Alone In The Dark (1982) 7/10

When I was a kid I remember seeing the VHS box for Alone in the Dark. It had a closeup of a man's leg with a large axe resting against it. I knew it would be awesome, but my folks never let me rent it. Well I finally got around to it and I've really been missing out. Looks like i was right.

Alone In The Dark is about a small town with an asylum for the criminally insane. The entire place is controlled by electricity, so when the power goes out one night, the patients are free to escape and wreak havoc on the town. Enter a small band of the worst of the worst that are hell bent on killing their doctor and his family.

The film has great performances by a wonderful cast, including Martin Landau, Jack Palance and Donald Pleasance. The family interaction is really well written and you get a sense that the members actually love and care about each other. One of my biggest beefs with horror flicks is the terrible characterization found in most. Here everything feels spot on. The pace of the film is very quick, especially considering it came out in 1982! There isn't much gore here, but there is plenty of tension created by great performances and adept directing by Jack Shoulder (The Hidden, Nightmare 2, Wishmaster 2.)

What we have here is a real gem from a time filled with rip offs, thin plots, and terrible acting. This is how horror films are supposed to be made. Great script, great acting, and great directing. Good stuff all around.

Gore - mild

Nudity - mild

Overall - 7/10