Triskaidekafiles

Triskaidekafiles is a love letter to cheesy cinema from the 80s and 90s, with the occasional dip into other eras.  if you're a fan of MST3K, Elvira, Joe Bob Briggs, or just bad horror movies in general, Trisk is the place for you.

Fade to Black (1980)

FADE TO BLACK

WRITER: Vernon Zimmerman

DIRECTOR: Vernon Zimmerman

STARRING: Dennis Christopher as Eric Binford

Tim Thomerson as Dr. Jerry Moriarty

Gwynne Gilford as Officer Anne Oshenbull

Norman Burton as Marty Berger

Linda Kerridge as Marilyn O'Connor

Morgan Paull as Gary Bially

James Luisi as Captain M.L. Gallagher

Eve Brent Ashe as Aunt Stella Binford

John Steadman as Sam

Marcie Barkin as Stacy

Mickey Rourke as Richie

Peter Horton as Joey

QUICK CUT: A young man obsessed with movies finds a girl who is into him, but fate seems to be doing everything it can to keep them apart

THE MORGUE

Eric - Eric is obsessed with movies, the only thing that’s never left him, and pretty much everyone hates him because he is awkward, a bit pushy, and unsettling around others. Still, there’s something about him underneath all that.

Stella - Eric’s aunt, who puts up with his crap because he’s family, but she seems to have little interest in him, and blames him for everything wrong in her life.

Marilyn - A flighty young woman from Australia who bares an uncanny resemblance to Marilyn Monroe, who Eric takes a shine to. And she takes one to him, inexplicably enough.

Dr. Moriarty - A new transfer to the local police department, who has a theory that the things we watch affect our minds, and if we understand one, we can understand the other.

Gary Bially - A Hollywood producer that Eric befriends briefly, but soon discovers that trust needs to be earned, not given.

I’ll see a movie and I’ll watch it fade to black…

I’ll see a movie and I’ll watch it fade to black…

TRISK ANALYSIS: Welcome back, Triskelions! Do you know what today is? October 13th. But more than that, this is the anniversary of the day Triskaidekafiles went online. BUT MORE THAN THAT! This is Trisk's TENTH ANNIVERSARY! Yes, that is right, I have been suffering for your enjoyment for ten years now. And let me tell you...I have seen some things. And what things will we be seeing this week?

For the tenth anniversary, I picked a movie called Fade to Black, about a young man going through some tough times, and he turns to movies as a source of comfort and inspiration. Huh. Nah, can't relate.

In fact, the movie opens up on Eric Binford, heir to the Binford Tools fortune, watching his favourite movie, White Heat. Eventually, his overbearing aunt comes up to wake him up, and finds him asleep.

Fade to Black
Starring Dennis Christopher, Tim Thomerson, Gwynne Gilford, Norman Burton, Linda Kerridge
Buy on Amazon
Spidey had to find whatever work he could after Sony and Disney split.

Spidey had to find whatever work he could after Sony and Disney split.

We get some backstory from the aunt, about how she took Eric in after his mother died in childbirth, and how it eventually ruined her own life. And she has not been bitter about it ever since, not one bit!

Over breakfast, Eric does some impressions and quotes some movies at his aunt as the yelling continues, and the movie even handily cuts to the similar scene from the other movie, for anyone who doesn't get it. Like me!

He throws some movie trivia at her to boot, and Aunt Stella tells Eric to stop filling his head with useless nonsense. Yeah, I relate to this kid way too much.

So he heads to work, a place that supplies film reels for various reasons, and he overhears his boss being yelled at by a client. And of course, shit rolls down hill, and it hits Eric, especially since he caused the screw up.

At least the boss decorates his office nicely.

At least the boss decorates his office nicely.

Eric gets yelled at from his boss, and this is becoming a thing, isn't it? Yeah, he gets yelled at some more, and makes a second attempt at the delivery.

Meanwhile, we meet some cops who will wander into the plot later. One of them Doctor Moriarty has arrived with his theory that television and movie violence negatively affects people, causing them to act out, and oh no, he's one of Those.

The rest of the cops don't agree with his methods, except for the lady cop they pair Moriarty up with, and she shows him to his new office; an old jail cell they used to use for the drunk tank, and now filled with boxes as storage. Well, that's nice and homey.

Those squids don’t stand a chance.

Those squids don’t stand a chance.

We then go and meet two MORE characters, one of them is a blonde Aussie named Marilyn, with a striking resemblence to another Marilyn. Marilyn Manson. Hahaha, no no, Monroe. But that would have been wild, eh? In fact, the actress has such a resemblance, almost all of her early roles were as a Marilyn stand in.

From there, we move to catch back up with Eric leaving work, and running into Baby Mickey Rourke and friend, and he makes a bet with them on more movie trivia, so he can make some money.

And after that, he heads to a nearby diner, where Marilyn and her friend are also grabbing a bite to eat. And because he is so into movies, he sees Marilyn and becomes immediately infatuated with her.

If I answer question, I get my boord?

If I answer question, I get my boord?

