Sometimes being a movie fan can be murder.Such is the case in the 1980's slasher flick, Fade to Black, in which film buff Eric Binford's obsession with the silver screen turns deadly as film fiction becomes his twisted reality. Think of it like this: What if Lon Chaney (aka The Man of a Thousand Faces) reprised all his old film roles while going on a hallucinogenic murder spree? In a nutshell that is how Fade to Black plays out, even to the King Kong/Scarface inspired climax.
Directed by Vernon Zimmerman the film went on to earn win a Saturn Award and earn several other nominations. It even had a minor role played by that lovable rogue, Mickey Rourke. As a slasher film its a rather slow build up, taking its cues from the classic Psycho school of suspense. However the makeup effects are rather well done and actor Dennis Christopher, in the role of main character Eric Binford, does an excellent job of in his slow descent into movie-minded madness.
As an added bonus, the film is sprinkled with an assortment of in-genre Easter Eggs from the set locations to the props used in a given scene, though they don't seem to have inspired many of the kill scenes which is unfortunate. Sadly, I have yet to able to find a copy of the film on DVD below the $50 mark. Even used copies will run you a good $30 or more. So, if anyone has a tip on where to find rare or discontinued films, drop me a line in the comments section.
How did you see this? I've never even heard of it. Loved your review, however, and would love to check it out wit cha! I love that poster! The blog is looking fantastic by the way dude. I love the posts and thanks for updating like you do. Keeps me thirstin for more! Hope you're having a great day so far man.