Out of the Dark

1989 "The phone sex line was for fantasy... now it's for murder!"
5.3| 1h29m| R| en| More Info
Released: 05 May 1989 Released
Producted By: New Line Cinema
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A deranged killer wearing a clown mask begins preying on a group of young women working at a phone-sex company.

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Director

Michael Schroeder

Production Companies

New Line Cinema

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Out of the Dark Audience Reviews

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.
Scarecrow-88 "Another grisly crime strikes the City of Angels."A psychopath in a clown mask targets the lovely ladies of Sweet Nothings Phone Fantasy. The main suspect is a fashion photographer, Kevin(Cameron Dye), because of his extensive wrap sheet. Kevin is dating one of the phone sex girls, Debbie(Teresa Crespo)and seeks her help in nabbing who they believe is the real murderer, a meek accountant named Stringer(Bud Cort)who works in the same building as the Sweet Nothings service. With Tracey Walter as a detective(!), Karen Black as the proprietor of the phone sex service(!), Geoffrey Lewis as an alcoholic porn photographer down on his luck, and Star Andreeff as a ditsy, gum-chewing phone sex operator who volunteers to lure the killer into the police through a set up stakeout which goes awry. Seeing Black in "erotic voice" over the phone with a customer has to be one of the main highlights as is Divine dressed as a male cop, Langella, and Paul Bartel(who also executive produced) with a silly wig on his head, portraying the manager of a sleazy hotel. The violence is toned down to mostly strangulations, with the use of a wooden baseball bat and shovel also weapons of destruction(although, the director also shoots these murder sequences to avoid gory bloodshed). Most of the potent violence comes at the end when a gun(and shot gun)is used to obliterate a victim in self defense. Andreeff steals her scenes as a bright-eyed, happy-go-lucky gal who works it like nobody's business on the phone sex hotlines to horny men needing their kicks. Cort is a hoot as a creepy geek, secretly into kink and perversion, discovered as Kevin and Debbie go through his office searching for evidence to implicate him as the killer. As expected, the clown cracks wise while in the act of executing his victims. The comedy, if my synopsis isn't clear in it's description, has an emphasis on sexual deviancy, including a steamy photo shoot and a scorching bump-and-grind session between Debbie and Kevin in Bartel's hotel(they were hoping to stay safe in an out-of-the-way area to no avail). This felt like a Paul Bartel flick to me, thematically and stylistically..that, my friends, is indeed an endorsement.
Tikkin This was more of a thriller/mystery than a horror. Don't get me wrong, it does have its horror and slasher elements, but these come in more towards the end. There was a lot of unnecessary padding by the way of sex scenes which seemed to drag forever. The best parts are at the end when the killer is unmasked. And there's also the classic Haloween style ending which is quite cool. There are moments of tension when the woman is being stalked down a flight of stairs too.Overall though this film is nothing special and I wouldn't say it lives up to how good it sounds (ie. phone sex workers being stalked by a killer in a clown mask). Watch it if you love clown type killers, but this is not essential viewing if you are a horror/slasher fan.
mcfly-31 For a grade-B slasher, this isn't too awful. Tone down the forced nudity and dopey killer and they could've had something even better. As it is a clown-masked nut is dispatching the hot chicks of a phone se....uh, phone *fantasy* hotline. The mystery aspect is very well executed, which is why I say this could've been a lot more if they went for realism. Instead it's a giddy killer, Freddy Kruegering his way through some routine murders. "Don't call me, I'll call you!" he groans after strangling one of the girls. Then all of a sudden the director goes for nasty gore when a hooker is dismantled and left in a bloody bathtub. The cast is really above par (the girls are gorgeous), with some unknowns turning in good performances, along with veteran journeymen (and women) such as Black, Owens, Cort, and in his one big part I've ever seen, Tracey Walter. Long ago infamous crossdresser Divine even shows up for a scene. And Paul Bartel (who ex. prod.), too! Danielson and Dye carry the film well, and have maybe the most steamy sex scene I've ever watched (even moreso than say, "Fatal Attraction"). The ending provides a good shock and makes this not totally useless. So if you can find it, give it a shot. "It's time for Bobo!"
Quetzl Pretty standard stuff, serial killer dressed as clown terrorizes phone sex girls, yada yada yada. It is more unintentionally humorous than most though, and has some disturbing moments, so its not a complete waste. Also, it has Divine's last performance (not in drag!). Don't go out of your way to see it, but if you have friends over and need a laugh, you could do worse.