Is Shocking Dark a Hidden Treasure or Dumpster Fire?
Blu-ray Distributed By: Severin Films
For director Bruno Mattei (VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN’S PRISON) and co-writers Claudio Fragasso & Rossella Drudi (TROLL 2), their final – and most notorious – collaboration went beyond brazen plagiarism to become a fearless act of deranged genius: In this bravura rip-off of both ALIENS and TERMINATOR, a team of badass marines, a tough female civilian and an orphaned girl battle monsters beneath the Venice canals while being chased by an indestructible killer cyborg. Have we mentioned the overwrought dialogue, over-the-top performances and ultimate WTF? twist ending? Geretta Geretta (DEMONS) and Tony Lombardo (RATS: NIGHTS OF TERROR) star in this “schlockfest of awesome” (Cool Target) – actually released outside the U.S. as TERMINATOR II and ALIENATORS and never before available in America – now scanned in 2k from the Director’s Cut negative discovered in a Rome lab vault.
Trashmen Rubbish Round Table
Trashmen Rubbish Round TableJamie
Shocking Dark was obviously much more entertaining and unintentionally funny than Zombi 3 or 4. This was more in line with Troll 2 than the Zombi sequels. I am still unsure what the movie is about.
Some sort of spacecraft or alien life form has polluted the city of Venice with these creatures roaming the undergrounds of Venice? Does that sound about right? Then there is a bunch of tough soldiers who are assigned to go find these creatures and see if there is any humans left that need to be rescued?
Jimbo
My understanding is the original idea was to have a spaceship crash into the Venice river system, but budget wouldn’t allow for such a costly effect. So instead we have some genetic-mutant-hybrid water monster because, you know, science.
Jamie
Shocking Dark‘s plot is so muddled and easily forgotten that I seriously can’t remember what the film was about. I don’t think Claudio Fragasso knew either. Forced by the studio to make an Aliens / Terminator clone, this Italian sci-fi / horror film rips off literal scenes from both films but adding in some hilarious over the top screaming, bad special effects, and several scenes of dummies falling down. One dummy has its head pop off only to show the dead body with its head intact.
Travis
I tend to agree with most of your assessment. I did watch this when this disc came out and I honestly can’t remember a ton of the specifics. I do remember the longer it went on the more blatant the rip offs became. It goes well beyond the kind of Italian knock off stuff we are all used to. They were lifting lines of dialogue. It is completely entertaining though, and is almost mandatory for group watching. I loved the amount of screaming. Always cracks me up.
Jimbo
This is easily a 5 out of 5 for me. Shocking Dark (aka Terminator 2, aka Alienators) is so perfectly bad, so perfectly bonkers that I’m dying to show it to as many people who will watch and listen! I could watch this over and over again and would gladly put this alongside The Pit, Miami Connection, and Troll 2 for pure entertainment value.
The fact that the movie is such a blatant rip-off is certainly part of the charm and appeal. The main heroine is named Sara to mirror Sarah Connor from Terminator. There’s an orphaned little girl that is a carbon copy of Aliens‘ Newt, which Jamie christened “Fruit”. And I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the “Mega Force” (poor man’s colonial Marines; Aliens) in their cheap grey-yellow jump suits, water boots, and re-purposed helmets straight out of the 1977 tv-series CHiPs.
Jamie
I figure the film makers may as well name her “Fruit’ just to rip-off the Newt name.
Craig
I really enjoy Shocking Dark. Lots of ridiculous screaming (I love the scenes cutting back to the control room with Colonel “Cool” Parsons screaming into his headset for no reason), slimy cobbled together monsters, half-assed cyborgs and barely understood science mumbo-jumbo.
The plot from what I understand doesn’t involve aliens but genetic engineering of some sort. And they have to stop the genetic engineering spreading (how that kind of thing spreads is uh, ill-defined at best). So that’s why Mega Force is wandering around in the basement of Venice, Italy. I don’t know why there is a cyborg though. Why not maybe?
Jimbo
I think there’s a cyborg to simply keep the movie going. Admittedly, Shocking Dark does start to drag a lit bit near the end as the filmmakers start to lose a little steam. But that gap is easily filled with a “murderous cyborg” definitely not called a “Terminator”. *Wink, wink.* Plus the “Tubular Company” (Love that name!) needs a cyborg to recollect their genetically engineered monsters. Right? That’s why the cyborg decides to simply murder everyone. Right? Makes complete sense to me.
