Out of the Dark (1988) User Reviews

Silly, routine slasher, but still fairly watchable.

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 4 November 2005]

A telephone sex service named "Suite Nothings" is being tormented by an insane killer, who knocks off the beautiful woman on the other end of the phone one by one, in many brutal ways. So now, one of the women and their boyfriend who is a prime suspect of these sex-related crimes by the police try to work who is this killer that hides behind a clown's mask with their twisted sense of humour. This leads them too so many unexpected clues and suspicious suspects, which just keep on popping up.

Well, this is my second viewing of this film and it hasn't improved on my first one bit, but its mildly amusing despite we've seen it all before. What we got here is a reasonably sub-standard slasher with A LOT of sleaze, sex and added nastiness, with some very twisted humour along the way too. Although some things actually don't work, and you'll be snickering at how ridiculous certain set-ups are and how outrageous the violence is. Even the oh so many coincidences and why would you do that scenarios that crop up doesn't help either. Its main problem was that it took itself FAR to seriously in spots, making it funny in parts that it shouldn't have been. But then again, this is what really keeps you watching this particular film. I'm hoping its trying to be a parody on the sub-genre. Hold on, I almost forgot… a cheesy, but sometimes-erotic soundtrack helps you get into the 80's spirit!

The actual plot has so many twists, turns and plenty of red herrings, with certain sub-plots being left up in the air and characters disappearing from on screen. Such as one of b-grades finest Karen Black, one of the film's strong points… her character just vanishes after the halfway point. This is why certain things you pick up don't make too much sense and why at times it tries to be a moving drama, then comedy and a sudden u-turn into horror. Please make your mind up! It just seems there was too much going on at times, which gave it a padded feel. When it finally comes to the outlandish climax the killer's identity is a real let down in my opinion. Overall, the killer was just too goofy and cracked too many lame one-liners.

Fine performances from an exceptional b-cast (Cameron Dye, Bud Cort, Tracy Walter, Geoffery Lewis, Starr Andreeff, Paul Bartel, Tab Hunter). There was your occasional flat or eccentric performance and the cross dresser Divine makes a small cameo as a police detective. It's just that most of the characters were unlikeable and the dialogue that came from their mouths was shallow trite. The actual production wasn't too shabby and there were some well setup sequences. But where's was the suspense? Actually, what am I going on about? Oh right, it's a cheesy 80s slasher film.

Overall, there's some fun to be had with it providing enough nudity and cheap violence, which you expect from this type of film.

Predictable but passable slasher with sufficient wtf moments.

[Fella_shibby · 5/10 · 14 February 2022]

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs n found it to be a bit terrifying cos of the clown mask n the baseball bat n shovel scenes.

Revisited it recently on a fast forward mode.

The movie has enuff kills n nudity but the sex scene is lousy cos its shot in dim light n fast cut editing.

Tracey Walter was not at all convincing as a cop and his character barging inside a house with a shotgun and that too outta nowhere is like yo man wtf is that.

Walter got stereotyped as a comical character actor, especially aft Conan the Destroyer.

Another big wtf moment is the killer rising up after being shot as if it has some supernatural powers.

There is a very stupid scene where a guy sneaks inside an accountant's office but how he manages to get out is never shown. Like a piece of cake and that too with the accountant present.

Way better than it should be ..........

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 27 January 2011]

The involvement of Paul Bartel in "Out of the Dark" goes beyond his appearance, with an atrocious wig, as the manager of the seedy Royale Motel. As executive producer he has influenced Bartel-like dark humor throughout the film. The supporting cast alone is reason to seek this one out. You get "Lust in the Dust" alumni Lanie Kazan, Geoffrey Lewis, Tab Hunter, and "Divine". In addition, Tracey Walters, Karen Black, and Bud Cort are on board. This story of a clown masked killer murdering phone sex girls, is creatively photographed, and the performances are enthusiastic. Unfortunately, "Out of the Dark" was "Divine's": final film. ...................... - MERK

More thriller than horror

[Tikkin · 5/10 · 25 February 2006]

This was more of a thriller/mystery than a horror. Don't get me wrong, it does have its horror and slasher elements, but these come in more towards the end. There was a lot of unnecessary padding by the way of sex scenes which seemed to drag forever. The best parts are at the end when the killer is unmasked. And there's also the classic Haloween style ending which is quite cool. There are moments of tension when the woman is being stalked down a flight of stairs too.

