movies. He becomes known as the Celluloid Killer, one of the most horrifying murderers the city has ever known.

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Plot Keywords:

obsession | psychopath | psychopathic killer | blonde | loner | 

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Taglines:

Eric Binford lives for the movies... Sometimes, he kills for them, too!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

...kun valot sammuvat

Filming Locations:

302 Market Street, Venice, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Leisure Investment Company, Movie Ventures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When writer/director Vernon Zimmerman approached Irwin Yablans with his pitch for the movie, Yablans presented him with a similar screenplay he had written two years prior entitled "Alex". Zimmerman then incorporated some of Yablans' ideas for "Alex" into his own script.

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Goofs

As Moriarty and Officer Oshenbull are racing to stop Eric near the film's ending, their police car changes briefly from a 1975-78 Plymouth Fury to a 71-76 Chevrolet Impala, only to change back once they arrive to the scene.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Aunt Stella Binford: [cynical tone] Eric! Get up! Well, lookie here. Mister Smart Mouth fell asleep with his nose buried in the screen again! Your one-eyed monster is gonna soften your eyes, much less rot your brain! You spend all your time daydreaming and watching those silly movies on the TV and on your projector.

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Connections

References The Sound of Music (1965)

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Soundtracks

Heroes
Lyrics by Carol Connors
Music by Craig Safan
Performed by Marsha A. Hunt

User Reviews

Knowing, ambitious but seriously flawed horror film.

The beginning is not bad, and it's obvious that the filmmakers have done their research, as far as the old film clips and other movie references are concerned. This movie will probably appeal more to film buffs than to general audiences. However, right after the first murder, credibility goes out of the window (where the hell does the "hero" get his equipment, anyway?). Normally I'm not fond of those "it was all a dream" endings, but perhaps that was the only way to justify the preceding goings-on here. Now, the movie DOES contain a chilling ending...only it belongs to "White Heat"! (**)