Alone in the Dark (1982)

Four dangerous and delusional psychopaths escape from ‘The Haven’ – a maximum-security psychiatric hospital – when the electric doors fail during a power blackout.

Paranoid sociopath Frank Hawkes (Jack Palance) has convinced his fellow patients – deranged pyromaniac Byron ‘Preacher’ Sutcliff (Martin Landau), brutally strong child molester Ronald ‘Fatty’ Elster (Erland Van Lidth) and John “The Bleeder” Skagg (Phillip Clarke), a killing machine who bleeds from the nose when he kills – that their new doctor, Dr Dan Potter (Dwight Schultz) killed their previous doctor, Dr Harry Merton (Larry Pine). Merton has actually moved to another hospital in Philadelphia.

The psych patients subsequently lay siege to Dr Potter’s home.

With him in his remote and isolated house are his wife Nell (Deborah Hedwall) and daughter Lyla (Elizabeth Ward), babysitter Bunky (Carol Levy) and Dr Potter’s visiting punk rock-loving, post-nervous breakdown sister Toni (Lee Taylor-Allan).

Donald Pleasence co-stars as Dr Leo Bain, the revolutionary doctor in charge of The Haven who is determined not to stigmatise the inmates at his asylum. He calls them “Voyagers” who are simply on a journey back to sanity.

The film was banned in the UK for a time.

Frank Hawkes
Jack Palance
Dr Leo Bain
Donald Pleasence
Byron ‘Preacher’ Sutcliff
Martin Landau
Dr Dan Potter
Dwight Schultz
Ronald ‘Fatty’ Elster
Erland van Lidth
Nell Potter
Deborah Hedwall
Toni Potter
Lee Taylor-Allan
Tom Smith/Skaggs/The Bleeder
Phillip Clark
Lyla Potter
Elizabeth Ward
Ray Curtis
Brent Jennings
Detective Burnett
Gordon Watkins
Bunky
Carol Levy
Billy
Keith Reddin
Marissa Hall
Annie Korzen
Mom
Dorothy Dorian James
Dr Harry Merton
Larry Pine
Jim Gable
Frederick Coffin
Dr Barkin
Steve Dash
The Sic Fucks
Themselves

Director
Jack Sholder