In The Dark.
Richard Laymon movie NOT book.
This film is extremely rare. It was never released in any cinema or format
(VCR, DVD, etc) anywhere in the world and never even copyrighted. It's an
independent horror film made very cheaply by director Clifton Holmes and shot
in black and white. As a result, it's far from HD quality but if you are a true
Laymon fan then this is the holy grail, as this is the only Laymon book ever
made into a film. Richard Laymon himself saw the film and loved it!. He's
review of the film is below (alongside Steve Gerlach's and other critics'):
Here's what the critics are saying about In the Dark...
9/24/00 - Bay Area Reporter (Gary Morris) [from review of SF IndieFest's
'Digital Underground'] - "... Clifton Holmes's In the Dark wins the prize
for creepiest film in the fest. In this nightmarish mix of existential horror
and noir, Jane is a bored librarian who starts getting mysterious notes from
"Game Master" paying her to do various strange things. The money's
doubled with each demand and the seemingly sensible Jane becomes dangerously
compliant as her bank account grows and the notes become increasingly bizarre.
Director Holmes makes limited use of DV's possibilities by shooting in
black-and-white, but this ultimately works to the films advantage in limning a
bleak world that inexorably closes in on its denizens. In the Dark's
ingeniously plotted story, solid acting, and unsparingly grim world view are
perfectly married to the visuals, making it clear what's important in a movie,
regardless of the technology involved."
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9/20/00 - Marin Independent Journal (Sura Wood) [from review of SF IndieFest's
'Digital Underground'] - "...The influence of the indie sensation The
Blair Witch Project is apparent with In the Dark, a surprisingly gripping black-and-white
thriller that will hook you despite your better judgement. Jane, a feisty
college librarian, is enticed into a web of danger by cryptic notes left for
her by an enigmatic stranger who calls himself the Master of Games. Each time
Jane completes a bizarre and potentially self-destructive task, she is rewarded
with money. As the threats to her safety escalate, so does the payoff. But Jane
is no slouch; she packs a pistol and a big knife for the nocturnal adventures
that require her to wander alone in the wee hours and sleep in a haunted house
during a thunderstorm. It's suspenseful and has some nifty dialogue and decent
acting. Despite lapsing into a few scenes of gory horror schlock, it will hold
your attention while it moves you to its inevitably violent conclusion..."
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8/18/00 - Chicago Tribune, Friday Section (John Petrakis) * * * 1/2 ([director]
Clifton Holmes) - It's been a long time since I've seen a horror film that
really scared me, but I was feeling more than a little on edge when I pulled
this tape out of my VCR after midnight. Shot on black and white video (an
underused but effective format), In the Dark is a story of game-playing that
grows dangerous, as a bored and frustrated librarian named Jane starts finding
notes addressed to her, along with instructions on where to go and what to do
next for more cash. They are signed "M.O.G." (Master of Games), and
as you can probably guess, things get out of hand as Jane's greed and curiosity
take her to places she definitely shouldn't be. I won't tell you any more about
it, so you can enjoy the whole creepy experience yourself, but I will say that
this is a much better film than The Blair Witch Project, and that director
Clifton Holmes is definitely somebody to keep an eye on.
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8/17/00 - Chicago Reader (Fred Camper) This ultralow-budget horror video by
Chicago director Clifton Holmes trots out many cliches of the genre (a woman
explores a scary house - more than once) but benefits from an engaging plot and
sharp timing and editing. A young woman receives a series of notes from an
unseen "Master of Games"; each one directs her to a new location and
contains double the cash that accompanied the last. As her reward increases she
takes greater risks, and the video descends into a low-rent version of Sade,
with sadomasochistic manipulations that become increasingly unnerving. The
acting is uneven and the story sometimes implausible (common problems in
low-budget work), but the narrative kept me watching.
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8/00 - Chicago
Underground Film Festival (Donna Jagela) "... Beautifully shot in
atmospheric black and white, In the Dark is truly mysterious, creepy and
ultimately shocking--- you'll never find this game on a shelf at
Blockbuster."
Or hear what Laymon and his fans have to say about ItD...
8/31/00 - Steve Gerlach, Web Author of Richard Laymon Kills! (the official
Laymon website)
Once in a while a film comes along that manages to do something Hollywood hasn't been
able to do for years: scare you. Really scare you.
In The Dark is that film.
Filmed without Hollywood bigwigs or studio
sets, In The Dark will quickly become a horror classic wherever it is screened.
The action, filmed with hand-held cameras and accompanied by sharp editing, is
non-stop from the first (pre-credits) scene to the very last.
Gemineye Productions has turned in a film which is absolutely staggering. Not
only have they produced the first film from a Richard Laymon novel and filmed
it while staying almost totally loyal to the book (something Hollywood would
never do!), they have also been able to invoke a feeling of real terror in the
audience by using black and white film (changing to color for only one horrifying
scene...with the color making it even more horrific) and getting by with only
the bare necessities - making the film feel oh-so-very much like real life.
Every aspect of this film is perfect: from the actors with their top-rate
dialogue to the locations and their murky lighting. In the Dark is the first
film since Hitchock's version of Psycho to instill real fear into the audience.
It also succeeds in "real-life-horror" much better than Blair Witch
could ever have hoped.
The film was watched by Laymon fans who had read the book, and also by
non-Laymonites. Both groups were equally spellbound and were on the edge of
their seats...right to the very end, where there is a surprise for everyone -
even Laymon fans who remember the book so well.
