Fade to Black
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dennis Christopher, Gwynne Gilford, Linda Kerridge, Norman Burton, Tim ThomersonDVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-08-24
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Movie Reviews of Fade to Black
Movie Review: Eric Binford Has A Deadly Obsession For Watching Horror Movies
Summary: 5 Stars
"Fade to Black" is one of the most thought provoking horror films I've seen in a long time. From the creative minds who brought us "Halloween" and "Hell Night, comes another slasher flick. This one, however, is unique in that it serves as a social commentary on the influence of movies, especially horror, on troubled young minds.
Eric Binford is a loner with no friends who spends too much time watching movies on television and at the theatre. He actually tells this girl he's just met that he watched three movies a day for an entire year. Add to the fact that he is constantly surrounded by people who psychologically and physically abuse him and you have a bomb that could explode at any minute. When Eric does become mentally unhinged, he disguises himself as vampires, mummies, bandits, gangsters and other villains and begins murdering his enemies in creative ways that mimic the movies he has loved to watch.
Dennis Christopher is excellent as the downtrodden Eric who lives with his abusive, crippled aunt. The viewer feels much sympathy for his plight even though he brings a lot of his troubles upon himself, like most humans do. (You might say that a little bit of Eric Binford is in all of us.) There is a hazy line between reality and fantasy, between sanity and insanity. Eric has definitely crossed that line, which leads to tragic consequences. The ending is very sad and disheartening.
"Fade to Black" reminded me of the horror masterpiece "Theatre of Blood" in which Vincent Price is an actor who is very much immersed in Shakespearean plays. He also kills his enemies - reviewers who have constantly rejected his acting - according to these plays.
When stressed, we all have a tendency to slip into fantasy in order to relieve tension. We have to learn when not to stay in fantasy too long and become forever trapped there like Eric Binford. We must confront our problems instead of running from them.
"Fade to Black" is highly recommended for those who love slasher ficks of the eighties and for those, like me, who watch too many horror movies in general. This film will make you think, it will make you analyze your own life, but, most of all, it will make you glad you're not Eric Binford. His life is like a movie reel that has come to an end and the screen must now FADE TO BLACK.
Anchor Bay did an excellent job of restoring and releasing this film in its original widescreen theatrical aspect of 1.85:1. A theatrical trailer has been provided. In lieu of commentary, there is a movie poster replica and brief liner notes on the cast and crew. However, there are no closed captions or subtitles for the hearing impaired.
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