Fade To Black — Fade To Black(UHD/ Blu-ray)
From the early 1980’s, Fade To Black is an original crossbreed between slasher and character study, with light touches of satire and comedy woven in. It regards a shy and geeky film-obsessed twenty-something, who suddenly snaps, going on a killing spree, dressed as various characters from Hollywoods past. From 88 Films, as part of their Slasher Classic Collection series, is a dual UHD & Blu-ray release of the film, taking in the 4K scan, two new commentary tracks, a selection of new extras, and a few archive bits.
Fade To Black is from the year 1980- it’s an American production, filmed around Hollywood & wider LA. It was directed and written by Vernon Zimmerman. He had three other features to his name-these take in documentary charting life in a Chicago university, The College (1964), drama/ comedy road movie Deadhead Miles (1972), and roller derby set dramaThe Unholy Rollers (1972).
The film centres around Eric Binford(Dennis Christopher), who, I guess, looks like a cross between Michael Cera and Beck. He lives with his wheelchair bound aunt Stella (Eve Brent), who is constantly belittling/ put him down. Eric lives & breath cinema- he spends his nights either watching VHS’s or projector films. Then, in the daytime, he works at a film storage/ processing company, where his grumpy boss Marty Berger(Norman Burton) is constantly berating Eric.
One day, while doing a delivery for work on his scooter, he stops off at a diner, catching the eye of Austrian Marilyn O'Connor(Linda Kerridge), who is a spit for a certain Ms Monroe.
For the thirty-five minutes of this hour and forty minutes film, we’re very much in a character study/ drama setting, with odd touches of satire and humour. After this, we very much switch to a slasher- with Eric donning various costumes connected to old Hollywood- such as Dracula, a cowboy, a mummy, and a 1930s gangster.
Acting-wise, Christopher is excellent as the geeky/awkward twenty-something, and his shifting sanity. Both Kerridge & Burton ham it up wonderfully- both constant thorns in Eric's side. Also turning up as one of Eric’s work colleagues is Micky Rourke, who in one scene turns up in a very un-macho pink & blue striped t-shirt.
As for the slasher side of things, we get some neat/ tense stalking- there is a bit of blood/ gore, but not much. So, if you're looking for a pure slasher, this probably won’t be for you. But if you enjoy the slasher template mixed with other elements in, then you’ll enjoy what’s on offer here.
The release takes in a 4k scan- this largely looks good and well defined, though some of the more shadowy/ in darkness moments are still a little murky. On the audio side of things, the dialogue is clear, as is the score.
On the extras side of things, we get a good selection- taking in both new and archive material. On the new side, we have, first off, we have two commentary tracks- one is with lead actor Dennis Christopher, and the other is with the slasher-loving podcast The Hysteria Continues!. I played the second of these, and as usual from this four-piece collective, we get a well-researched and entertaining track. They open up by talking about when they first encountered the film, and what they thought of it. They touch on the double meaning of the picture's title. We find out that the director never saw the film as either a slasher or even a horror film- it just got picked up & placed in the genre, as it had slasher tropes/ elements. They point out movie posters in the background of scenes, as well as actors as they appear. We find out that actress Linda Kerridge starred in several films with Monroe like character, and she did a photoshoot in 1980 for Playboy. The picture started shooting in January of 1980, released in October of the same year. It had a budget of 2.3 million dollars, taking 15 million dollars at the box office. Later on, they discuss the psychiatrist character who turns up. We get quotes from interviews with the lead actor, Dennis Christopher. They talk about elements cut from the picture, and we find out that Micky Rourke didn’t get on with the director.
Otherwise, on the new side, we have: Music Fading (26.58) interview with the film's composer Craig Safan. Fade In, Fade Out ( 18.27) a video essay by Heather Wixson.
On the archive side, we have the following: commentary track with film historians Amanda Reyes and Bill Ackerman. Living & Dying for the Movies - an interview with lead actor Dennis Christopher. Celluloid Heroes - an interview with executive producer Irwin Yablans. Taking the Hits - an interview with special effects artist Wayne Beauchamp. A Shiny Quality - an interview with actress Marcie Barkin. Experimenting with Sound - an interview with composer Craig Safan. Finishing the Story - an interview with editor Barbara Pokras. A Brush with Darkness - an interview with stylist Patricia Bunch. Audio interview with lead actress Linda Kerridge, and original theatrical trailer.
The finished release has O-ring packaging featuring original VHS artwork. With a booklet with notes by James Rose.
In conclusion, Fade To Black is most certainly an original crossbreed between slasher and character study. And this new 88 Films release presents us with a 4 K scan and a good selection of interesting and informative extras.