The 70's was an era of very unique and refreshing horror films, before the slasher genre hit the screen. 70's horror films had to rely on atmosphere, story, and genuine scares to get their point across, and because of this, the 70's horror films are my favorite. I had high hopes for The Dark. It seemed to have a talented cast (William Devane) and an interesting plot. Where could you go wrong with an alien being roaming the allies of L.A. at night murdering innocent victims? Well the filmmakers did. The film even started out promising, with an explanation about alien life and how not every encounter will be friendly. Then the film degrades and keeps degrading. The major default is simply that the alien just isn't scary. It's like a lumbering Frankenstein that shoots lasers out of its eyes while it growls and grunts (and I swear they are the same growls and grunts used in the low budget monstrosity The Toxic Avenger). Another fault is that the film is too talky. It just keeps going and going with nothing really happening; even the alien attacks are tedious. A real disappointment. This is a hard movie to come by, and it is probably bound to stay that way. *1/2 out of *****
