Blackout (1985) Review

 

A police officer begins to suspect that a local husband and father, who recently underwent facial surgery due to injuries from a car accident, might actually be the same man responsible for a quadruple murder several years prior.

Director Douglas Hickox's made-for-TV offering deserves revisiting despite its notoriety following the tragic murder of pregnant wife Ellen Sherman on August 3, 1985, in Connecticut. Incidentally, the handful of writers possibly borrow elements from the novel 'The Plastic Nightmare' (1971) by Richard Neely, which was adapted as 'Shattered' (1991).

From the horrific setup in the opening alone, and crime scene photos, it's easy to see why it also graced video shops with its sleeve of a man in a leather gimp mask brandishing a knife.

Although made in 1985, it feels like the 70s, with Laurence Rosenthal's great old-school score and the veteran cast including the likes of Keith Carradine and Richard Widmark along with Kathleen Quinlan and Michael Beck.

Hickox's solid direction, along with a shot-on-location feel, wind and thunderstorms gives it weight and atmosphere. Despite it feeling like it only exists due to the success of the Halloween TV version (1981), the interesting investigation plot that ticks along nicely and makes for some compelling viewing.

While it doesn't live up to the poster and video sleeve's marketing creepiness, it's a watchable TV thriller with some disturbing elements.