‘Something is waiting’
The Dark Side of the Moon is a 1990 American science-fiction horror film directed by D. J. Webster from the screenplay written by brothers Chad and Carey Hayes. The movie features Joe Turkel (The Shining).
Plot:
In the near future, a maintenance vehicle is orbiting the Earth on a mission to repair nuclear-armed satellites. Suddenly they experience a mysterious, inexplicable power failure that they cannot account for. As the ship grows increasingly colder, they find that they are drifting toward the dark side of the Moon.
In the year 2022, the spaceship Spacecore-1 is on a routine “rehab” mission chasing down and repairing nuclear satellites in the Earth’s orbit. Suddenly, a mysterious systems failure causes the craft to drift helplessly and head on a crash course towards the dark side of the moon. Rapidly running out of fuel and oxygen the crew is surprised to observe an old NASA space shuttle approaching fast.
Upon boarding the shuttle they find that something sinister is afoot. One by one the crew are possessed and killed by the evil presence they have unwittingly unleashed until only one of them remains. It is now up to the sole survivor to discover the mysterious link between the dark side of the Moon, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Devil himself…
Reviews:
” …they are so hellbent on copying Alien that the Devil is presented as a chest-burster type thing, and also can possess folks The Thing style, which keeps the FX work to a minimum. If you’ve ever wanted to see a movie where the devil was represented by random schmoes with filtered voices and contact lenses, this movie’s for you.” Horror Movie a Day
“The Alien-like set up allows for darkened corridor exploration, body horror imagery of parasitic creatures in human innards and a shift into Exorcist territory via a chatty Book of Revelations-quoting demon presence. It’s plodding and mostly lacking atmosphere, though has a certain charm – and at the last minute manages a marvellously eerie and resonant final tracking shot.” Horrorscreams Videovault
“The movie possesses a thick and very creepy atmosphere, thanks to all the spooky-looking claustrophobic spaceship-settings, all beautifully filmed by Russ T. Alsobrook (Superbad) […] all the small screens and blinking lights gave me a wonderful retro-feeling, and some of the interiors look so gloriously Alien-like, for a moment you really start to wonder if this takes place on the Nostromo.” Maynard’s Horror Movie Diary
“It’s not as enjoyable as Event Horizon, but it’s definitely creepier. Everything that makes this effective is subtle, like the score, the pace, the scares, and even the appearance of the moon as just a dusty rock instead of a glowing orb of moonlight. It’s well made having come from a first-time director, and the cast does nothing but enhance it.” Obscure Cinema 101
YouTube reviews:
Trailer [1080p HD]:
Cast and characters:
Robert Sampson… Flynn Harding
Will Bledsoe… Giles Stewart
Joe Turkel… Paxton Warner
Camilla More… Leslie
John Diehl… Philip Jennings
Wendy MacDonald… Alex McInny
Alan Blumenfeld… Dreyfus Steiner
Choice dialogue:
“Time for candlelight and Courvoisier.”
Digital release:
The Dark Side of the Moon had its Blu-ray and DVD debut via a newly restored 4K transfer on June 11, 2019, as the second release by Unearthed Classics, the label that released The Unnamable.
The first-pressing of the Blu-ray includes a limited edition slip cover and booklet. Special features:
Interview with Special Make-up Effects Artist, R. Christopher Biggs
Interview with Actor, Alan Blumenfeld
Interview with Stuntman, Chuck Borden (Blu-ray only)
Commentary with Executive Producer, Paul White and Distributor, Stephen Biro
