Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Alone in the Dark Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson October 9, 2021

Dr. Dan Potter (Dwight Schultz) is a psychologist recently appointed to work with a small group of patients at a New Jersey mental ward called The Haven. Dr. Leo Bain (Donald Pleasence), Potter's boss and the eccentric director of the institute, doesn't consider the criminally insane inmates to be psychopaths, but rather "voyagers" taking a vacation into the human psyche. In fact, Bain doesn't truly regard them as any less "sane" than normal patients. He enforces looser rules and restrictions in and around the facility. Bain charges Potter with supervising and working with four most challenging patients: Frank Hawkes (Jack Palance), a Vietnam veteran with a clear case of PTSD and a paranoid schizophrenic; Byron "The Preacher" Sutcliff (Martin Landau), an arsonist of churches; Ronald "Fatty" Elster (Erland van Lidth), a pudgy child molestor; and Tom "The Bleeder" Smith (Phillip Clark), a recluse with a penchant for bleeding after he commits a homicide. Hawkes and the three others don't take a particular liking to Potter. They believe he killed Dr. Harry Murton, Potter's predecessor whom Hawkes has a high regard for. A blackout that ironically occurs during an anti-nuclear power plant demonstration helps spring the inmates out of The Haven. Hawkes and his followers loot a sporting goods store where they take various weapons they intend to use against Potter and anyone else that gets in their way.

All of the performances in Alone in the Dark are convincing. I thought Jack Palance was acting too much in a Methody sort of way in his first couple of scenes but later, he completely settles into Hawkes, making him his own. Martin Landau grins like Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs (1928). He has a devilish smile that's genuinely creepy.

Dr. Potter meets his new patients.

Critics either loved or hated Alone in the Dark, with only some in the middle. The movie's detractors thought that its most grisly and bloody scenes didn't make it worthwhile in the end. Others differed, however. The South Florida Sun Sentinel's Candice Russell called it "a few cuts above the usual psychopath-on-the-loose storyline. The icy fingers of suspense lighten their grasp with regularity in this tidy film." The Chicago Tribune's Howard Reich was most exuberant: "Flawless execution....a first-rate film in a class with such small-scale chillers as John Carpenter’s Halloween and Brian de Palma’s Sisters. As in those films, its terror is created not by lavish special effects but by relentless ingenuity of storytell­ing....if one allows that even violence can be artfully presented, then Alone in the Dark is most effective art." Joe Baltake of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote that Alone in the Dark "is more eloquent than other films of its ilk and has the kind of humor that per­fectly balances the gore."

The film originally had a different premise than what's in the final shooting script. "The first idea for the movie was to have these four maniacs escape and terror­ize the Little Italy section of a city, so that the Mafia would have to get to­gether and round them up," director Jack Sholder (a native Philadelphian) told Rick Selvin of the Philadelphia Daily News in 1983. "But it was changed to be a North Jersey commu­nity and the doctor's family that gets terrorized."

Alone in the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory's release of Alone in the Dark comes with a slipcover on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. Scream advertises this as a new 2K scan of the interpositive and the results are stunning. Presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the image has a nice layer of grain that's most visible in establishing shots. Skin tones and color temperature are calibrated according to the filmmakers' intentions. I watched the 2005 DVD transfer from Image Entertainment, which was pretty good for its time, but this is in another league. The picture looks filmy without any egregious digital manipulations. Scream has encoded the feature at an average video bitrate of 35000 kbps.

Scream has delivered twelve chapters for the 93-minute movie.

Alone in the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1681 kbps, 24-bit). Alone in the Dark was one of the first horror features to be mixed in Dolby Stereo and this restored mix sounds very clean and authentic. There is no audible hiss, pops, crackles, or dropouts. Dialogue is delivered with clarity. The four ballads performed in the film by The Sic F*cks sound pretty robust in spite of any age-related limitations with the recording. Italian composer Renato Serio wrote a mostly electronic score that suits the film quite well. While the music manipulates the audience at the most opportune and suspenseful moments, it's in service of the story. The Image disc had both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks but Scream opted not to include either of those remixes.

Optional English SDH can be selected through the main menu or by remote.

Alone in the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Scream has retained four extras from Image's 2005 Special Edition DVD. They've recorded four new bonus materials and also included some vintage radio/TV spots previously unreleased on physical media.