Overall though this film is nothing special and I wouldn't say it lives up to how good it sounds (ie. phone sex workers being stalked by a killer in a clown mask). Watch it if you love clown type killers, but this is not essential viewing if you are a horror/slasher fan.

not bad for grade-B....

[mcfly-31 · 7/10 · 14 December 2002]

For a grade-B slasher, this isn't too awful. Tone down the forced nudity and dopey killer and they could've had something even better. As it is a clown-masked nut is dispatching the hot chicks of a phone se....uh, phone *fantasy* hotline. The mystery aspect is very well executed, which is why I say this could've been a lot more if they went for realism. Instead it's a giddy killer, Freddy Kruegering his way through some routine murders. "Don't call me, I'll call you!" he groans after strangling one of the girls. Then all of a sudden the director goes for nasty gore when a hooker is dismantled and left in a bloody bathtub. The cast is really above par (the girls are gorgeous), with some unknowns turning in good performances, along with veteran journeymen (and women) such as Black, Owens, Cort, and in his one big part I've ever seen, Tracey Walter. Long ago infamous crossdresser Divine even shows up for a scene. And Paul Bartel (who ex. prod.), too! Danielson and Dye carry the film well, and have maybe the most steamy sex scene I've ever watched (even moreso than say, "Fatal Attraction"). The ending provides a good shock and makes this not totally useless. So if you can find it, give it a shot. "It's time for Bobo!"

Out of the Dark

[Coxer99 · 30 June 1999]

Lively thriller about a clown who stalks the beautiful ladies of an L.A. sex hotline that has a keen eye for the visual and a macabre performance from Cort, whom many may suspect as the killer...but...you must dig deeper to find the answer to that one.

Creepy Clown slasher movie...

[alucardvenom · 5/10 · 9 March 2008]

First of all, this post might contain spoilers. I'll try to avoid making spoilers at all cost.

First time I've seen "Out of the Dark" when I was little I know I was scared of it. Even now I don't like clowns thanks to Clownhouse, Out of the Dark, IT, Funhouse and Killer clowns from outer space...

Out of the Darks starts really promising but it fails at the last 15-20 minutes of the movie. Sadly, it could have been much better movie if ending wasn't that poor. First hour movie is gonna keep you on the edge of the seat while you see beautiful girls being stalked by psychotic killer clown. I absolutely love slasher movies with clowns, and I found this one among average ones (is it just me or most of the killer clown movies suck?). Killer in this movie looks pretty creepy, but at some moments he might not be that cool when he starts commenting his murders ("Don't call me, I'll call you. " being one of worst lines I've heard from a slasher). Directing is not an original nor there are some special or new camera angles, but it's not bad. It's actually good for a low budget B picture. Same goes for acting.

Bottom line: Not very gory, not really a horror movie. It's more of a thriller\mystery\who did it\scooby doo mixed with some horror elements (having too graphical death scenes for a thriller). Two thirds of the movie are excellent, last third of the movie is bad. If you can stand movies with bad ending you'll have no problems watching this. If not, you can always give it a shot since this movie is one of the better killer clown movies and it's worth watching for it's first 60 minutes of the movie.

If you meet a creepy clown in a park at night, don't play mime baseball with it. Run!

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 21 May 2020]

Only the most delusional would expect phone sex workers to look as good as they sound, but this is a movie, and so the employees at phone 'fantasy' business Suite Nothings (owned by genre favourite Karen Black) are as hot in the flesh as they are over the phone. Unfortunately, one rather crazy individual -- a sicko in a Clown mask going by the name of Bobo -- isn't getting off by just talking to the girls... he's killing them as well! Unfortunately for the police, the killer clown isn't their only problem: another psycho is at work in the city, busy slicing up prostitutes.

