Blu-ray Review: Shocking Dark (1989)

In Venice, after the amazing future year 2000, a toxic cloud hangs low killing all life. To make matters worse, there are hideous mutant creatures stalking the tunnels below the city…and they are turning people into monsters! In a totally original, completely unique bit of storytelling, a group of badass marines, a civilian woman (a scientist by trade), and a company man from the Tubular Corporation (a division of Radical Incorporated and Fuckin’ Awesome LLC) are sent in to investigate the infestation. What follows is Aliens…except for the ending, which inexplicably rips-off something else that you won’t believe!
I’m going to go on the record here and state I don’t give a flying fuck how much director Bruno Mattei and Screen Writers Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi stole from Cameron’s masterpiece; Shocking Dark is one hell of an entertaining fright flick in it’s own right, due mainly from a game performance from the legendary Geretta Geretta, fun creature suits, amazingly cheesy (yet amazingly awesome) costuming…the whole thing plays out like a bizarre, alternate reality version of a movie you love where there are just enough differences to make you feel off-kilter…it’s a unique and ultimately very fun experience believe you me my fiends!
While I would tell you to buy this damn release straight away based simply on how brazen and entertaining the feature is, those slinky devils at Severin have thrown in some bonus content to sweeten the deal! Included are interviews with Fragasso, Drudi, and Geretta (who’s piece covers her entire Italian cinema career as well as the film at hand), that detail just how this lunacy came to be (and it’s a fascinating tale for sure), an alternate Italian title sequence, and the film’s trailer.
If you want to experience the full on insanity that the Italian film community could offer up to make a buck in the golden era of exploitation cinema then look no further than Shocking Dark; it’s derivative as all hell, fast paced, and mega entertaining with a capital fuckin’ “E”!