In 1981, seven-year-old Alice Walker barely managed to escape the wrath of the Black Rose Killer during a city-wide blackout. Now twenty years later, the murders have begun again and Alice fears he has come back for her. She can see him in her dreams and even when she is awake. Those around her believe that she is insane. One week before the anniversary of her parent’s murder, Alice desperately searches for the truth before time runs out.

A derivative, recycled plot hampers the otherwise correct storytelling of this film. The acting is a mixed bag. The lead (Rosemary Gore) is uneven, her friend (Vanessa Edwards) is always on the right note, but Alice’s boyfriend (Mike Lane) is constantly over the top.

Despite the conventional feel of the movie, you can see that some effort was put into the screenplay as it contains a few nice touches. Sometimes the physics of some of the murders deny logic, but that kind of liberty is forgiven in the genre. Alice’s descent into madness is pretty well conveyed and there are a few scenes that stand out from the usual slasher fare. One of them goes into the bizarre territory of necrophilia as the lead masturbates, imagining sex with her dead, mangled face boyfriend!

On the other hand, the camera work and lighting leave a lot to be desired. This is the kind of movie that would have benefitted from stronger visuals.

The gore effects are sometimes great, but the execution of the action is not always properly choreographed. In a way this would have been the ideal material for Dario Argento, whose weakness is always the script, but who could have gone insane with the visuals as it has many of the elements that attract him: gory murders, hallucinations, and black gloves for the killer’s hands. One can’t help to notice that the story is reminiscent of The Stendhal Syndrome (1996).

But, if you are able to put the flaws aside, Fear of the Dark remains watchable (if sometimes predictable) by microcinema standards, and it ends on a high, clever note.

Two and a Half Stars.