Out of the Dark is a satisfyingly sleazy slasher, just so long as you don't focus too much on the storyline, which is chock full of contrivances, plot holes and clichés (perhaps intentionally so). Director Michael Schroeder certainly knows all too well the trashy nature of his film, and fills it accordingly with nudity, sex and gore. A steamy photoshoot featuring a sexy model with an aversion to clothes, and a gratuitous spot of bump and grind between photographer Kevin (Cameron Dye) and his gorgeous blonde girlfriend Kristi (Lynn Danielson-Rosenthal) are the sexy highlights, while the violence includes bludgeoning by baseball bat, strangulation with a hosepipe, a shovel in the skull, and dismemberment in a bath tub, with a suitably bloody demise for the psycho (as is de rigeur for this kind of movie, Bobo, presumed dead, comes back for one more attack before being blasted with a shotgun by cynical cop Lt. Meyers , played by Tracey Walter).

Stylishly shot by Schroeder, the film looks great throughout -- far more classy than the subject matter probably deserves. The dependable supporting cast includes Geoffrey Lewis, Bud Cort, Tab Hunter, Paul Bartel (also executive producer), and Divine (in his last screen role), making the film a must for fans of cult cinema.

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Forgettable and forgotten slasher

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 22 November 2022]

OUT OF THE DARK (1988) is one of the more forgettable slashers out there and it's not one you hear discussed much which is hardly surprising. The setting is a phone sex centre, where the female employees find themselves menaced by a caller who fancies him self as Bobo the Clown and uses a baseball bat to bump the women off one at a time.

This one veers more towards the erotic than the sinister, with lots of models stripping off and photo shoots that add nothing to the story and perfunctory kill scenes. They do cast old-timers Geoffrey Lewis and Karen Black for good measure, and the presence of an investigating cop adds police procedural flavour. But I found the clown's Freddy-style wisecracks and laughter ("It's time for Bobo!") more annoying than scary and the 'twist' ending is anything but.

Passable stuff.

[gridoon · 6/10 · 10 July 2000]

A pretty routine thriller, but competently directed and relatively well-written. At first it seems to play all its cards too early, but it does keep some surprises in store. Some intense horror sequences help, but in the final 5 minutes the film resorts into standard cliches and implausibilities (killers that just won't die, forgotten characters appearing out of nowhere, etc).

killer clown, phone sex workers; late 80s late-night sleaze cheese fare, and not very memorable

[FieCrier · 5/10 · 15 April 2005]

Someone calling himself Bobo makes short creepy calls to a "phone fantasy" line. One of the women working there walks home alone through a park, and encounters a man wearing a slightly over-sized clown head mask. She doesn't make the connection to the called named Bobo, for some reason. They play mimed baseball together, and then he kills her with the baseball bat saying "you're out!"

A wisecracking killer clown is stalking the women of the phone sex line. How original (sarcasm).

Police suspicion falls on Kevin - the boyfriend of one of the phone sex workers. He is also in charge of photographing the other women, and he had worked for the estranged husband of the operator of the phone sex company. There are a number of other suspects for the audience, including ones played by character actors Bud Cort and Geoffrey Lewis (the estranged husband) but he's really the only one the police pursue. There are a lot of other character actors in the movie like a detective played by Tracey Walter, and a gratuitous Tab Hunter cameo.

More of the women from the company are killed. There's some gratuitous nudity, though relatively little overall. One scene is a slow-motion photoshoot with a smoke machine and colored lights, set to instrumental music, like a bad 80s music video. Lame. Some of the murders are not particularly graphic, though there are some scenes featuring some blood.

There are some rather stupid scenes, like the fact the characters twice enter Bud Cort's office just after he has left, twice bump the lights, and twice the blinking lights are noticed by Cort. At another point, a character has an alibi for a murder (though it is one he'd used before), but inexplicably rushes away blowing the alibi, only to be caught shortly thereafter. You'd expect for a character to have a good motivation to blow an alibi, but this one doesn't.

Actor Divine shows up towards the end as a male (!) police detective who'd been mentioned a few times throughout the film. The film itself is dedicated to his memory.

