Dark Tower (1987)

Directors:

Freddie Francis
Ken Wiederhorn

Writers:

Robert J. Avrech (writer)
Ken Blackwell (writer)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

In a city that never sleeps... this building is a nightmare.

Plot:

The construction of a skyscraper is being haunted by a ghost.

Plot Keywords:

Widow | Haunted Building | Skyscraper | Barcelona Spain | Architect

Cast

Michael Moriarty	...	Dennis Randall
Jenny Agutter	...	Carolyn Page
Carol Lynley	...	Tilly Ambrose
Theodore Bikel	...	Dr. Max Gold
Kevin McCarthy	...	Sergie
Anne Lockhart	...	Elaine
Patch Mackenzie	...	Maria
Robert Sherman	...	Williams
Ricardo Azulay	...	Charlie (as Rick Azulay)
Ramiro Oliveros	...	Joseph
Jordi Batalla	...	Mueller
Jaime Ros	...	Beck (as Juame Ross)
Monica Fatjo	...	Rebecca
Juan Ramón Romani	...	Philip Page
Mara Bador	...	Rebecca's Mother

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Trivia:

Original director Freddie Francis was replaced during production by Ken Wiederhorn.

Great names...lousy film.

It's a bit of a shame that the IMDb hasn't got a cover image of "Dark Tower" published yet. As usual, the VHS cover is much cooler than the movie actually is and it shows a crowd of people gathering around a skyscraper, shaped like an enormous coffin. The movie itself is painfully disappointing, especially if you take a closer look at the people who were involved in making it. The directors-duo Freddie Francis and Ken Wiedernhorn both have much better films on their repertoire. Francis made some great British horror classics in the 70's, like "The Creeping Flesh" and "Tales that Witness Madness", while Wiederhorn single-handedly was responsible for the only recommendable 'underwater-Nazi-zombie' flick ever made: the unique "Shock Waves". Some of the cast-members too have delivered better films. The male lead Michael Moriarty frequently works with Larry Cohen ("Q – the winged Serpent", "The Stuff") and Jenny Agutter will always be remembered for her starring in "American Werewolf in Londen". I avoid talking about the film's plot simply because there isn't much to say... It's pretty much a reworking of "Poltergeist" (which I didn't like, neither) in a skyscraper, with the restless spirit of a murdered person avenging himself on anyone who enters the building. Agutter plays the brilliant architect who seems to be the ghost's main target and Moriarty is the clairvoyant police officer who looks after her. The opening sequence is promising, with a guy falling 17 storeys down and crushing an extra pedestrian along the way! Unfortunately, the screenplay then turns into a boring mess without tension or surprises. Moriarty teams up with a couple of other paranormal investigators and they uncover some dark secrets. There's practically no gore, no humor and no feeling with the characters. Moriarty gives his lousiest performance ever and even Agutter's gorgeous eyes can't save this mediocre movie.