FADE TO BLACK (1980)
There isn't much to say about this modest, unvarnished slasher. As muted as the film comes across, it could stand to be simplified even further. We are "treated" to a subplot involving a crime psychologist and his cop lover that goes nowhere faster than a speeding seminal spore. Technically, they don't collide with our psycho star, so they're useless anyway. Who is our psycho star? Thanks for asking! Eric Binford (seen above realizing he has a penis), a sheltered cinephile who lives with his prune shrew of an aunt. She's a real termagant, let me tell you! Boy, what a bag! You can see how Eric lives a soon-to-snap lifestyle, and it's not long before he does just that. When he stalks his prey, he cosplays as his favorite characters from cinema's golden age.
Eric dresses up as a vampire and a mummy, but oddly, his Hopalong Cassidy get-up is the creepiest by far. We only see his cumbersome silhouette hugged by fog. It's a highly effective death sequence, and I must credit writer/director Vernon Zimmerman with parenting a hefty sheaf of cool set-ups. But that's all I'll remember about Fade to Black. The shots, the kills, Eric's costumes...Eric himself isn't exactly sympathetic. No one is, really. I haven't mentioned the plot holes, and yet, I still recommend this flick. It's good enough to rent. Or download or steal or bliviodize (not a word). Look, I review movies like I'm lost in 1995 since my mind is commonly lost in 1995. In summation, Fade to Black is worth checking out on video. I would suggest renting first!
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