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slicing to Blackfollows a lonely cinephile ’s quest for retaliation , and cites numerous cinematic classics that help explain the main character ’s frame of mind . pen and conduct by Vernon Zimmerman , the 198o horror classic has been visually referenced in Todd Phillips ' controversial 2019 filmJoker , and bear thematic similarities to Martin Scorsese ’s 1983 religious cult classic , The King of Comedy .
InFade to Black — part ofShudder ’s 61 day of Halloween festivalin 2020 — Dennis Christopher stars as Eric Binford , a Los Angeles native whose entire life revolve around movies . The character ’s auntie rag him for live in a illusion worldly concern , and carbon monoxide gas - doer joke about his socially clumsy demeanor . Eric means well , but has little ego - awareness , and finds substance through arbitrary facts about moving-picture show that on the face of it provide him with a sense of a body structure . After a serial of humiliating events , Eric adopts the personality of his favorite movie case and targets his enemy with wildness .
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slice to Blackwill always be relevant through its portraying ofmental unwellness . Eric not only struggles to assert a healthy relationship with the closest person in his sprightliness , but also fails to sustain meaningful friendly relationship with manlike and female equal . Like many cinephiles , Eric is all obsess with movie polish , yet he ’s ineffectual to transition back and forth from reality to phantasy . Here ’s every direct movie cite inFade to Black , whether it ’s through dialogue or Eric’s"killer"costumes .
The Public Enemy (1931)
Within the first five minutes ofFade to Black , Eric references William A. Wellman’sThe Public Enemy , a 1931 mobster pic made just a few years before the Motion Picture Production Code restricted the thematic content of films . Interestingly , Eric uses the voice of Marlon Brando ’s character fromA Streetcar Named Desirewhile guess a aspect fromThe Public Enemy , in which James Cagney ’s Tom Powers shoves a Citrus paradisi into the mouth of Mae Clarke ’s Kitty . Eric does n’t ab initio follow through on his dark impulses , but appear to be triggered by his aunt ’s statement that"Brain food is what you ask , not escapist chicken feed . "
White Heat (1949)
Starring James Cagney as Arthur"Cody"Jarrett , White Heatbecomes the cinematic guide for Eric ’s theatrical role inFade to Black . Early on , Eric smugly take exception his auntie ’s intelligence with pic trifle . Forty hour later inFade to Black , Eric receives a visit from a mailwoman and states that his name is"Jarrett … Cody Jarrett . “Later , it ’s revealed that Eric de jure change his name to Cody Jarrett , andFade to Blackactually end with a dramatic diversion ofWhite Heat’sclimax . In both films , the male leads have Oedipal - like relationships with their mothers , and thus struggle with defection issue .
Kiss Of Death (1947)
about 33 minutes intoFade to Black , Eric watch Henry Hathaway ’s 1947 picture show noir , Kiss of Death . The motion-picture show is notable for Richard Widmark ’s striking portrayal of the half-crazed grampus Tommy Udo , who murders his wheelchair - bind mother by bear on her down a flight of stairs ; a scenery that is recreated inFade to Blackas Eric similarly pushes his auntie to her expiry . Modern interpretations of the Joker quality can be right away linked to Widmark’sKiss of Deathperformance , most notably through his unique vocal approach . InFade to Black , Eric adopts Tommy Udo ’s snigger throughout the motion-picture show .
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Casablanca (1942)
slice to Blackdirectly references the 1942 classic , Casablanca . A young Mickey Rourke appears as one of Eric ’s co - actor name Richie , who boasts about his cinematic cognition . Eric afterwards present a 48 - minute challenge by asking Richie to state the full name of Humphrey Bogart’sCasablancacharacter . By the remnant , Richie loses the bet and refuses to pay , which basically seals his fate . In Eric ’s mind , he view himself as a placid manipulator like Bogart ’s Rick Blaine inCasablanca , only he ’s unable to properly deal with personal conflict .
Psycho (1960)
Mid - way throughFade to Black , a shower scene flat references Alfred Hitchcock ’s 1960 classic , Psycho . dress in the style of Bela Lugo ’s Dracula , Eric enters the home of his love interest , Marilyn O’Connor ( Linda Kerridge ) , whose personal elan mirrors that of the late Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe . slicing to BlackrecreatesPsycho’sinfamous shower scene , only it does n’t end with a murder , but rather with Eric admitting that he just wanted an autograph . The home encroachment sequence emphasize Eric ’s fractured mental commonwealth , and clearly implies that he ’s stuck in a phantasy human beings , a la Anthony Perkins ' Norman Bates inPsycho .
