Synopsis: A group of beautiful young women who work at the offices of a phone-sex company are being stalked by a psychopathic killer in a clown mask.
I swear I’ve seen that VHS cover before. That eerie clown face on a black background with the blurb “Mother always warned her: Never talk to strangers…” It feels familiar. Maybe it’s just so generic that I’m confusing it with something else? Who knows. Guess I can just add it to the list of things I haven’t seen up to this point. Billed as Devine’s last film, Out of the Dark is a 70’s style slasher with an 80’s style aesthetic. Starring a laundry list of familiar names from cult cinema like Karen Black, Geoffrey Lewis, Bud Cort and of course, Devine. I’m quite surprised this one didn’t hit my radar sooner.
A sleazy phone sex hot-line called “Suite Nothings” employs some of the hottest out of work actresses and models in LA. Bobo is one of their best, albeit creepiest clients. You see, in his spare time he’s a psychotic killer in a clown mask. Preying on the unsuspecting operators he frequently calls. As the kills mount up, suspect number 1 is Kevin (Cameron Dye). The hot young photographer “Suite Nothings” employs for their headshots and who also happens to be dating Kristi (Lynn Danielson-Rosenthal), one of the operators. Weird thing is, it seems like whenever someone dies at the hands of Bobo, Kevin just happens to be the last one to see them alive.
Lt. Meyers (Tracey Walter) is determined to prove Kevin is Bobo and harasses them at every turn. With Kevin professing his innocence and Kristi refusing to believe that her boyfriend could be a cold-blooded killer. They begin a quest to discover the true identity of this masked slasher. This leads them to the unassuming and slightly awkward accountant occupying the office across the hall from “Suite Nothings”. Convenient huh?
In a freak accident, Stringer (Bud Cort), the accountant, dies after being struck by a car in his pursuit of Kristi. Evidence is found in Stringer’s office, clearing Kevin of the crimes and frustrating Meyers in the process. Thinking they are now free, Kevin and Kristi head to a remote cabin where she quickly discovers the crimes were pinned on the wrong guy.
Out of the Dark goes light on the scares but heavy on the sex. Leaning more toward the camp side of funny at times and showing absolutely no blood or gore. It’s labeled as horror but I’m not sure it qualifies. Think Scooby Doo Mysteries with tits. Aside from a couple kills shown on screen this movie feels like late night Skinamax fare and I’m oddly ok with that.
Out of the Dark sounds like a prototypical 80’s slasher on paper but it’s a little more than that. I would call it an erotic thriller with a little tongue-in-cheek police procedural thrown in for good measure. A forgotten gem from the end of an era. Where all you needed was a killer with a unique look, gratuitous nudity and the concept of a plot. Yes, it was extremely predictable. But for a “B” movie, that’s to be expected. It’s mindless entertainment and sometimes that’s all you need.
You should be able to find this one on most streamers as well as physical media. For this screening though, I caught it on Tubi.
3 out of 5
So grab your popcorn, kill the lights and join me again tomorrow as we continue our journey on this strange little trip down the 31 Days of Horror rabbit hole. See you soon…