The ending of the movie is practically stolen right out of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978), though I think it's safe to say at this point there won't be a sequel for Out of the Dark. If anything, a prequel, not a sequel, was hinted at by brief mentions of murders the clown committed while working for the circus prior to the events of this movie.

Much better than your regular slasher

[reaseltbim · 8/10 · 17 September 2023]

This was actually really great. Great casting, really charming girls, really great suspense, it wasn't even that violent but the bad guy was pretty good. This movie caught me by surprise in a couple of scenes. The story is a little simple but the movie had great pacing and really great actresses. The cop was really good too.

There are some funny scenes in the movie as well. Even from the bad guy. It has some dark humor and the bad guy was pretty funny in his dialogue and scary at the same time, the story progresses really well and never gets boring. I really liked the main actress . She was really great.

80s horror is always awesome!

[nicole10221991 · 7/10 · 30 April 2015]

this is your typical 80s horror film. a serial killer wearing a clown mask kills women who work at a phone sex operating office, only an 80s horror film can get away with this i think now people just want "torture porn" this isn't that. this had the suspense i always look for in horror movies, who is the killer? there are three good suspects for that question and i love a good guessing game. the acting was very good, no one was too over the top or unbelievable. i give this a seven because the actors were great, it was funny as it was suspenseful, and you can never go wrong with a killer clown! for pop culture and horror fanatics like me there are some greats to look for: Karen Black who runs the operating service, Divine as the detective who is looking for a killer with the same MO as the killer Bobo the clown and Bud Cort as the weirdo who works downstairs from the phone sex service (we are also supposed to believe he is the killer) its a cool and funny horror film for anyone who wants something that doesn't need a lot of blood and guts for enjoyment watch this!

Silly 80's slasher film

[Quetzl · 4/10 · 30 June 1999]

Pretty standard stuff, serial killer dressed as clown terrorizes phone sex girls, yada yada yada. It is more unintentionally humorous than most though, and has some disturbing moments, so its not a complete waste. Also, it has Divine's last performance (not in drag!). Don't go out of your way to see it, but if you have friends over and need a laugh, you could do worse.

This is your friendly Dr.Bobo's review

[the_asylum666 · 18 April 2003]

I love killer clown movies. I love mysteries. A murder mystery about a killer clown....HELL YEAH! To be honest. I liked this film. I really enjoyed it. The movie had a lot going for it. Some well known faces, a downright scary killer, some great visuals. A good amount of humour and overall a fun time was had.

Acting:

Cameron Dye: was very good as the protagonists boyfriend, He gave an enjoyable performance and I liked him onscreen.

Lynn Danielson: I don't know really. There were moments when her dialogue felt embarrasingly forced and OTT.

Karen Black: Black doesn't really need to do much here but what she does is certainly not bad.

Tracey Walter: The guy came across hilarious as the smart alec main cop of the film. His sarcasm was a hoot.

As for the film being scary or gory the version I saw was certainly not gory apart from one scene but as far as scary goes it depends on how scared of clowns you are. The site of a clown driving slowly after you at night time may freak you out if you suffer from coulrophobia

The mystery of who was behind the clown mask was good. Though I have read reviews which claim the identity of the killer is very obvious I don't know. If I hadnt had the film spoiled for me before I saw it I am not sure if I would have correctly guessed the culprit. Bobo was cool. He had a creepy deep voice and I LOVED his clown mask! (wish I had one like that) it was just very unnerving. The copy I own is obviously heavily cut because there is only one sex scene. (Very steamy I must add)

Be warned! In no way is this film original. In fact it is very cliched and follows some obvious nods to other films (Black Christmas, Halloween.

The film does what it is supposed to. Entertains you for the time its on.

decent movie overall -- but a bad ending

[jacobnunnally · 5/10 · 12 May 2022]

Was surprised how competent and engrossing the first and second acts of this film were. Love the phone-sex hotline setting, don't think I've ever seen that in an 80s horror flick before and I really dug it. It made sense and it laid the groundwork for what happens in the second act.

