Where to watch Alone in the Dark
2 1/2 Stars
Edward Carnby, detective of the paranormal, unexplained and supernatural, investigates a mystery (the recent death of a friend) with clues leading to “Shadow Island” that brings him face to face with bizarre horrors that prove both psychologically disturbing and lethal, as he discovers that evil demons worshiped by an ancient culture called the Abskani are planning on coming back to life in the 21st century to once again take over the world… and only he and a young genius anthropologist with an incredible memory (and his ex-girlfriend), Aline Cedrac, stand in their way, at a gateway to hell. Standing in Carnby’s way, however, is the impact that a brief encounter with an evil spirit called the Queen had upon his mind, as he slowly finds himself overpowered by the forces of darkness as they eat away at his very sanity…
I first saw a screening of Alone in the Dark during its theatrical engagement in the spring of 2005. It was a few weeks before I graduated from film school, and I was so bored with the esoteric movies being forced upon me that a mindless escapist film was welcomed. Even by my, at the time, undemanding standards, Alone in the Dark is one of the worst movies to receive nationwide distribution during the early part of the noughties. Having said that, I have re-watched this movie many times in the intervening twenty years, and it’s always ranked high on my guilty pleasure meter.
Christian Slater, in one of his last ‘action hero’ roles, looks pumped up and grizzled and is a convincing protagonist in a supremely silly movie. The opening act set-piece, an extended chase, is the highlight of the movie, and it’s staged well and looks expensive. From there, Alone in the Dark steadily declines, briefly becoming interesting again when Stephen Dorff’s very aggressive character enters the film. Tara Reid does what she can with the thin role of assistant curator of a museum exhibit. She is out of her depth when onscreen with either Slater or Dorff, both pros at not embarrassing themselves even when the movies they appear in are shit.
Alone in the Dark is a fun time. The crisp direction and clean storytelling by the unjustly notoriously maligned Uwe Boll are on par. The visual effects aren’t very special, but their low-rent quality does make the movie more endearing. While I wouldn’t openly admit it, I will choose to revisit Alone in the Dark far more frequently than some heralded blockbusters by big-time filmmakers.
Directed by: Uwe Boll
Written by: Elan Mastai, Michael Roesch, Peter Scheerer
Starring: Christian Slater, Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff