Fade to Black (1980 film)

Fade to Black

Theatrical release poster
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.
Edited by James Mitchell
Barbara Pokras
Distributed by American Cinema Releasing
Release dates
  • October 14, 1980 (US)
Running time
 102 min.
Country United States
Language English

Fade to Black is a 1980 American horror film written and directed by Vernon Zimmerman, and starring Dennis Christopher, Eve Brent Ashe, and Linda Kerridge. It also features Mickey Rourke and Peter Horton in minor roles. The plot follows a shy and lonely cinephile who embarks on a killing spree against his oppressors while impersonating classic horror film characters, all the while stalking his idol: a Marilyn Monroe lookalike.

The film was nominated for multiple Saturn Awards, with Eve Brent Ashe winning for Best Supporting Actress. Released in October 1980, Fade to Black was commercially unsuccessful, but later garnered a cult following. It was released on DVD in 1999 by Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Plot

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 would have been their first date, Eric becomes homicidally unbalanced, transforming himself into a gallery of classic film characters - including Dracula, The Mummy, and Hopalong Cassidy - and sets out to destroy his oppressors, starting with his crotchety wheelchair-using, ex-dancer Aunt Stella (who is actually his mother) whom he pushes her wheelchair down a staircase to her death, reenacting a scene from the 1947 film Kiss of Death and makes it look like an accident. Eric attends her funeral dressed as Tommy Udo - Richard Widmark's role from the aforementioned film.

Eric then dresses up as Count 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. She trips, falling to her death, and Eric drinks her blood.

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 while he is working late night at the distribution warehouse.

Finally, Eric dresses up as gangster Cody Jarrett (from White Heat) and kills a sleazy filmmaker, named Gary Bially (Morgan Paull), who stole his idea as his own for an upcoming feature film inspired by Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (to be called "Alabama and the Forty Thieves") 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 The Prince and the Showgirl which is interrupted when Dr. Moriarty arrives and Eric is forced to run with Marilyn at his side. It leads to the Mann'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.

Main cast

Merchandise

A novelization (ISBN 0-523-41409-9), written by Ron Renauld was released by Pinnacle Books in 1980.

Soundtrack

The film score by Craig Safan was released on a promotional CD through Perseverance Records September 3, 2009.

External links