Alone in the Dark (1982) (Collector’s Edition) (BLU-RAY REVIEW)
DIRECTED BY: Jack Sholder
STARRING: Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, Martin Landau
RATED: R/REGION A/1:85/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Scream Factory
At a secluded mental institution, Dr. Bain (Halloween’s Donald Pleasence) maintains order while electricity fuels the asylum’s hi-tech security system that keeps the nearby neighborhoods safe from menaces like Frank Hawkes (Academy Award® winner Jack Palance, City Slickers) and “Preacher” (Academy Award winner Martin Landau, Ed Wood). Meanwhile a new doctor, Dan Potter (The A-Team’s Dwight Schultz), arrives in town with his family, but the inmates don’t take kindly to his presence and believe he has killed off their former therapist. Suddenly a power outage leaves the town in chaos…and now the maniacs are free to roam the streets and hunt down the man they believe has invaded their lives. With the area quickly descending into riots and chaos, the innocent few must fight for their lives when they’re left terrified, cornered and Alone in the Dark!
Well, it sure did take a long time but we finally have 1982’s Alone in the Dark on Blu-ray! The trusty Scream Factory is who brings it to us and to get the tough question out of the way first, yes, it was worth the wait. The movie looks nice on a new 2K scan. As you can assume it is easily miles ahead of the old DVD we’ve all worn out by now. It also comes with a whole group of new interviews and an audio commentary with a couple film critics to round it all off. So, if you have been waiting for this one to finally grace the world of HD then it arrives and it brings to the table everything we have been waiting for with it’s Blu-ray release. But if you haven’t seen the movie before it is only right that we cover what you get with that, so allow me to dive into this movie that I have talked about before, but what’s one more time right? At least until we eventually get a 4K release. I mean, everything else seems to eventually be getting one right?
The movie it’s self is a midnight movie to the core. This tale of loonies that have escaped the loonybin comes with some twists and turns, but it also comes with a mood and a vibe that makes it perfect for night time viewing. I’ve only ever seent this one at night and I don’t think it would fit to what it any other way honestly. From the performances of such people as Jack Palance to such characters as “The Bleeder”, this one just has a charm to it that feels spooky and does enough different stuff to really stand out during a time when basically all slasher movies that came out were the same. I don’t know about you, but that goes a long way with me. If you love horror movies in the 80s, then by all means check this one out if you haven’t done so.
Extras
- NEW 2K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM AN INTERPOSITIVE
- NEW Out of the Dark – an interview with director and co-writer Jack Sholder
- NEW Mother Choppers: The Sic F*cks Remember Alone in the Dark
- NEW Sites in the Dark: The Locations of Alone in the Dark
- NEW Audio Commentary with genre film critic Justin Kerswell and film historian Amanda Reyes
- Audio Commentary with director Jack Sholder
- Bunky Lives! – an interview with actress Carol Levy
- Still Fcking Sick – Catching up with the The Sic Fcks
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spot
- Radio Spots
- Still Gallery
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
QUALITY OF TRANSFER: 98%
