One Dark Night

i saw "One Dark Night" in the theater when i was 12 years old, and BOY...was i scared! HEHEHE Seeing it now, im obviously not shaking in my seat, but it its still a fun ride. A lot of 'zombie' movie fans have a lot of trouble with this movie (evident of the other comments on this page), but the corpses in this film aren't really zombies as much as puppet-like instruments used by the 'psychic vampire' to terrorize those trapped in the mosoleum. i will agree that this film takes an awfully long time to get off its feet, and all the talk of psychics and psychic power being inheritied bog the story down. However, once Meg Tilly finds her way into the deserted mosoleum, its a lot of fun, and a little gory (which is fun in itself, right?)

As part of an initiation prank Julie (Meg Tilly of Psycho 2) has to spend the night in a mausoleum, but Karl Rhamarevich, a master of telekinesis has recently died and been put in there. When Julie's fellow sorority sisters desecrate where he's housed the real terror starts.

This little flick had a good deal of atmosphere and I enjoyed the build up, plus the last twenty minutes are just plain great. Anyone who's looking for a lost gem of an '80's horror movie needn't look any further. Highly under-appreciated. Plus Elizabeth Daily is adorable.

My Grade: B

Media Blaster DVD Extras: Disc 1) Commentary with director Tom McLoughlin and co-writer Michael Hawes; and trailers for "the Being", "Frankestien's Bloody Terror", "Just Before Dawn", & "Devil Dog" Disc 2) Alternate director's cut (that's almost unwatchable due to a bad print) & Behind-the-scenes featurette

The first sixty-or-so minutes of this undeservedly obscure horror film, when we're introduced to a fairly typical group of prankish teens, is unremarkable. However, the film offers a memorably horrifying climax that's well worth hanging on for: As the kids are setting up an elaborate practical joke in a mausoleum, a supernatural force causes numerous corpses, in varying stages of decay, to leave their coffins and pursue the now-terrified pranksters through the dark corridors. The film contains no gore (which is unusual for a horror movie of this period), but if your tastes run to ambulatory corpses it really delivers the goods. By the way, the film's shooting title was "Rest In Peace".

Like others who have commented on this movie, I saw One Dark Night at the movie theater when I was a youngster. For a reason I can't seem to put my finger on, this film captured me and has stayed with me through the years. From time to time I love to "go back in time" and view this film over and over again. Right of the bat, I will say that some people may not care for this movie due to it's old school feel and cinematography; but for me it's a movie that I've always cherished and will always hold a special place in my heart.

This movie has a certain bizarre and eerie feel to it that will give you the creeps, and as a matter of fact One Dark Nights oddity and unorthodox flavor is one of the reasons I'm so taken in by it. I'm certainly old school, and I feel like current horror movies have lost the feel and authenticity that some older films seem to have. One Dark Night certainly brings that "certain" flavor.

One Dark Night is the type of movie that would be perfect to watch on a rainy late evening or on Halloween night. I guess you could say it's a cinematic example of what Halloween is all about. It's has lots of spooky elements you look for in horror films: The atmospheric dark Mausoleum, Telekinesis, Gothic funeral procession, sad and thought provoking letters left by children of the dead, spooky graveyard and coroner scenes, a very odd and eerie scene of crime where 6 dead girls are found with a chilling open eyed gaze. It's just good old school horror, they just don't make them like this any more. I also have to give kudos to the background music or the score that's used throughout the film, it's helps the viewers experience. Much more so than I think people realize, the score is a compelling and powerful component that richly adds to the movies effectiveness and brings forth mood which is essential to any good horror film.

The casting in this film also came off(sort of in a unexpected way) very well. Adam West, who played Batman in the original series in the 60's adds to this films folklore. Meg Tilly plays her part very well and has a "look" about herself that seems tailored for a horror movie. The 3 prankish teen girls who were in the High School Sorority clique called "The Sisters "were perfectly casted; including one Sister who always gnawed and chewed on a toothbrush, even up to the point of her demise.....gimmicky indeed. It's finer elements like these that seem to endure me to the film.

Scenes at the end where Raymar tortures members of "The Sisters" in the Mausoleum with corpses could be viewed as silly but still some how manages to come over as okay and tolerable. The movie One Dark Night is currently out of print and could be considered rare. Although some may not agree, I consider the film to be a classic example of the genre. If you are a horror buff like myself, I would recommend this movie, you just may find it to be a keeper, and like it for its odd,creepy terror.

Meg Tilly plays a girl that has to spend the night in a mausoleum as part of a club initiation. The club is basically just three chicks, one of which is Dottie from Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Why Meg wants to be a part of this club is silly. It's pretty much the same motivation used on Leave It to Beaver whenever Beaver let his friends talk him into something stupid. Anyway, turns out a psychic vampire named Karl Raymar has been buried in the crypt Meg's spending the night. Wouldn't you know it, he returns from the dead this night and terrorizes Meg and the other girls.

It's a fun little movie if you don't have high expectations. There's zombies, lots of cool electrical effects, and some nice creepy atmosphere. Don't let the rating dissuade you from trying it out. It may not please the gore & guts crowd but it's a pretty good low-budget horror movie.