Alone in the Dark (2005 film)
A loose adaptation of the 2001 video game.
Alone in the Dark is a 2005 action horror film directed by Uwe Boll, with a screenplay by Elan Mastai, Michael Roesch, and Peter Scheerer. Loosely based on the video game series of the same name, the movie follows paranormal investigators played by Christian Slater, Tara Reid, and Stephen Dorff as they take on a supernatural menace. The plot draws from the 2001 game *Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare*.
Critics panned the film for its story, dialogue, special effects, and Reid’s performance. It holds a 1% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made. Commercially, it bombed at the box office, earning $12.7 million against a $20 million budget, though home media releases performed better. A sequel with a different cast and story came out on home video in 2008, with Boll serving as producer.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Uwe Boll
- Producer
- Uwe Boll · Wolfgang Herold · Shawn Williamson
- Writer
- Elan Mastai · Michael Roesch · Peter Scheerer
- Based On
- Alone in the Dark · Infogrames
- Starring
- Christian Slater / Tara Reid / Stephen Dorff
- Music
- Reinhard Besser / Oliver Lieb / Bernd Wendlandt / Peter Zweier
- Cinematography
- Mathias Neumann
- Editing
- Richard Schwadel
- Studio
- Boll KG Entertainment · Herold Productions · Brightlight Pictures · Infogrames Entertainment
- Distributor
- Odeon Films (Canada) / Concorde Filmverleih (Germany) / Lions Gate Films (United States)
- Released
- 28 January 2005 · United States & Canada · 2005 · 02 · 3 · Germany
- Runtime
- 96 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film follows Edward Carnby, a paranormal investigator with enhanced abilities due to childhood experiments, who teams with his archaeologist girlfriend Aline Cedrac and Bureau 713 commander Richard Burke to stop a supernatural threat. The plot involves artifacts of the extinct Abkani tribe, a gold coffin recovered from the ocean, and a mad scientist, Professor Hudgens, who combines human and creature DNA. The creatures, which can be killed by light, are linked to a gate to another dimension. The film's production involved multiple script drafts; Blair Erickson wrote early drafts that were altered by Uwe Boll into an action film, with seven distinct scripts in circulation without consensus on which was used. Artisan Entertainment picked up North American distribution rights in June 2003.
Reader's Guide
Alone in the Dark is notable primarily for its critical and commercial failure. With a 1% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it is widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made, criticized for its story, dialogue, special effects, and Tara Reid's performance. Despite a $20 million budget, it grossed only $12.7 million at the box office, though home media releases were more successful. The film's legacy includes a sequel released directly to home media in 2008 with a different cast and story, on which Boll served as producer. The production history, as described by early writer Blair Erickson, highlights a contentious creative process where Boll's changes shifted the film from a Lovecraftian thriller to an action-oriented piece. The film remains a frequent example in discussions of poorly received video game adaptations.
Did You Know?
- A sequel with a different cast and story was released to home media in 2008.
- Blair Erickson, an early writer, expressed disgust at how Uwe Boll changed his original script.
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