Moving on: I like the "giallo" aspect of the second act. It's mysterious -- who is it?! That's the question of every giallo film (i.e. "Deep Red") and giallo-inspired film (i.e. "I Know What You Did Last Summer").

But by the third act, unfortunately, the film runs out of steam and the ending is half-hearted and dumb. Bad ending! So dumb.

Anyway, I'd say this film is still worth watching. (May 2022)

Sadly heavily cut in the UK, but still good

[Stevieboy666 · 7/10 · 26 April 2020]

Beautiful, young female models, who all work at a downtown 'phone sex company (run by horror legend Karen Black), are being stalked and slashed by a nut called Bobo the Clown. My VHS sleeve calls it "A Frighteningly Erotic Thriller", and yes it is that. It is also a slasher movie, probably one of the better late 80's entries. There is plenty of soft sex and nudity, plus it is pretty tense at times and has some brutal kills. It also has plenty of humour in the script, for example one cop says to another "Look at the guy, probably gets more ass than a toilet seat!" Divine, in his last movie role, plays another cop and comes out with "That stupid schmuck couldn't find his pecker in his pocket!" There is a good B-movie feel here, and I liked the balance of horror and humour. Plot wise it is nothing taxing, a few red herrings are thrown in here and there, but it is an enjoyable film. Sadly the British release is cut by 94 seconds, I would really like to see it uncut.

Look at that guy... he probably gets more ass than a toilet seat

[lastliberal · 5/10 · 4 April 2009]

I seem to be on a slasher kick today. This one is about a clown named Bobo that targets phone-sex girls.

Karen Black, Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner for Five Easy Pieces, Golden Globe winner for The Great Gatsby, and Golden Globe nominee for The Day of the Locust; along with Geoffrey Lewis, Golden Globe nominee for "Flo" are featured, along with Divine in his/her last film.

At least this one had some interesting points of interest, especially Lynn Danielson-Rosenthal as Kristi Larson (no relation).

Nice ending.

Give me a call sometime.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 17 October 2023]

"Out of the Dark" is a fun entry in the genre of seedy L. A.-set B thrillers. The employees of a phone-sex service named Suite Nothings are now being targeted by a psycho wearing a clown mask. Hot on the case is a weary police lieutenant (Tracey Walter of "Repo Man" fame, miscast but still amusing), who firmly believes that photographer-on-the-rise Kevin (Cameron Dye, "Valley Girl") is the one responsible.

Working from a decent script that has a welcome sense of humor, director Michael Schroeder ("Mortuary Academy") also benefits from a stacked cast of familiar faces from cult movies, so that we don't automatically focus on one character as the obvious perpetrator (unlike the characters in the movie). We have Karen Black ('Trilogy of Terror') as the boss as the service, Paul Bartel of "Eating Raoul" (also the executive producer!) as a hotel owner with a BAD wig, Geoffrey Lewis ("Night of the Comet") as the bitter and drunken Dennis, Bud Cort ("Harold and Maude") as a nerdy accountant, and Harris Glen "Divine" Milstead in a non-drag cameo as Walters' rival on the police force. And, if that's not enough on screen talent for you, Lainie Kazan ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") and Tab Hunter ("Lust in the Dust") also have cameos!

Granted, the killer comes off as corny with *his* one-liners, and most people will probably see the reveal coming a mile away, but "Out of the Dark" still offers a solid bit of entertainment. There's enough sex & nudity to go around, some VERY attractive female cast members (Karen Lorre, Lynn Danielson-Rosenthal, Starr Andreeff, and Karen Mayo-Chandler, are among those working at the service), and sparing use of gore. (The kills are mostly bloodless, until the bad guy completely goes to town on one poor hooker.)

"Out of the Dark" doesn't really offer anything that people haven't seen before, but it *will* deliver the goods for fans of this type of thing.

The aforementioned "Mortuary Academy" can be seen on a theater marquee here.

Seven out of 10.

