Alone in the Dark (2005 film)

Alone in the Dark is a 2005 action horror film loosely based on the of Infogrames' video game series of the same name. Directed by Uwe Boll, the film stars Christian Slater as supernatural detective Edward Carnby (the main character in the games), and also features a cast of Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff, Frank C. Turner, Matthew Walker, Will Sanderson, Mike Dopud, Mark Acheson, Darren Shahlavi, Karin Konoval and Ed Anders. Upon release, the film was both a commercial and a critical failure, receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews and being considered one of the worst films ever made. Despite this, a sequel was released in 2008.
Plot.
Edward Carnby (Christian Slater) is a supernatural detective who specializes in the occult and other paranormal subjects. He was apparently the subject of strange experiments when he was a child, leaving him with heightened abilities as well as a "sixth sense" that allows him to sense the paranormal. Throughout the film, we also learn that Carnby used to work for Bureau 713, a secret government organization that seeks to protect the world from paranormal dangers.
In his spare time, Carnby investigates the disappearance of the Abkani, an ancient Mayan-like civilization that worshipped demonic creatures from another dimension. Central to the plot are several artifacts un-earthed in 1967 and now on display at the city's Museum of Natural History, at which Carnby's girlfriend Aline (Tara Reid) is the assistant curator. Carnby soon finds himself investigating the very scientist who conducted experiments on him as a child, while working with Aline and former protégé (now rival) Commander Richard Burke (Stephen Dorff), his replacement at Bureau 713, to stop an invasion of the demonic creatures who are pouring through a portal opened by the Abkani artifacts.
Alternate script.
Blair Erickson came up with the first drafts of the script for "Alone in the Dark". According to Erickson, Uwe Boll changed the script to be more action-packed than a thriller. Erickson stated his disgust at the treatment and spoke negatively of his working relationship with Boll on Something Awful.
Home media.
The film was released on VHS and DVD on 10 May 2005. An unrated director's cut was released in Germany, France, and Australia and was #1 on the German DVD market for three weeks. It was released on DVD in North America on 25 September 2007. In the newest version of the film, the sex scene between Carnby and Aline has been removed.
Original film and game tie-in concept.
Originally, the film version of "Alone in the Dark" was to be released with "Alone in the Dark 5", the fifth title in the series; however, the creators of "Alone in the Dark", Eden Games, delayed the game and reworked it entirely from scratch. This appears to be one of the causes for the public backlash from gamers on how the film version of "Alone in the Dark" appeared to deviate from the "Alone in the Dark" game franchise save for the fact that the film was in some ways a sequel to "". Uwe Boll stated his disappointment on the region 1 DVD commentary but also said that Atari had face shots of Christian Slater for the newest game – "Alone in the Dark 5", which was released on 26 June 2008.
Reception.
Box office.
"Alone in the Dark" grossed $2.8 million in its opening weekend, ranking at #12; by the end of its run, the film had grossed $12.7 million worldwide.
Critical response.
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 1% based on 123 reviews, and the site's critical consensus reads, "Inept on almost every level, "Alone in the Dark" may not work as a thriller, but it's good for some head-slapping, incredulous laughter." CinemaScore gave the film an F grade; , it is one of only 22 films to receive such a rating. Scott Brown of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film an F grade, commenting that the film was "so bad it's postmodern." In the film's only positive review cataloged by Rotten Tomatoes, Michelle Alexandria of Eclipse Magazine wrote, ""Alone in the Dark" isn't going to set the world on fire, but it largely succeeds with what it has to work with. Just don't take it seriously and you'll have a fun time."
Soundtrack.
The 2-disc soundtrack was released by Nuclear Blast, with Wolfgang Herold as executive producer. The German band Agathodaimon's contribution was the title song. Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish had a music video of "Wish I Had an Angel" directed by Uwe Boll, with clips from the film.