Jamie
I found it funny how they blended the Paul Reiser character from Aliens with a Arnold-type Terminator that even walks like a T-800 who also has a damaged eye like in the first film.
I liked the look of the creatures and wish we saw more of them. However by seeing more, maybe they wouldn’t have looked as good. When they got shot, did they shoot out white frosting? There is so much steam in this movie it was hard to see what happened when these creatures were killed.
The film is highly entertaining and a lot of fun, but I do think Jim is earning his nickname of Generous Jim on this one!
Jimbo
The only generosity comes courtesy of Severin Films for unleashing this masterpiece.
I would be happy to own this blu-ray on the film alone, but Severin packs the disc with a great looking transfer, a handful of language audio options (Do I listen in English or Italian?), and roughly 26 minutes of interviews, a trailer, and alternate title sequences. The interviews also coincide and supplement the extras found on Severin’s Zombie 3 and Zombie 4: After Death blu-rays.
Craig
The new transfer really does look nice. I had only seen the film in dupey VHS dubs before so it was like watching a new film.
Jamie
Can you think of a shitty Severin transfer?
Travis
Jamie
Serious moviegoers, especially genre fans, may have a hard time enjoying themselves. I do feel the film drags at various points and the film makers make up for the lack of action by having characters scream at one another. Some gratuitous nudity was missing but Mattei doesn’t always allow boobers and funny fannies to be shown in his films. I don’t see how private parts on display could fit in with the story. But who gives a shit? Doesn’t stop Mattei from throwing in random insanity in the past. Shocking Dark is a hell of a lot of fun but I didn’t find it as memorable as I would have anticipated.
Jimbo
Not memorable? I still get the giggles thinking about “Fruit” screaming “Sara!” incessantly in that weird accent that makes her sound like she has some speech impediment or has down syndrome. And then there’s the pre-recorded apocalypse videos with the woman who can’t even read her cue cards without stumbling and flubbing her lines. Does Mattei reshoot it? Nope! This movie is a never ending stream of memorable moments. Maybe you were just overwhelmed by the awesomeness of it all, like Travis.
Travis
Jamie
Maybe genre fans will enjoy this. I also think dopes who like to laugh at “bad movies” will enjoy Shocking Dark as well but those people just annoy me with their impertinent attitude. You know the type. A dolt who laughs and mocks a film like Shocking Dark but thinks a Fast and Furious film is “cool”.
Jimbo
I actually think “genre fans” are the ones who would appreciate this movie more. They’re the ones who will understand and recognize all of the poorly managed Terminator and Alien cliches.
If I’m understanding you, you’re talking about “Dude-Bros” that like to laugh out loud to show how cool they are. Or are you talking about super-nerd? Either way, those same Fast & Furious fans (that take the franchise seriously) may not appreciate that I enjoy the F&F franchise in a more, shall we say, “mocking” way. I love the F&F franchise in a “Hollywood Trash” kind of way where I’m hoping the next one is worse than the last (and they do not disappoint in that department!).
Jamie
I didn’t think you liked those Fast & The Frig movies but yes, Dude-Bros is exactly what I am talking about. I saw the first one at the drive-in and never went to see another. Maybe if they were R and had some titties and some non CGI car chases I’d be into it more. Some guy screaming before a car slams into him with his body exploding would be fun. The Saw films are trash too, but at least they are gory and have lots of screaming. Saw also knows it is junk where Fast & Fart comes off like the actors / director are making great action films.
Jimbo
The fact that Vin Diesel does take that franchise so seriously is exactly why I love it. It’s that delusion of grandeur that I find so appealing.
In either case, I think ostracizing a certain kind of viewer is counterproductive. People can enjoy or not enjoy this movie however they want. I’m sure there are lots of people who might have a difference of opinion when I say “Shakespeare in Love is a pile of shit.” But that’s another discussion for another time…
Jamie
Shakespeare in Love is probably shitty but I never saw it. I worked at a video store and fast forwarded just to see Paltrow’s small titters and then turned it off.
Craig
What’s the difference between us laughing at the film’s “un-intentionally funny” parts and a, uh, dude-bro laughing at it? What’s the distinction? Aren’t they both coming from a place of superiority?
Jimbo
That’s a great question. I can see how someone would perceive that I’m laughing because I’m mocking Shocking Dark. And perhaps I am a little. But I honest to God love this movie. I think it’s so much fun. So you may be right that there’s a very thin line of distinction here, but I certainly don’t feel that I am superior in any way to the filmmakers or film. I’m genuinely entertained and find joy in this movie experience.
