"The Dark" tells the story of an alien creature that stalks the streets of Los Angeles after dark, viciously murdering one victim a night. No pattern of sexual or racial motivation is apparent, a fact that stumps the police, local newswoman Cathy Lee Crosby, and grieving father of the first victim, William Devane.
The acting is above average for a drive-in style horror film, and the final battle when the monster is cornered in an abandoned monastery, is pretty good for the era.
Keep in mind this is a 1979 film when you watch it. This is WAY before computerized special effects became mainstream in cinema. As a result, the sequences of the alien killing it's victims are not very clear, and you may need to view a scene several times before you figure out exactly what happened. The alien itself looks like a cross between Linda Blair from "The Exorcist", and Michael Jackson from "Thriller". Way too human for my tastes.
The alien could just as easily have been explained as a genetic mutation created in a lab, as there is really nothing to suggest it's extra-terrestrial origins. (Other than the characters coming to the conclusion that it's an alien, and a comet streaking across the city skyline in the opening sequence.)
Casey Kasem makes an appearance as a doctor working with the cops, and a pre-Miami Vice Phillip Michael Thomas makes a cameo, as a young man mouthing off to the police.
Also, an unintentionally funny scene occurs when Keenan Wynn explains to Crosby why "half of the men in L.A." watch her news program... "They're trying to find a way to get into your PAAAAAANTS!!!!" :^)
"The Dark" certainly does not compare favorably with modern horror films, or even horror film of the 80's. But it is worth a view, perhaps to see just how far we've come.
The acting is above average for a drive-in style horror film, and the final battle when the monster is cornered in an abandoned monastery, is pretty good for the era.
Keep in mind this is a 1979 film when you watch it. This is WAY before computerized special effects became mainstream in cinema. As a result, the sequences of the alien killing it's victims are not very clear, and you may need to view a scene several times before you figure out exactly what happened. The alien itself looks like a cross between Linda Blair from "The Exorcist", and Michael Jackson from "Thriller". Way too human for my tastes.
The alien could just as easily have been explained as a genetic mutation created in a lab, as there is really nothing to suggest it's extra-terrestrial origins. (Other than the characters coming to the conclusion that it's an alien, and a comet streaking across the city skyline in the opening sequence.)
Casey Kasem makes an appearance as a doctor working with the cops, and a pre-Miami Vice Phillip Michael Thomas makes a cameo, as a young man mouthing off to the police.
Also, an unintentionally funny scene occurs when Keenan Wynn explains to Crosby why "half of the men in L.A." watch her news program... "They're trying to find a way to get into your PAAAAAANTS!!!!" :^)
"The Dark" certainly does not compare favorably with modern horror films, or even horror film of the 80's. But it is worth a view, perhaps to see just how far we've come.