With the right backing and a distributor to push the film through the Hollywood quagmire and onto cinema screens, In The Dark
could easily become a blockbuster. No matter what you do, see it.
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7/21/00 - Richard Laymon, the author himself As readers, we are usually
disappointed when we see movies based on novels we have enjoyed. One way or
another, the film-makers almost always blow it.
I had high hopes for IN THE DARK, however, because I'd read a couple of scripts
written by Clifton Holmes, who wrote, directed and basically did everything but
star in the movie. I've known Clifton
for a few years and figured he would probably do a pretty good job making a
movie version of my novel. Boy, was I wrong. HE DID A GREAT JOB!
Throughout my career, a favorite topic among my fans has been "What'll
happen when they start making movies of Laymon's books?" Most of my fans
would love to see a movie based on my fiction. But only if the movie is done
right. Better NO MOVIE than one that isn't faithful to the book. And they've
expressed grave doubts that anyone would be able to make a "good"
film version, one that "gets it right." Not the way Hollywood is.
I am pretty much in agreement with them. My experiences with Hollywood
film-makers has been dismal. But Cliff isn't Hollywood,
he's Chicago.
Same as me. He did it his way. And his way was to make a LAYMON movie.
Among my fans, there has also been a lot of discussion about which director
would be ideal for making a Laymon movie. Names such as Cronenberg and Romero
and Carpenter and Tarantino and Lynch and many others have been mentioned.
Well, knowing what I know now, my choice for director is Clifton Holmes.
So far, I have only seen a rough cut of IN THE DARK. Rough sound, almost no music
. . . and I was transfixed by it. People are certain to compare this movie with
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Some will obviously say it was "inspired by BLAIR
WITCH" or an imitation. Unfair, since Clif made the film before BLAIR
WITCH came out.
Unfair, but not entirely bad. IN THE DARK will do quite nicely if anyone
chooses to compare and contrast the two films. While its look has resemblances
to BLAIR WITCH, it also reminds me of films by David Lynch and Wim Wenders . .
. and oh yes, particularly Tod Browning. In other words, its feel isn't that of
some sort of schlocky/Hollywood/teen/slasher flick. It seems more like an
"art-house" film. Unlike many "art" films, however, it is
neither boring nor obtuse.
In addition to Clifton Holmes, the film owes its existence to his brother,
Dwayne Holmes. While Clif did most of the movie making, he couldn't have done
it without the support of Dwayne, who supplied the money and equipment, did
some shooting and editing, and even took on the dangerous job of dealing with
my agent. So IN THE DARK was really a joint effort between Clifton and Dwayne . . . and I hope they'll
be working on many Laymon films in the future.
IN THE DARK begins in a university library with Jane finding a note that leads
her to LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL (and fifty bucks and a clue to the next location)
and it goes ahead full blast from there. It closely follows the events in my
book. All the acting is good, but Kim Garrett as Jane is amazing . . . just
like the Jane in my book, she is cute, practical, honest, down- to-earth,
gutsy, appealing, sometimes funny, over her head and knows it . . . and she is
very, very real. She's a Laymon protagonist down to the bone. Wait'll you see
her blow away . . . nope, not gonna give anything away.
Alex Ellerman plays Brace and does a wonderful job as Jane's worried but
helpful and supportive friend. Then there's Ford . . . very creepy indeed! All
the supporting roles were very well done. Since there were no closing credits,
I don't know who played whom. But there's a scene in which Jane is supposed to
be a fellow's "slave" until midnight and the actor who played the guy
was very down to earth and real. Must be awfully difficult to play
"nice" characters, but IN THE DARK has several very likable
characters and Clif found the right people to fill their rolls.
IN THE DARK does not follow the novel exactly. I'm not sure if any movie has
ever accomplished that. But this one is very close. It lacks nothing from the
book that made me think, "Darn, I sure wish they hadn't left THAT
out." For the most part, it's all there. And wait till you see what
happens when Jane goes into the house on Mayr Road. Holy crap!
Clifton also
dealt especially well with the sort of material that could've gotten the movie
an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. Considering the source material, there is very
little nudity in the film. Not much blood and gore, either . . . maybe due more
to the low budget than to other considerations. However, IN THE DARK does have
a certain low-key erotic quality and some very shocking violence. I would think
it should have no trouble getting an R rating, but you never know. It's a real
tribute to Clif's talent and taste that he maintained a fairly low level of
nudity and graphic violence without losing the feel of the book.
Sure, the film has a few small glitches. But IN THE DARK is a remarkable
achievement any way you look at it, and downright miraculous considering the
budget and resources available to Clifton
and Dwayne.
This is the first film ever based on any of my books or stories. No matter what
films might be done in the future, however, it's difficult to imagine any of
them will ever be better than this in terms of capturing the true essence of my
fiction. Unless, of course, it's done by the same people who made IN THE DARK.
I've watched this film four times, so far. Each time, I've enjoy it more. Each
time, I've also discovered small new details, new intricasies, new depths. In
my opinion, it's a movie that many people will feel compelled to watch again and
again. It is a MUST-SEE for my fans. It's the film version they've been hoping
for but probably thought would never get made. See? It CAN be done! It HAS been
done. Horror fans in general, including those who've never heard of me, will go
ape for IN THE DARK. Though it resembles various other movies in one way or
another, it is very original, very different from anything that's come along
before. I've pretty much seen them all, and I predict that IN THE DARK will
achieve "cult" status as soon as people get a chance to see it.
The disc will play on any computer worldwide and on any Region 2 DVD player.
Any questions please ask.
Thanks for looking !