Travis
Difference: we would pay $20+ for the Blu ray while they would only watch 10 minutes to laugh at it and move on.
Craig
I think, from what I’ve noticed sitting in the dark and watching the kids like a creepy sociologist, is that there is this idea that the people who make ‘bad’ films are somehow big dummies who are just too stupid to make more conventional films. That’s usually not the case.
Sometimes they are working under very constricting restraints (no time or no money or both) or there is a language/culture barrier (a lot of people just don’t understand the cultural differences that make a very Italian horror film, even a good one). Sometimes, in the case of someone like H.G. Lewis, they know that the film isn’t going to be any good (in a very conventional sense) but they lean into it anyway because they aren’t making a conventional film. Sometimes it’s because the filmmakers are big crazy loons. And yeah, sometimes they are big dummies but usually it takes a lot of work to put a film together (more-so back before video overtook film) so that tends to weed out the idiots.
Jimbo
I agree, the people responsible for Shocking Dark aren’t bad filmmakers (at least not in a technical sense). Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso know how to make movies on the quick and cheap. And boy was this made quick and cheap!
Craig
Basically I think it comes down to (at least for me) laughing at the film or laughing with the film. I’d like to believe I laugh with (or at least that’s what I tell myself).
Jamie
For Craig, an example would be:
- Laughing with = Shocking Dark
- Laughing at = Payback
Correct me if I am wrong.
Craig
I’d have to see Payback again. I do like the line “what’s the matter, cat got your crotch”?
Travis
So, where does everyone stand on Mattei? After my first experience ages ago I thought he was awful. These days…I can certainly point to a few titles I enjoy (but none necessarily “good”).
Jimbo
Of his vast directorial catalog, I can’t even say I’ve scratched the surface. However, I perceive Mattei as a “working director” meaning that he’s simply a good foot soldier doing the bidding of the money men. I haven’t seen enough of his movies to know if he has a “style”. I doubt he considers himself any kind of auteur. That’s probably why most of his films are under the pseudonym Vincent Dawn.
Craig
I’m pretty sure that Vincent Dawn was used to make the film more palatable to foreign markets. A lot of Italian filmmakers did that in the 70s & 80s.
Mattei likes movies and he routinely fills his movies with homages or ‘rip-offs’ of more popular hollywood films. Even when he doesn’t need to it bleeds in there somewhere. Shocking Dark isn’t even his only ‘remake’ of Aliens. His final film Zombies: The Beginning (which is a sequel to Island of the Living Dead so I don’t know why it’s called The Beginning) is a pretty blatant rip-off.
Jimbo
Mattei probably never considered that his films would be seen after their initial theatrical distribution. He got paid to put tittles and gore on the screen. In the case of Shocking Dark he simply needed to rip off James Cameron. Shoot it quick, get it out, collect payment, move to next job. There’s a kind of blue collar quality that I like about that.
Jamie
While I am not a Mattei aficionado, he’s no worse than Michael Bay or any of these Hollywood “action” directors in my opinion. I find his films more entertaining at least. Craig pointed out that maybe if he had a higher budget and there wasn’t a language barrier (possibly?) that he could have done better things. But I’ll watch Rats any day of the week before watching a Transformers film or Jimbo’s Fast Fart movies.
Craig
I’m an unapologetic fan of Hell of the Living Dead and Rats. I like the goofy surrealism of The Other Hell as well. I’m really hoping that Severin keeps going with the Mattei releases so we can finally have a release of Strike Commando (a work of art) and Robowar. Maybe a Mattei/Reb Brown double feature? I just want more Reb in high definition.
Jamie
From your mouth to God’s ears!
Jimbo
I’m an unapologetic fan of the Fast Fart franchise.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
| Jamie: |  (3.5 / 5) |
| Jimbo: |  (5.0 / 5) |
| Travis: |  (4.0 / 5) |
| Craig: | (4.0 / 5) |
| Average: |  (4.1 / 5) |
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Special Features
- Terminator in Venice – An Interview with Co-Director / Co-Screenwriters Claudio Fragasso and Co-Screenwriter Rossella Drudi
- Once Upon A Time in Italy – An Interview With Actress Geretta Geretta
- Alternate Italian Titles
- Alienator Japanese Trailer
