Drive-In Dust Offs: THE DARK (1979)

Any horror movie that starts off with a Serlingesque voiceover has my attention. And when you make your antagonist a hulking alien who looks like an eight foot tall Gene Simmons sans Botox with a proclivity for ripping off people’s heads AND shooting laser beams out of his eyes, you are granted permission to take all my money. Welcome to The Dark (1979), a fun throwback to a time when audiences weren’t beholden of such things as logic and coherence to have a ripping drive-in experience.

But what audiences do always appreciate is a good cast, strong direction, and some solid jumps. The Dark answers the call though in such an unassuming way that before you could blink, it was gone from theatres (but hung around drive-ins for a bit, as horror films were wont to do). It’s so low key that viewers at the time probably felt they were watching a TV Movie of the Week, or an episode of Kolchak, The Night Stalker. To which I say, what the hell’s wrong with that? Kolchak was a hoot, mixing sleuthing along with mutations, monsters, and apparitions.  The same formula applies here, but with a couple extra coats of shellac and care lifting it above what one of the Big Three networks would have offered. And I can understand the proverbial shoulder shrug – this was somehow rated R, which is ridiculous considering the most offensive thing on display is one bloodless decapitation (and ‘70s ties. Okay, those are gruesome). The Dark works in spite of the muted mayhem.

So how does this one play out? After the groovy Serlingspeak, a young woman walks home alone at night. She is pursued by a shadowy figure, and is pulled screaming behind a fence, where the unspeakable happens (and no effects are required). This pulls one of our main protagonists, Roy Warner (William Devane – Interstellar) out of the woodwork, as that young woman was his daughter. Roy is an ex con who has fashioned a successful career for himself as a horror writer under the nom de plume Steve Dupree. The cop in charge of the case, Detective Mooney (Richard Jaeckel – Grizzly), is naturally the one who put Roy away years ago (small world, huh?), leading to friction between the two leads. Throw in Cathy Lee Crosby (TV’s That’s Incredible) as Zoe Owens, intrepid news reporter looking for her big break, and we’re off and running. Oh sorry, I almost forgot about the psychic De Renzy (Jacquelyn Hyde – Going Ape!), who while giving a reading to a young actor, foresees him being slain by the alien. So our leads race to locate the young actor, face the alien, and destroy it before…well, actually we’re not really sure why it’s here. But it’s probably pretty bad.

The Dark is episodic by nature, moving from one slaying to another, with our heroes not so hot on the big galoot’s trail. If it weren’t for the alien angle, the film would play as a less is more, more or less OK police procedural. But as fate would have it, the movie gods stepped in to sprinkle a bit of B movie fairy dust over the production.

Distributed and produced by Film Ventures International, led by Edward Montaro (Grizzly) and Dick Clark (yep, Mr. American Bandstand), The Dark started off under the direction of Tobe Hooper (Eaten Alive) who was let go from the project for falling way behind schedule after only three days. FVI cranked out a lot of pictures, many being personal favorites of mine. Grizzly. Day of the Animals. The Incubus. My god, Pieces. They had a formula that obviously worked, and would not be tampered with.

A call was made to John ‘Bud’ Cardos, former child actor, stuntman, and director whose last film was the Shatnerrific Kingdom of the Spiders (1977). I don’t know how Hooper would have managed, but Cardos does some really fine work here, and even more assured than his previous effort. He and cinematographer John Morrill (A Boy and His Dog) film a lot of medium long shots in 2:35:1 ratio (otherwise known as Anamorphic, aka kickass Carpenter style), classing up the joint and giving the film a picturesque, urban western feel. It really dresses up the thin material, allowing it to hang appreciably before our eyes. As proven with Kingdom, Cardos has a relaxed rapport with actors, and The Dark possesses card carrying superstars of the genre, and of the era.

Jaeckel gives another of his intense, rapid fire delivery, take no prisoners performances that he held the patent on in his day, and Crosby brings a down to earth pluck to Zoe. But I always look for the offbeat, just a little bit left of center, and cutting through the shadows is William Devane. Receiving stellar notices as a vengeful veteran in Rolling Thunder (1977), he came aboard The Dark in the hopes of working with Hooper, but was assured by Cardos that he would be able to play Roy as he saw fit. And his version of fit is to make Roy so laid back that he threatens to evaporate in the California air. Feathered hair that would give Farrah Fawcett pause, shades, and a smirking smart ass demeanor (kind of his trademark, come to think of it) give the impression that Devane dropped in from another film (at one point, the alien bursts through a wall, and the camera shows Roy still standing there with his jacket over his shoulder like he’s waiting for valet parking). It’s pre – Lebowski manna for those who appreciate sun baked performances, and Roy’s ignorance is our bliss. The Devane abides.

Quirky is wonderful, yes? Well, let’s keep going then. Right before the alien strikes, eerie voices on the soundtrack whisper, “the daaark”, as well as “the daaarknesss”, and possibly, but I can’t confirm, “Rita Moreno”. I dunno, I’ve never seen all of West Side Story, but it is a gibberish of some sort. It’s a bold tactic that works in conjunction with the fine soundtrack, and it does amp up the mood while lowering the brain cell count a little. I’m pretty sure Halloween wouldn’t work as well if we heard “Michael Myersss” whispered before every attack. But we’re not playing on the same field now, are we?

But wait, there’s more! Wondering why we have a mix and match of decapitations and laser beam meltdowns? Well, the original story was about an abused and shackled child who grew up to be psychotic and developed a flair for beheadings. However, in the age of our Lord and Savior Vader, fiscal reasoning won the day (but not the box office) and our villain changed from an unfortunate soul into a growling monstrosity from outer space that obliterated humans with a blink of its eyes. As a result, we end up with a victim described as being blown to bits, right before his otherwise intact headless body is carted away to the morgue. Confusing? You bet. But hey, that’s filmmaking on the go (going, gone…).

And it could use some trimming, there’s a gratuitous Casey Kasem appearance as a pathologist that proves why he was made for radio, and the special effects have a cheesy veneer complicit with the times. But again the question is raised – is this really a problem? The Dark slithers as best it can, without any concern over whether its seams are hidden. After all, that’s what the shadows are for.

The Dark is available on DVD from Shriek Show.