Dark intruder was supposed to be a pilot of an upcoming TV series produced by Alfred Hitchcock's studio which never materialized and I'm hugely disappointed it didn't because I sure liked this little 58 minute movie and I'd love to see more of such an unusual character as Brett Kingsford.
Leslie Nielsen plays Brett in a manner both diverse and everyday but keeps it cool also. He is kind of a private investigator and an occult expert who gets himself into a serial killer's case and helps the commissioner dig down to the truth who's behind the murders and uncovers some pretty horrific things for 1960s cinema.
The movie itself, although billed as horror, mixes many other genres in it: a little bit of psychological thriller, a whole lot of mystery, some eclectics, some romance and a couple of ounces of comedy - brought solely by Nielsen himself. His Brett is a charismatic protagonist, a little arrogant but self-aware and confident, he knows exactly what he wants and how to get it and it's a joy to follow his character around this hour.
Spooky, darkened cinematography and menacing music score by Lalo Schifrin sets you perfectly for a ride you will not forget. The movie's only flaw is that the narrative is too rushed and incomplete and it feels exactly like a TV pilot but not a full-fledged motion picture; had it been made with additional 20-30 minutes of runtime where the viewers get to really know who Brett Kingsford is and where he comes from plus additional scenes setting up secondary characters, it would have been one of the best horror movies ever but we have what we have.
Leslie Nielsen plays Brett in a manner both diverse and everyday but keeps it cool also. He is kind of a private investigator and an occult expert who gets himself into a serial killer's case and helps the commissioner dig down to the truth who's behind the murders and uncovers some pretty horrific things for 1960s cinema.
The movie itself, although billed as horror, mixes many other genres in it: a little bit of psychological thriller, a whole lot of mystery, some eclectics, some romance and a couple of ounces of comedy - brought solely by Nielsen himself. His Brett is a charismatic protagonist, a little arrogant but self-aware and confident, he knows exactly what he wants and how to get it and it's a joy to follow his character around this hour.
Spooky, darkened cinematography and menacing music score by Lalo Schifrin sets you perfectly for a ride you will not forget. The movie's only flaw is that the narrative is too rushed and incomplete and it feels exactly like a TV pilot but not a full-fledged motion picture; had it been made with additional 20-30 minutes of runtime where the viewers get to really know who Brett Kingsford is and where he comes from plus additional scenes setting up secondary characters, it would have been one of the best horror movies ever but we have what we have.