Starts put quite fun but goes to far

[jamie_likeskylie · 5/10 · 9 November 2006]

I had wanted to see this move for awhile and finally found an old VHS copy for 50p. It started out as quite a promising cheap thriller with some interesting cameo appearances promised in the main titles (Divine, Tab Hunter, Lainie Kazan, etc -- all from the movie Lust In The Dust). The first two thirds of the movie were good but the last part really spoiled it with a ridiculous ending and a poorly handled twist. That said i'll probably watch it again one of these days. Incidentally, the 1992 cable movie Intimate Stranger starring Deborah Harry totally 'borrows' the beginning to this film, virtually scene for scene/word for word too. If you like this movie, you'll like that one too.

Laughter and Slaughter with Bobo the Clown!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 10 March 2010]

"Out of the Dark" is an unknown & obscure, but surprisingly good late 80's thriller/slasher that massively surpassed my expectations. Sure it's unoriginal, predictable and derivative of approximately a dozen of other movies, but at least the pacing is stable and the level of suspense is admirably high throughout. It's too easy to point out all the clichés and little defaults, but it's much more fun to enjoy the nicely grim atmosphere, the adequate performances by familiar B-movie actors and the vivid killer clown character Bobo! Horror queen Karen Black stars as Ruth; the Mother Goose of a phone-sex agency L.A., inventively named Suite Nothing, but lately her girls are being terrorized by a psychopath that calls himself Bobo the Clown. Even more disturbing is that Bobo actually stalks the girls when they return home at night and butchers them in various sickening ways. And I do mean sickening, like the poor girl who's bludgeoned to death or another one who's literally hacked up in a bathtub. The cynical cop Lt. Meyers sets up a trap for Bobo, but this only results in more violent killing. Myers is convinced that the hunky photographer (and boyfriend to one of the phone-sex girls) is the culprit, but there are other suspects like the perverted accountant Stringer and Ruth's drunken ex-husband. "Out of the Dark" is quite similar to the streak of misogynist-thrillers that came out during the late 70's and early 80's. They were movies in which a perverted and sleazy male individual, who never bothered much to keep his identity a secret, targets all women because one woman wronged him. These were generally vile and hugely exploitative films (like "Maniac" and "Don't Go in the House") plentiful of sleazy and sadism, but without much depth. The creators of this particular gem at least tried a little harder. There's a lot of effort to keep Bobo's real identity hidden and no less than two stereotypical male characters are killed in order to keep the ratio with murdered girls in balance. It's a particularly praiseworthy gesture towards feminism to kill of 1) a fat and lazy Hispanic bastard and 2) a voyeuristic copper. Bobo himself is a genuinely creepy character with an uncanny mask, eerie voice and a marvelous sense of sadistic humor. He's one of the best killer clowns out there in the horror industry, and for that reason alone I find it bizarre that "Out of the Dark" isn't wider known. Because it was the eighties, there naturally also is some gratuitous nudity (in the form of a steaming sex-sequence) and a lot of sexual innuendo. The numerous fragments from the phone-sex conversations unceasingly use terms like "throbbing", "tool", "muscle", etc… By the way, it's pretty hilarious that the phone sex girls dress sexy and put on tons of make-up just to talk to guys they can't even see. As briefly mentioned already, "Out of the Dark" is a delight for fans of B-movie actors. Karen Black is terrific, but there are also great roles for Bud Cort (as the suspicious accountant) and Tracey Walter as the sardonic cop. You especially should keep an eye open for cameo appearances by Divine ("Pink Flamingos") as a disgusting Police Detective and Paul Bartel ("Eating Raoul", "Death Race 2000") as the sleazy motel owner.

Nobody can handle nipples like Bobo.

[mark.waltz · 2/10 · 18 February 2023]

"What a weirdo." "Yeah, but he gives great accounting." With lines like that, you know that this thriller isn't from the pen of great crime mystery writers Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammet. It's a trashy bit of pulp nonsense regarding the stalker of phone sex operators who murders them violently (one of the witnesses to the crime gets a shovel in the head) while dressed as a clown. Set in the sleazy sections of downtown Los Angeles (MacArthur Park easily visible), this goes into great detail about the clients and workers at the phone sex company (led by none other than Karen Black!), with sexually graphic dialogue that is more stupid than sensual and too idiotic and laughable to be offensive.

