Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

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.

I was blown-away by the acting in this low-budget film. Jack Palance and Martin Landau steal the show in every scene they're in, just like the other film they starred together in, 'Without Warning' (1980). Whereas many slasher films are hokey and predictable, this one is actually filled with odd plot twists and intense scenes that keep you at the edge of your seat. Instead of just striving to be scary, it's filled with hilarious scenes as well that make it one heck of a great film to watch.The group of crazy "voyagers" were all very different: there's Ronald 'Fatty' Elster, a pedophile who thank god didn't actually do any on-screen child molesting (he made paper birds instead). There's Byron 'Preacher' Sutcliff, a pyromaniac and a sharp dresser who sets a number of traps throughout the film. There's Frank Hawkes, who's more depressed and paranoid than crazy and who I kind of felt sorry for. And there's the enigmatic and creepy "bleeder", a man who hates to show his face and who ends up being the most scary of the group.Of course, Potter's family is just as quirky and well-acted too, especially Lee Taylor Allan with the punk new wave look and the wild colors in her hair. As they're pursued by creeps from all directions, this film becomes an unforgettable experience.

Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, Martin Landau, Dwight Schultz, Erland Van Lidth and Phillip Clark star in this 1982 horror film. Schultz plays Dan Potter, a doctor who comes to work at a mental hospital with Dr. Leo Bain (Pleasence) and gets to know his unbalanced patients, Frank Hawkes (Palance), Byron 'Preacher' Sutcliff (Landau) and Ronald 'Fatty' Elster (Van Lidth). Soon, the 3 patients escape during a power blackout that occurs all over town and go after Potter because they think he got rid of their former doctor. Potter learns of their deadly intentions and tries to protect his family when they arrive at his house. Clark plays Tom Smith who is revealed to be other escaped patient, Skaggs. This isn't a bad horror flick with a good cast I recommend.

This movie is better than the title would suggest. There's an amazing cast here, comprised of horror vet Donald Pleasance and general freak show actors Jack Palance and Martin Landau. This movie has the classic build...complete with outdoor autumnal New England scenery and estate views with insane-asylum setting and mood. Also, there's the new-family-just-moved-in freaky vibe as well as a punk band concert scene tangent. All of which scream (with the help of a keyboard-laden soundtrack) early 1980's. And not in the worst way. Martin Landau seems truly disturbed throughout the film. His performance alone is worth the watch. I felt Donald Pleasance was actually smoking alternative substances, which led him to an inspired performance as the doctor who is treating the patients, but who may need treatment of his own.Historical relevance: 8 Individual actor performance: 8.5 Overall quality: 6Jen's Ultimate: 7