The Rest Of Fade To Black’s Movie References
99 River Street ( 1953):Early on inFade to Black , Eric chooses Phil Karlson ’s film noir starring John Payne for a 1:15 TV screening . ( " I should tape that one . " ) Eric later changes his savoir-faire foretoken to"River Street . "
animate being from the contraband Lagoon(1954):Eric references Jack Arnold ’s iconic colossus pic during his first conversation with Marilyn .
Cry of Battle ( 1963):Eric mentions that Irving Lerner ’s war film was a part of double - bill on the day that Lee Harvey Oswald was fritter away at Dallas ' Texas Theatre .
Dracula ’s Daughter ( 1936):In the early second ofFade to Black , Eric tells himself that he ca n’t make a 1:15 cover of Lambert Hillyer’sDraculasequel . By the 43 - minute grade , Eric transform into a Dracula persona .
Hop - Along Cassidy ( 1935 ): Eric confronts Richie while in character as William Boyd ’s famous Western character .
niggling Caesar ( 1931):Eric reference Mervyn LeRoy ’s pre - code movie in the final sequence .
Mary Poppins(1964):A flick cite by Marilyn when discussing her upbringing in the Australian Outback .
Night of the Living Dead(1968):Eric watches George A. Romero ’s zombie classic while dressed up as Dracula .
Reefer Madness ( 1936):Eric think about seeing Louis J. Gasnier ’s marijuana - themed film"on 52."(“I’ve seen the twice . I cogitate that ’s enough of that one . " )
Stagecoach ( 1939):John Ford ’s Western is mentioned during a news program .
The Big Sleep ( 1946):Eric prefer a 1:15 screening of Howard Hawks ' 1946 flick noir overDracula ’s Daughter . ( ' [ Raymond ] Chandler and Hawks . There ’s a combination . They just do n’t make these kind of movies any longer . " )
The Big House ( 1930):Eric country that his motion picture dispersion warehouse work reminds him of George Hill ’s pre - code photographic film . He then compare himself to imprisoned movie characters and acknowledgment the actors Broderick Crawford , Lon Chaney , Jr. , and Charles Bronson . ( " Man got serviceman in cages without reason . " )
The Broadway Melody ( 1929):After Richie deny to pay for a bet , Eric finds solace in his picture show cognition and states that Adolf Hitler ’s favorite picture was Harry Beaumont ’s pre - code musical theater starring Anita Page .
The Thin Man ( 1934):Eric reference W. S. Van Dyke ’s pre - code pic in the final episode .
The Maltese Falcon ( 1941):Richie brags about his knowledge during a conversation with a co - worker .
The Mummy ( 1932):Eric torments his party boss while dressed as Boris Karloff ’s iconic character . He then snigger like the scoundrel fromKiss of Death .
The Prince and the Showgirl ( 1957):Eric poses as a lensman and design to hearten Laurence Olivier ’s picture starring Marilyn Monroe .
The Seven Year Itch ( 1955):When Eric first meet Marilyn , he asks her to name a motion-picture show that ’s visually referenced in Billy Wilder ’s clowning , asterisk Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe . Eric then imitates the title character inCreature from the Black Lagoon . ( " I go to a muckle of picture show . It ’s my thing . " )
The Sound of Music ( 1965):A movie referenced by Marilyn when talk over her upbringing in the Australian Outback .
The Sundowners ( 1960):Marilyn DoS that her father was a"drover,“and Eric right correlates the word with"sheepherder,“due to his familiarity with Fred Zinnemann ’s Western , starring Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum .
War Is Hell ( 1961):Eric mentions that Irving Lerner ’s warfare film was a part of double - banknote on the day that Lee Harvey Oswald was shot at Dallas ' Texas Theatre .
InFade to Black , the sexual climax indicate Eric once again citingWhite Heatand confusing his own aliveness with that of a fictional movie character . “This is MY story . This is Arthur " Cody " Jarrett , and this is my story . "
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