He quizzes her on movie trivia, and ugh, I hate gatekeeping. She doesn't know the movie, seems a little flightly, and he eventually tells her it's the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Which we already knew, because the movie cuts in more clips.

Boy, his trivia game would be way WAY less impressive today, with the internet.

And yet, somehow this works, she likes the kid, and she asks if he can give her a ride to work, during which they chat some more.

When he drops her off, he tosses out a casual "Seeya in the movies!" and she takes it, playfully, as asking her out. Which, again, somehow works. Is it really this easy??

DID HE JUST SNORT COKE??

DID HE JUST SNORT COKE??

The movie floats around a bit, before coming back to Eric getting ready for his night on the town. Aunt Greta rolls in, and seems genuinely pleased he's cleaned himself up, and his room, and is getting out. With a girl no less!

But her attitude sours sharply when she hears he's going out with Marilyn...Monroe. Unfortunately, her mocking isn't entirely without merit, as our actual Marilyn meets a guy at work, and has a drink with him, forgetting all about poor Eric.

At least she does finally remember, but despite having waited around well into the night, they just miss each other as Eric leaves as she arrives.

Yes, if you've noticed, this first act is VERY slow. This is not our typical movie, it's more of a character study, the downfall of a tragic figure as life crumbles around him. Spending all this time with all the characters does go somewhere, and once we're out of the first act, the movie does take off. Stick with it.

Eric heads home, watches more movies, and eventually Aunt Stella shows up to intrude. She finds him staring at the screen, yells at him some more, and knocks over his projector.

Aaand that's the turning point of the movie.

You’re gonna be fine, Eddie Spagetti.

You’re gonna be fine, Eddie Spagetti.

The slow picking away at Eric has all lead to this. He confronts his aunt, and pushes her chair down the stairs outside, watching as she takes her 'accidental' tumble and dies in the fall.

Following this, Eric snaps. He dives deep into characters from movies, adopting the name of Cody Jarrett from White Heat, and muttering more and more random trivia.

With a character being beaten down by society, driven to a point where he breaks, and embraces other, more theatrical personalities...is...is this the origins of the Joker?? Is this where the movie got its plot from?

Oh no, it is! it IS the origin of the Joker!!

Oh no, it is! it IS the origin of the Joker!!

He paints himself up as a classic Dracula, and goes out to watch more movies. Which no one seems to blink at. There's a few other costumed folks in the audience, so I guess this was still as normal as it is today.

Eric SOMEhow manages to find Marilyn's house, breaks in, and freaks her out in the shower, treating us to a total Psycho ripoff. But all he wanted was her autograph! Including raising a pen threateningly at the girl in the shower!

Did nothing of this entire idea not trip any warning bells at all in Eric's mind? I know he's gone 'round the bend, but still.

HEY MARILYN WANNA CHECK OUT MY NEW SILVER PEN AND VAMPIRE MASK??

HEY MARILYN WANNA CHECK OUT MY NEW SILVER PEN AND VAMPIRE MASK??

Still in full vampire regalia, he runs into a hooker that yelled at him earlier, freaks her out, and chases her down.

Complete with more scenes from other movies spliced in to go along with this one, oh joy.

Eventually, she trips over something, and lands on a wooden fence, getting one of the slats right in the neck,

Awww, and I didn’t even get to kill her myself…

Awww, and I didn’t even get to kill her myself…

He leans over, licks some blood off his hands, and wouldn't you know, great. Now he literally has a taste for blood.

The next day, the death is all over the papers, and they're saying there were a hundred vampires at the film festival. And the local bullies wanna know if Eric was there.

Okay, I have questions. Namely, how do they know a vampire killed the hooker? There were no witnesses we saw. Is it because he visited Marilyn, and they put two and two together, even though there was no murder?

John Constantine: Demon Hunter

John Constantine: Demon Hunter

And if you think this is gonna lead Eric to try and kill them too, you would be correct! Eric goes home, watches some westerns, and gets all painted up as one himself.

Meanwhile, the two bullies wander around the nearby fairgrounds until they're bored, and wander down a dark alley. Because that always goes well.

That's when Cowboy Curtis shows up, slides a gun over to Richie and they have a shootout. Richie is faster on the draw, so it's a good thing his gun only had blanks. The same cannot be said for Eric's gun.

Where have all the cowboys gone?

Where have all the cowboys gone?

So the cops call in Richie's coworkers to interview suspects, including his friend and Eric. And I wish we had seen the interviews, instead of cutting to Jack Deth already suspecting Binford for being weird without knowing the justification.

Later, Eric gets picked up by Gary Bialy, an actor turned producer, and Eric tells him all about his own movie as they drive through town.

They hit it off, he loves the idea, and invites Eric to his next screening! Yeah! Everything is coming up Milhouse!

Eric heads home to watch the original Halloween, so I guess that's appropriate enough. And after he jerks off to his Marilyn posters, he heads back to work for no good reason, and gets yelled at by his boss until they do the old Fired and Quit routine.

Which all leads to Eric...I mean, Cody, getting all dressed up like a mummy so he can return and shuffle around until his old boss has a heart attack. He's...not very good at murder, is he?

