| Fade to Black | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Vernon Zimmerman |
| Produced by | George G. Braunstein Ron Hamady |
| Written by | Vernon Zimmerman |
| Starring | Dennis Christopher Tim Thomerson Gwynne Gilford Norman Burton Linda Kerridge Morgan Paull Eve Brent Ashe Mickey Rourke |
| Music by | Craig Safan |
| Cinematography | Álex Phillips Jr. |
| Editing by | James Mitchell Barbara Pokras |
| Distributed by | American Cinema Releasing |
| Release date(s) | October 14, 1980 (USA) |
| Running time | 102 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Fade to Black is a 1980 slasher film starring Golden Globe-nominee Dennis Christopher, Eve Brent Ashe, and Linda Kerridge. Mickey Rourke also appears in a small role as a bully and one of the killer's victims. The film was nominated for many Saturn Awards, and Eve Brent Ashe won one for Best Supporting Actress for her short ill-fated role as the antagonist's bullying aunt and very first victim. The film now retains a cult following.
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Eric Binford is a hollow, chain smoking young man who is also an obsessed film addict whose love of old films extends far beyond his job at a Los Angeles film distributor's warehouse and endless late night film screenings in his bedroom. For his vast knowledge, he's been bullied by his friends and family. His singular obsession eventually rounds the bend into psychosis after he crosses paths with Marilyn O'Connor (Linda Kerridge), an Australian model and a Marilyn Monroe look-alike who becomes the physical embodiment of his cinematic desires.
When (unintentionally) stood up by Marilyn on what he believed would be their first date, Eric becomes homicidally unbalanced, transforming himself into a gallery of classic film characters - including Dracula, The Mummy, Hopalong Cassidy, and Norman Bates - and sets out to destroy his oppressors, starting with his crotchety wheelchair-using, ex-dancer Aunt Stella whom he pushes her wheelchair down a staircase to her death while reenacting a scene from the 1947 film Kiss of Death and makes it look like an accident.
A few weeks later, Eric, dresses up as Dracula to attend a midnight screening of Night of the Living Dead at a local cinema, and afterwords targets a hooker who had earlier snubbed him.
A few more nights later, Eric dresses up as the cowboy Hopalong Cassidy where he shoots and kills a boorish co-worker (Mickey Rourke), who taunted him on a regular basis.
Another few nights later, Eric dresses up as the Mummy where he drives his mean and vindictive boss, Mr. Berger (Norman Burton), into suffering a fatal heart attack whom is working late night at the distribution warehouse.
Finally, Eric dresses up as a gangster and kills a sleazy filmmaker, named Gary Bially, who stole his idea as his own for an upcoming feature film at a barber shop in broad daylight which finally gives away his identity. Eric then eventually works his way toward Marilyn hoping to lure her to his side.
Investigating the murders is a criminal psychologist, named Dr. Jerry Moriarty (Tim Thomerson), who tries to find a pattern to the murders and find Eric, to help or stop him, with the assistance of a friendly policewoman. But Moriarty's investigation is hampered by his own mean-spirited and nasty boss Captain Gallagher, who tries to stop Moriarty's investigation because Gallagher wants to take all the credit of finding the killer for himself.
It all leads to Eric luring Marilyn to a photography studio where he drugs her to reenact a scene from another film which is interrupted when Dr. Moriarty arrives and Eric is forced to run with Marilyn at his side. It leads to the Grauman's Chinese Theatre where the insane Eric is shot dead by the police on the roof of the building while reenacting Cody Jarrett's death scene in White Heat.
The film features clips from classic films and makes reference to others as Eric takes on the personas of several of the characters featured in the films, some of the films featured include: The Public Enemy, Mark of the Vampire, Kiss of Death (1947), White Heat, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula (1958), Night of the Living Dead and Halloween (1978).
A novelization (ISBN 0-523-41409-9), written by Ron Renauld was released by Pinnacle Books in 1980.
The film score by Craig Safan was released on a promotional CD through Perseverance Records September 3, 2009.