• NEW Audio Commentary with Genre Film Critic Justin Kerswell and Film Historian Amanda Reyes - Kerswell functions somewhat as a moderator on this track as Reyes (and her very observant comments about Alone in the Dark and the horror genre) take up much of the air time. Kerswell and Reyes continue to make a great pair, complementing each other's remarks and seguing into subsequent ones with aplomb. This is a delightful and informative listen. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Director Jack Sholder - this feature-length commentary track (sans end credits) with Sholder was recorded for the Image disc in the mid-2000s. He's joined by an unnamed moderator, who I've recognized to be Nathaniel Thompson. He joins Sholder in the track some minutes in. Sholder has lot to say about filming Alone in the Dark and working with the main players. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Out of the Dark – An Interview with Director and Co-Writer Jack Sholder (39:45, 1080p) - this recently recorded interview with Sholder is partly autobiographical. He recalls his formal schooling and undergraduate education, the aspiring musical career he had as a young trumpeter, switching over to film and making shorts, editing the Weinstein's The Burning (1981), and meeting New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye. He explains the genesis of Alone in the Dark, collaborating with Danish producer Benni Korzen, bringing in Tom Savini for a day, the New York City blackouts that inspired the movie's milieu, and psychiatrist R. D. Laing (the inspiration for Donald Pleasence's Dr. Bain). Further, he shares stories about Pleasence, Martin Landau, Erland van Lidth, Dwight Schultz, and Jack Palance. Additionally, Sholder shares some great anecdotes about how he and Shaye argued about the musical score. The final section has Sholder reflecting on how the film originally fared and how it holds up today. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Mother Choppers: The Sic F*cks Remember ALONE IN THE DARK (9:38, 1080p) - Snooky Bellomo, Tish Bellomo, and Russell Wolinsky sit beside each other at a bar as they reminisce about how they got to perform in Alone in the Dark, what Sholder was like as a director, and the scenes they sang in the film. In English, not subtitled.

• Still F*cking Sick – Catching Up with The Sic F*cks (16:30, upconverted to 1080i) - sixteen years earlier for an interview with Mikey T., Snooky, Tish, and Russell sit down for an extended chat in the Manic Panic showroom. They discuss the punk rock band's formation, the albums they've produced, and memories they have of appearing in Alone in the Dark (including a scene the got omitted from the final cut!). They also give a guided tour of the studio and movie memorabilia that they've collected. Presented in 1.33:1. In English, not subtitled.

• Bunky Lives! – An Interview with Actress Carol Levy (16:24, upconverted to 1080i) - this was one of my favorite pieces on the Image disc. Levy talks about the toothpaste and feminine hygiene products she promoted in commercials, acting in soap operas, and some nice recollections of The Chosen (1981), a period drama in which she had a small part. She goes into good detail abut the scenes she did as Bunky in Alone in the Dark. She also spends some time describing her starring role in The Princess and the Call Girl (1986). The last part has Levy speaking about her post-film career in advertising and real estate. Presented in 1.33:1. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Sites in the Dark: The Locations of ALONE IN THE DARK (11:38, 1080p) - this travelogue featurette revisiting the original locations of Alone in the Dark is hosted by Michael Gingold, who wrote the liner notes for the Image release. The piece shows how the New Jersey locations appeared in the film compared to how they look in the present day. Gingold delivers very good contextual details about the on-site locations. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:11, 1080p) - Scream has only partially restored New Line's official trailer for Alone in the Dark. The print is taken from an interlaced source and boasts film artifacts, heavy video noise, and some pixelation in the blacks. Trailer is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Warning that it reveals several of the characters' fates.

• TV Spot (0:33, upconverted to 1080i) - an unrestored promotional spot displayed in 1.33:1.

• Radio Spots (1:22) - two restored radio spots for Alone in the Dark. Sound quality is excellent. Apparently, James Chandler supplied these to Scream.

• Still Gallery (2:34, 1080i) - a relatively short slide show featuring a panoply of images from Alone in the Dark's ad campaign and home video releases. Presented are production stills from New Line's press packet, poster sheets, and various box covers from the film's VHS/LD editions (US and international).

Alone in the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Alone in the Dark is a mishmash of various slasher and horror films from the late '70s and early '80s but Jack Sholder's witty screenplay and efficient direction (his feature debut) make it a distinguished entry in a prolific era for the genre. I love the way cinematographer Joseph Mangine places the camera at the top of the staircase while a character enters the doorway down below. This is a title which I've been hoping that Shout!/Scream Factory would release on Blu-ray for many years and now it has! I don't have any complaints about the label's carefully prepared HD presentation. Bonus materials pick up those that were on the Image Entertainment DVD. Scream has added an outstanding commentary track with two cinema experts as well as a wide-ranging interview with Sholder. VERY STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.