This film follows a pattern established by earlier movies such as “Psycho,” “Willard,” and “Don’t Go in the House,” all of which center on a disturbed individual who reacts violently against society. What sets this apart is that the protagonist (Dennis Christopher) is an obsessive movie fan who begins imitating characters from classic films to get back at people. It seems likely the writer drew inspiration from The Hangman, a Marvel Comics villain introduced six and a half years prior in “Werewolf By Night” 11-12. I imagine both of these had an effect on Tarantino and his screenplay “True Romance” roughly a decade later. Dennis Christopher received praise the year before for his performance in “Breaking Away.” His character here is quite different, giving off a vibe reminiscent of Roddy McDowall. Linda Kerridge, with her blonde hair, resembles Marilyn Monroe; however, she never achieved significant success in acting. Meanwhile, brunette Gwynne Gilford portrays an officer who becomes fascinated by a criminal psychologist (Tim Thomerson). It's notable that Gilford was pregnant during filming, so the production staff had to conceal her pregnancy—the child would later become actor Chris Pine. Mickey Rourke appears in a small part as a coworker who is aggressive. He was 27 years old when they filmed it. Shortly after his 28th birthday, he’d have an important role in “Body Heat” before becoming well-known in “Diner” the following year. Although "Fade to Black" did well at the box office, it faded into relative obscurity and is now considered a minor cult film. There's enough merit to warrant watching it, but overall I found it somewhat underwhelming. This stems from two issues: the female actors aren’t utilized effectively, and the main character (or antagonist?) doesn’t quite ring true. He feels overly theatrical. I’m not faulting Christopher; he probably did as well as he could given the material. The writer, Eric Binford, should have made the character more relatable, and adjusted him to appear genuine. The film's length is 1 hour, 42 minutes, and it was filmed in Los Angeles and surrounding areas like Venice, Burbank, and the Santa Monica Pier. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB