good film but with many flaws

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I just finished a review for 'Cruel Summer' in which I pointed out the movie's poster was utmost deceptive. 1982's Alone in the Dark's movie poster was just as misleading, but, oh so delicious.The difference is that this one's purely fiction and fun-horror whereas Cruel Summer was supposedly based on true events, dark and, well, cruel. Now, that all said, it's taken me nearly 40 years to finally get around to watching this "slasher" movie...and I'm a huge early 80s Slasher fan!Just to beat a dead horse, this poster, with the one jeaned-leg, bloody axe, moonlit night overlooking a cabin in the woods...brilliant and completely frightening. I love it. Unfortunately, as stated, it's completely deceptive. This incredible movie was nothing like the slasher movie poster leads you to believe.A new doctor replaces the old one at a free-for-all insane asylum run by Michael Myers' doctor. What separates us sane folk and these murderers is...electricity. So, what goes out in this semi-hippie, environmental messaged movie? Duh.The most dangerous patients, sorry "voyagers," are kept on the 3rd floor and once the said electricity goes out, they go to terrorize the new doctor for "killing their last doctor," or so they believe he did.Unbelievably, in an era (late 1970s to mid-1980s) of slasher movies, this movie had so many layers and surprises, good acting, interesting ideas, inventive gore and twists that I DID NOT SEE COMING even almost four decades later. I couldn't help but be impressed with how advanced this movie was when cookie-cutter slasher movies were produced and released almost weekly back then.I waited a long time to see this, but you shouldn't. If you are a fan of true horror and you haven't seen New Line Cinema's FIRST movie (a few years before Freddy put them on the map,) see this. NOW. In fact, enjoy the normal and YOUNG cameo of Lin Shaye, the mention of Freddy's hometown and actual scares, twists and gore you would NOT see coming here. I don't think I could recommend this more.***Final thoughts: THAT ALL SAID, again...what was with the Terminator ending? Sure, this was two years before the T-800 travelled back in time to the night club...but what was with the ending there? No spoilers...I'm legitimately confused.

Working at an insane asylum, a doctor working to keep his extra- security patients under control finds his efforts thwarted when a massive blackout occurs and they escape into the city, forcing him to realize what they're after and stop them before they can carry it out.This was actually a rather entertaining slasher. One of the best aspects is its intelligence and original story that starts off in a cliché since the fact that the convicts get out isn't anything new, but rather is one take on two different routes than most would expect. This gets a lot of work out of the fact that the convicts escape early on rather than stalking the residents inside with the fear of them getting out so that this one spends the majority of time stalking an individual family instead of going to a specific location and killing off an assembled mass there. This makes the fact that their out and about a lot scarier than what would've been done the other way around. What really sells the movie, though, is the continuous high-quality suspense scenes throughout here which come off rather nice as several of the scenes are highly enjoyable prolonging that factor. The stalking in the van is pretty chilling, the bedroom sequence is an absolute standout knowing they're there and trying to get out while a later assault on a house from unseen sources in the woods nearby features enough good moments to become quite entertaining and effective while detailing the action and brawling for some suspenseful times. The early action from the looting helps this one out nicely as well, bringing along some rather interesting bits as there's a different element present to the action that works nicely, and even manages to set-up the action in the later half rather well. Along with some nice gore based on the respectable body count, there here are the film's good points as there wasn't all that much really wrong with this one. Among the film's biggest ones is that the film has a long set-up to get to the good points. There's way too much time to get to the blackout that sets about the main thrust of the film and puts it into motion, and that there's a really long time to get there is a little off to really make this one exciting. Another small flaw is the ending comes across as slightly confusing and a little out-of-place in the film as it just seems to go on with endless confrontations just to get some action in, especially as it seemed to head for one conclusion and comes out with one that doesn't connect at all. These here are the film's main problems that hold it back.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language, Brief Nudity and a mild sex scene.

The slasher genre is quite a tiring genre with its endless sequels and clichés. But there are occasionally a few gems that might have gone under the radar. This movie is an example. It is also another movie which shows how good actors can really elevate a standard horror movie into a quality horror.Jack Palance and Martin Landau have both given excellent performances. I am surprised though since I would never expect these guys in such a low budget horror movie. But these guys seem to have had a lot of variety in their careers so it is understandable. They don't seem to go through the motions and they have really given a lot of effort for their roles in this movie. It was also interesting to see Lin shaye in a small role at the beginning. She looked so cute! But of course this is no character study or anything. It is as much fun as any other quality slasher. It takes a while to get going though. There is a sizable amount of humor in the lines. It is not particularly slapstick, it is mostly clever dialogue. Donald pleasance turns in a good performance as well. He almost seems delusional with his views and pretty much pays for it. There is a twist which I should have seen coming but didn't. There are some interesting gory scenes but nothing too gory. Maybe that is because of the veteran actors in the movie.Maybe they could have made the female characters a little more badass. We are used to seeing such characters in slashers but in this movie, the female characters are not really that tough. Maybe this is another way in which the movie subverts clichés but it was a little disheartening to see such weak female characters.When it gets into gear, it is full of action. But I liked the fact they spent some time in developing atmosphere. Even if the humor sometimes seems jarring, it still ends up as an effective slasher with superior performances.7/10

The 1980's was on the rise of slashers. Before Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees, there's "Alone in the Dark" . In an asylum, there are 4 mental patients who are convinced that the doctor(Dwight Schultz, before playing "Howling Mad" Murdock on the A-Team) has killed the original one. So they devise a scheme to escape, and take him out. The guard there overhears it and warned the new doctor. He takes it lightly. The killer quad escapes killing anyone who got in their way. During the route of escape, the doctor and his sister go to a concert where a very crude punk band were playing, a power failure occurred, and the doctor was glad to be relieved of such manner he couldn't take much longer. During the outage, the murderous quad find their way to a sporting store for some weapons. And they trade the doctor's car for a van when they killed the owner. Then comes my favorite scene between the bicycle messenger and the maniacs. They took him out, and get his hat and uniform. Then comes the plan. After the police warn the neighborhood about the 4, everyone is on guard. It's very interesting to see, and the surprise is there in this film. This is perfect for horror fans. Great cast, great plot. I recommend this film straight out! 3 out of 5 stars.