Interestingly enough, this reunites several cast members from "Lust in the Dust", with Divine (seen in a minor part in his last film appearance), Laine Kazan, Tab Hunter, Geoffrey Lewis and Paul Bartel. So there's a bit of a curiosity factor, but even though that will get the viewer to watch the whole thing doesn't necessarily mean that it's worth recommending. It's too blatant in its will guarantee to qualify as a film noir with absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. This is for cheap thrill seekers and dirty minded viewers who giggle like teenage boys over filthy insinuations, and it really didn't matter to me who the killer is. Most of the veteran cast members I was interested to see were given wretched material and completely wasted (including Bud Cort), so it's easy to see why this has not garnered a cult following.

An all right B movie suspense film that thrills with suspense and erotic feel.

[blanbrn · 8/10 · 12 December 2012]

I for one was always a watcher of B suspense horror flicks and the 80's produced some good ones the way they were done with sex, skin, and guessing suspense. I just recently viewed this one little gem called "Out of the Dark" and it's a watch as it will pass a late night. The setting is in the city of angels L.A. and the beautiful up and coming women who want to be movie stars first work the lines of a high priced and stylish phone sex service. And suddenly one by one each of the ladies start to be brutally murdered. So the questions begin is it a crazy client or customer? The film's theme of suspense and doubt is well showcased as it shows many crazy characters from the company accountant to the ladies current picture taker to a washed up alcoholic photo man. Oddly and in a strange way with each murder the killer hides behind a creepy clown mask! Aside from this suspense thriller being entertaining and a cat and mouse game of a psychotic killer it features work of veteran B movie queen Karen Black as the owner of the phone sex service line. And look for character actor and Jack Nicholson buddy Tracey Walter as the police Lt. that investigates the murders. Overall good little B movie treat.

Out of the Dark

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 13 June 2010]

"Another grisly crime strikes the City of Angels."

A psychopath in a clown mask targets the lovely ladies of Sweet Nothings Phone Fantasy. The main suspect is a fashion photographer, Kevin(Cameron Dye), because of his extensive wrap sheet. Kevin is dating one of the phone sex girls, Debbie(Teresa Crespo)and seeks her help in nabbing who they believe is the real murderer, a meek accountant named Stringer(Bud Cort)who works in the same building as the Sweet Nothings service. With Tracey Walter as a detective(!), Karen Black as the proprietor of the phone sex service(!), Geoffrey Lewis as an alcoholic porn photographer down on his luck, and Star Andreeff as a ditsy, gum-chewing phone sex operator who volunteers to lure the killer into the police through a set up stakeout which goes awry. Seeing Black in "erotic voice" over the phone with a customer has to be one of the main highlights as is Divine dressed as a male cop, Langella, and Paul Bartel(who also executive produced) with a silly wig on his head, portraying the manager of a sleazy hotel. The violence is toned down to mostly strangulations, with the use of a wooden baseball bat and shovel also weapons of destruction(although, the director also shoots these murder sequences to avoid gory bloodshed). Most of the potent violence comes at the end when a gun(and shot gun)is used to obliterate a victim in self defense. Andreeff steals her scenes as a bright-eyed, happy-go-lucky gal who works it like nobody's business on the phone sex hotlines to horny men needing their kicks. Cort is a hoot as a creepy geek, secretly into kink and perversion, discovered as Kevin and Debbie go through his office searching for evidence to implicate him as the killer. As expected, the clown cracks wise while in the act of executing his victims. The comedy, if my synopsis isn't clear in it's description, has an emphasis on sexual deviancy, including a steamy photo shoot and a scorching bump-and-grind session between Debbie and Kevin in Bartel's hotel(they were hoping to stay safe in an out-of-the-way area to no avail). This felt like a Paul Bartel flick to me, thematically and stylistically..that, my friends, is indeed an endorsement.

What a truly bad movie

[smatysia · 3/10 · 18 December 2019]

What a truly bad movie. Bad direction, bad writing, bad photography, bad acting, huge plot holes, and glaring police procedure errors. Karen Black was OK in this, but no one else. I think it could only have been saved with a LOT more gratuitous nudity.