It’s time for the obligatory “Are you my mummy??” joke…

It’s time for the obligatory “Are you my mummy??” joke…

But you know what? For all the talent this kid has at costumes and makeup, he could be doing a LOT better in life.

Anyways, sometime later, Eric catches some tv and sees Bialy talking about his latest movie, Eric's movie! Except he gives no credit to the author. And doubles down when Eric calls to ask what's up, saying he never heard of the kid.

The world just keeps kicking Eric when he's down, and while I can relate to his lashing out, well...cool story, but still murder.

So this time, Eric gets all dressed up as a gangster, complete with tommy gun, finds Bialy getting his hair done and celebrating his birthday, and guns the producer down.

This is BATTERY ACID!!

This is BATTERY ACID!!

The police swing by Eric's place, talking about this weirdo going by killing people dressed as a vampire, and a mummy and HOW DO THEY KNOW?? I can almost understand the vampire, if they make the connection with the home invasion (but WOW still a leap) but the mummy??

All the clues and changes Eric made though, catch the interest of Moriarty, rightly thinking they're connected to movies, but he can't quite place them! Oh, if only there was some global database of movies and trivia that could have been searched!!

This comes so close to being good police work, but mixed in with half assed leaps at the same time, that it's frustrating. It comes so close!

Marilyn has a photoshoot, with Eric of course, and she somehow acts like she never recognises him in his play acting as a character from one of Monroe's movies?

Next time I travel down the line, I hope my ancestor has shaved.

Next time I travel down the line, I hope my ancestor has shaved.

Oh, they also half heartedly toss out there that OH YEAH did we mention that Eric's aunt was really his MOTHER but too embarrassed and never told him?? Yeah, that's a thing.

As the cops drive around, they get a call that there is an unconfirmed sighting of Eric's car. Really? Their entire case hinges on an unconfirmed sighting? Siiigh.

So Moriarty and his partner show up, Moriarty gets instantly shot in the leg, and tries to talk some sense into Cody, who has gone so deep into his persona by this point, wanting to escape the life of some loser who only has movies to comfort him, and no one wants to be around.

A drunk Marilyn?  Yeah, that tracks.

A drunk Marilyn? Yeah, that tracks.

Eric escapes, and Moriarty assumes they're going to Hollywood Boulevard, because his whole life is a movie. So, so much leaping to conclusions.

But, since there's only 10 minutes left, of course he's right, leading to our big confrontation at Mann's Chinese Theatre.

Moriarty again catches up with Eric, trying to bring him back to reality, but Eric runs up to the theatre's movie screen and is shocked when he can't Last Action Hero his way outta there.

LET ME IIIIINNNN

LET ME IIIIINNNN

Cops surround the place, as Eric runs up to the roof, and does the whole "TOP OF THE WORLD, MA!" bit, before he takes a header down to the pavement.

And that's pretty much how it ends, with Eric being driven mad by the world around him, consumed by movies.

TRISK ASSESSMENT

Video: Pretty solid stuff. It’s from 1980, so probably filmed in ‘79, and it shows, but by those standards it’s fine.

Audio: Sounds pretty good, too.

Sound Bite: “This is MY story!”

Body Count: Being a bit different kind of movie, there’s not a lot of dead bodies, but it does not leave its cast completely unscathed.

1 - 37 minutes, and Aunt Stella takes a spill.

2 - Prostitute gets it in the neck when she trips over a fence

3 - Eric kills Richie as a cowboy

4 - Bossman has a heart attack

5 - Eric guns down Bially on his birthday

6 - Eric dies by cops and a nasty fall from a great height.

Best Corpse: I gotta give it to Richie, because he deserved it so much. Plus the rest are either accidents, or barely shown.

Blood Type - C+: Not much in the way of blood, but I’m giving points to some of the makeup and costumes, since the movie deserves a nod.

Sex Appeal: Implied nudity, but that’s it.

Drink Up! Every time they show a clip from another movie

Movie Review: I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I went in expecting something akin to Popcorn, and there is a HINT of that, but not much. Also, like I say, that first act is slow, and a sign of when it was made. But I got through it, and found myself sucked into a fascinating character study, and downfall of this poor kid. I don’t care for some of the logic, the plot just goes where it needs to go, to get things done, while also having a few bits of philosophy I don’t necessarily agree with. It’s actually trying to say something about society, stuff that’s still relevant today, evenif I don’t agree with Moriarty’s theories. Films CAN affect us, give us ideas, or encourage us, but it all comes back to underlying issues, which Eric clearly has. And while Eric does some horrible things, you can see the pain he’s going through, empathise with him, and root for hm in a way. Still, it is a good ride, with good acting from Eric, and every time I watch it, I get a little more out of it. Four out of five carnival prizes.

Entertainment Value: Again, a slow first act, but the campy performances and oddities are a treat. The acting is good, while also being over the top, and it sneaks in being a little silly, while tackling some serious subject matter. It’s not so much a silly, goofy movie likeI might have wanted, but it still kept me enterainted by being just an enthralling watch. Three out of five film canisters.