Fade To Black Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1980

Real life and film fantasies clash in Fade to Black, an underrated horror gem that serves more as a character study than it does as a horror flick. When a diehard film buff snaps from the pressures of life and the abuse of others, he gets his revenge by reenacting murder scenes from some of his favorite classic films. Now in a race against time to save the lives of other potential victims, police must discover the identity of the Celluloid Killer… and put a stop to him.

Eric Binford (Dennis Christopher) is an introverted young man that escapes the trials of life by watching classic films. Movies like White Heat, Dracula and Creature from the Black Lagoon helps him forget about the abusive people in his life such as his handicapped Aunt Stella (Eve Brent), his raging boss and his snide co-workers.

One day while on lunch break Eric stumbles across Marilyn O'Connor (Linda Kerridge), a stunning aspiring model that bears a shocking resemblance to Marilyn Monroe. Eric is instantly smitten, and as his cling to reality slowly dissipates he becomes convinced that O'Connor truly is Monroe. With all the grace of a one-legged gymnast, Eric stutters out an invitation for a movie date, which she accepts! Apparently she finds the off-kilter film buff cute.

Eric's duration on Cloud 9 comes to a quick end when Marilyn stands him up. He returns home dejected and goes back to his second life – watching classic films. But when his Aunt heaps more abuse on him and destroys his film projector, Eric finally snaps. His real life is miserable and now his fantasy life is being denied him. Reenacting a scene from one of his favorite films, he dispatches of his frothing Aunt Stella.

Although his first murder initially shocks him, he soon feels empowered by it. Not only did his aunt pay the price for her nastiness, anyone else that has wronged him in the past will find himself or herself the unwilling participant of a film scene.

Meanwhile, criminal psychologist Jerry Moriarty (Tim Thomerson) is attempting to slip into the mind of the Celluloid Killer to discover his identity. Police Captain M.L. Gallagher (James Luisi) isn't about to listen to Moriarty or his absurd theories about popular media such as films being a trigger for disturbed individuals, but as the body count mounts he just might have to reconsider…

Fade to Black is a top-notch film that never received the respect it deserved, particularly now, twenty-five plus years later. I suspect the reason for this is its billing: it is billed as a horror film. Instead it should have been dubbed a thriller, because although there are horror elements scattered throughout Fade to Black, it doesn't possess an extraordinary body count or subject the viewer to excessive levels of violence. The viewer becomes unsettled not by the murders (which would be the formula for a typical slasher), but rather by watching Eric's sanity deteriorate.

Dennis Christopher is largely responsible for the success of this film, because without his rich performance Fade to Black could have come off as simply campy. Christopher's layered performance brings forth a wide range of emotions within Eric, ranging from a haunting sadness to vindictive satisfaction. Although I'm not sure I would go so far as to say Christopher lends a sympathetic performance since his character isn't exactly the most likeable of people, he definitely glues our eyes to the screen so we can see what will happen next in his tragic life.

Linda Kerridge really didn't need to do much more than look pretty in her role, but she did it well! She really did bear a remarkable resemblance to Marilyn Monroe in this film, so it's easy to see why a film nut on the edge of sanity would commit a case of mistaken identity.

For the most part the secondary actors within Fade to Black knew how to get the job done. Observant viewers will want to watch out for Mickey Rourke's small (yet significant) role; this was his second big-screen appearance. The only performances that put me off a bit were Tim Thomerson's and James Luisi's, though it may be due to the characters' unlikable nature rather than failings on the actors' part. Eric Binford was a compelling character study, so the sub-plot involving Moriarty and Gallagher just served disrupt the flow.

If you are looking for the typical 80's slasher-style of horror, Fade to Black will probably disappoint. But if you're in the mood for an intelligent and somewhat disturbing character study of a young film buff that goes mad, pick up this underrated gem when you get a chance.

Movie rating: 8 stars

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