Out of the Dark

I love killer clown movies. I love mysteries. A murder mystery about a killer clown....HELL YEAH! To be honest. I liked this film. I really enjoyed it. The movie had a lot going for it. Some well known faces, a downright scary killer, some great visuals. A good amount of humour and overall a fun time was had.

Acting:

Cameron Dye: was very good as the protagonists boyfriend, He gave an enjoyable performance and I liked him onscreen.

Lynn Danielson: I don't know really. There were moments when her dialogue felt embarrasingly forced and OTT.

Karen Black: Black doesn't really need to do much here but what she does is certainly not bad.

Tracey Walter: The guy came across hilarious as the smart alec main cop of the film. His sarcasm was a hoot.

As for the film being scary or gory the version I saw was certainly not gory apart from one scene but as far as scary goes it depends on how scared of clowns you are. The site of a clown driving slowly after you at night time may freak you out if you suffer from coulrophobia

The mystery of who was behind the clown mask was good. Though I have read reviews which claim the identity of the killer is very obvious I don't know. If I hadnt had the film spoiled for me before I saw it I am not sure if I would have correctly guessed the culprit. Bobo was cool. He had a creepy deep voice and I LOVED his clown mask! (wish I had one like that) it was just very unnerving. The copy I own is obviously heavily cut because there is only one sex scene. (Very steamy I must add)

Be warned! In no way is this film original. In fact it is very cliched and follows some obvious nods to other films (Black Christmas, Halloween.

The film does what it is supposed to. Entertains you for the time its on.

OUT OF THE DARK (1988) is one of the more forgettable slashers out there and it's not one you hear discussed much which is hardly surprising. The setting is a phone sex centre, where the female employees find themselves menaced by a caller who fancies him self as Bobo the Clown and uses a baseball bat to bump the women off one at a time.

This one veers more towards the erotic than the sinister, with lots of models stripping off and photo shoots that add nothing to the story and perfunctory kill scenes. They do cast old-timers Geoffrey Lewis and Karen Black for good measure, and the presence of an investigating cop adds police procedural flavour. But I found the clown's Freddy-style wisecracks and laughter ("It's time for Bobo!") more annoying than scary and the 'twist' ending is anything but.

The involvement of Paul Bartel in "Out of the Dark" goes beyond his appearance, with an atrocious wig, as the manager of the seedy Royale Motel. As executive producer he has influenced Bartel-like dark humor throughout the film. The supporting cast alone is reason to seek this one out. You get "Lust in the Dust" alumni Lanie Kazan, Geoffrey Lewis, Tab Hunter, and "Divine". In addition, Tracey Walters, Karen Black, and Bud Cort are on board. This story of a clown masked killer murdering phone sex girls, is creatively photographed, and the performances are enthusiastic. Unfortunately, "Out of the Dark" was "Divine's": final film. ...................... - MERK

Lively thriller about a clown who stalks the beautiful ladies of an L.A. sex hotline that has a keen eye for the visual and a macabre performance from Cort, whom many may suspect as the killer...but...you must dig deeper to find the answer to that one.

This was more of a thriller/mystery than a horror. Don't get me wrong, it does have its horror and slasher elements, but these come in more towards the end. There was a lot of unnecessary padding by the way of sex scenes which seemed to drag forever. The best parts are at the end when the killer is unmasked. And there's also the classic Haloween style ending which is quite cool. There are moments of tension when the woman is being stalked down a flight of stairs too.

Overall though this film is nothing special and I wouldn't say it lives up to how good it sounds (ie. phone sex workers being stalked by a killer in a clown mask). Watch it if you love clown type killers, but this is not essential viewing if you are a horror/slasher fan.