Dark Intruder

This takes place in 1890 San Francisco. A series of vicious murders has been happening with a mystical statue is left next to each of the victims. The police call in Brett Kingsford (Leslie Nielsen) an occult expert to help them. This was originally a pilot for a TV series but no one bought it. So they added some footage to make it a short (59 minutes) but feature length movie and released it theatrically. It LOOKS great--beautiful sets and costumes and plenty of eerie atmosphere. Also Nielsen is great in his role. However the script is heavy-handed and convoluted with some truly questionable plot twists. However it's been praised to the high heavens by many critics. Use your own judgment.

Long before he became an immortal slapstick icon with his role as Frank Drebin in "The Naked Gun" (and became typecast as such until his death), Leslie Nielsen actually was a pretty versatile actor and appeared in numerous cult movies. He starred in the classic fifties Sci-Fi movie "Forbidden Planet" and in the schlocky seventies eco-horror flick "Day of the Animals", for example. Very few people know, however, that Leslie was also the star of this unsold and meanwhile long forgotten pilot episode of a supernaturally themed period series entitled "The Dark Cloak". The pilot film – with an extremely short running time of barely 59 minutes – takes place in the year 1891 in the moody and fog-enshrouded streets of San Francisco. Nielsen is Brett Kingsford, a rather eccentric private investigator specialized the occult. He has a midget butler named Nikolai and doesn't want the world to know that he collaborates with the police, so he disguises whenever they meet to discuss a case. The city is plagued by a series of violent killings, seemingly committed by a monstrous being. Robert Vandenburg, a personal friend of Kingsford who's about to be married, fears that he commits the murders in a sort of trance, but our paranormal investigator suspects there is another explanation.

The Brett Kingsford character is intelligent and slightly arrogant, like Sherlock Holmes, and Nikolai often acts like a miniature version of Dr. Watson. The monstrous murderer is very much like Mr. Hyde (the malicious other side of Dr. Jekyll), while the timing and decors immediately remind you of numerous movies about the infamous Jack the Ripper stories. Most likely these are all the reasons why the TV-series never came and "Dark Intruder" remained an independently released feature film. It's too reminiscent to a lot of other movie franchises and potential sponsors probably didn't want to get accused of being derivative and/or unoriginal. But it nevertheless remains a damn shame that "Dark Intruder" became so obscure, as it's a splendid mystery/thriller with a compelling and convoluted plot, witty and creative comical elements and great performances. The murders as well as various other sequences are tense and hugely atmospheric. The script contains some delightful dialogs, like: "I sense strong psychic indications in this room. Yeah, try using that in court!" and the climax has a nice unexpected twist in store.

This was another last-minute inclusion in the ongoing Halloween Horror challenge, and one which also proved among the most rewarding viewings so far. I first knew of it from Leonard Maltin's *** capsule review in his esteemed "Film Guide", where the piece's TV origins ("Black Cloak" was actually the working title) and "one-of-a-kind" nature are mentioned. I was surprised to find it a period piece, but the end result still elicits a definite "Twilight Zone" feel – while anticipating, in concept and abrasive hero (ideally cast Leslie Nielsen and, who, incidentally, has a midget for valet/assistant!), the "Kolchak" series from the early 1970s. Despite the obvious low budget at the director's disposal, the film evokes a flawless Gothic atmosphere throughout. The fascinating plot involves a "House Of Wax"-type disfigured 'monster' – given an appropriately creepy make-up and played, of all people, by an unrecognizable Werner Klemperer of "Hogan's Heroes" fame! – causing havoc in fog-bound San Francisco (the attacks are quite vicious for a film of this kind), whose dual identity is gradually disclosed. There is, however, a method to his madness: a calling-card is left at the murder sites in the form of a mystical spoke-wheel; the period between each killing gets proportionally smaller; while the victims are eventually revealed to have been involved in his back-story. The level of suspense (and action) is considerable – especially in view of the film's very brief duration, a mere 59 minutes! – notably Nielsen's own numerous brushes with the monster (including one in which the hero spells out his suspicions to the Police Chief after yet another murder unaware that the villain is still present in the room with them!). The final twist, then, is the icing on the cake – with the tale having already reached a satisfactory conclusion, the script is seen to have one more ace up its sleeve. As can be expected, given the film's rarity, the print utilized could do with a restoration – but, really, this is no more than a minor quibble, when all the various components had come perfectly together to produce a classy (and memorable) show.

Leslie Nielsen is energetic, to say the least, as Bret Kingsford, ostensibly a playboy to everyone he knows in late 19th century San Francisco. But there is more to him than meets the eye. He is an expert on the occult, and secretly helps the local police force when a horrible string of murders are committed. Somehow his soon-to-be-married friend is involved, and Bret suspects someone or something not quite human is at the bottom of it. Leslie dons disguises to meet with the police chief to protect his social status, his victorian mansion has secret doors and passageways, and he plays at being uninterested while mentally taking notes and then disappears, leaving his guest staring at an empty chair. He's somewhat miscast in this film as a playboy, but when he throws off that persona he's fantastic. The foggy atmosphere of San Francisco is used to great effect to enhance the supernatural aura of the film.

This was a failed pilot produced by Jack Laird, who went on to produce "Night Gallery" a few years later, and was released theatrically at a few theaters. It's impossible to find, but deserves to be seen as the unique production it is. In some ways it is a clear precursor to "Kolchak, the Nightstalker", and also to the wonderful demon-themed TV movie "Spectre".

This title is now available via Sinister Cinema. The print is in great shape with just a few frame jumps scattered throughout the film. This pilot plays out like you would expect it to. The script is tight to keep the film to @60 minutes. It does have the feel and pacing of a television episode but is done well. The acting is good and the film is very atmospheric. I was surprised to see Leslie Nielson in the lead role. He has a rather evil looking dwarf for a manservant. I kept looking for Werner Klemperer as I noticed his name in the opening credits but must admit he got by me. I only found him by checking the acting/character names at the end of the film. He is in heavy makeup while on screen and even his voice is not recognizable. One negative note is the soundtrack composed by Lalo Shifrin. It contains some mighty cheesy organ playing and detached female vocalizing not unlike the original Star Trek theme! Catch this if you can. It's a neat little thriller and you could do a lot worse.