THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON / CERT: UNRATED / DIRECTOR: D. J. WEBSTER / SCREENPLAY: CAREY HAYES, CHAD HAYES / STARRING: ROBERT SAMPSON, WILL BLEDSOE, JOE TURKEL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Alien has a run in with the Exorcist in this low-budget cheese-fest from 1990 that pits a crew of hapless satellite engineers against the devil himself. Yes, that’s right, in space nobody can hear you scream: the power of Christ compels you! As the diminishing space truckers discover what really happened to the original crew of a long lost space shuttle, they begin to question not just each other but their own sanity as each of them falls prey to the devil’s evil manipulation to bloody tentacled ends.
There are some intriguing ideas here (thanks to the Hayes Brothers’ script), but they’re ones that really required a much larger budget or, at the very least, some cinematic finesse which sadly director D. J. Webster wasn’t able to provide. As a fun schlocky memory from the days of straight-to-video this is an enjoyable romp into sci-fi horror. Event Horizon, it is not.
As with many genre movies of its time, this has become somewhat of a cult classic and, as a result, there are plenty of features to embellish the crisp new 4K transfer. Commentary with the Exec Producers is enlightening and highlights the many trials and tribulations that low-budget features face, while a series of Skype interviews with actor Alan Blumenfeld, FX maestro R. Christopher Biggs and stunt man Chuck Borden are actually quite brilliant and provide way more interesting information than a standard press-kit interview would reveal. All of which provide that rare effect where you’ll find yourself wanting to re-watch the film again. Trailers, Photo Gallery and the Budget Breakdown (yes, really) round off a really nice selection.
