Empire of the Dark is a 1991 American fantasy action horror film written, co-produced, directed and edited by Steve Barkett, who also stars in the film. Barkett plays Richard, an ex-police officer who seeks to avenge the apparent death of his former lover (Tera Hendrickson), whom he witnessed be ritually sacrificed two decades prior by Satan worshipper Arkham (Richard Harrison) after entering a portal to Hell.[2]

Empire of the Dark
DVD cover
Directed bySteve Barkett
Screenplay bySteve Barkett
Produced by
  • Steve Barkett
  • Isam Jamjoom
Starring
Cinematography
  • William Stromberg
  • Robert Stromberg
Edited bySteve Barkett
Music byJohn Morgan[1]
Production
company
The Nautilus Film Company
Distributed byVCI Entertainment
Release date
  • 1991 (1991)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Cast

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  • Steve Barkett as Richard Flynn
  • Christopher Barkett as Terry Nash
  • Tera Hendrickson as Angela Nash
  • Richard Harrison as Arkham
  • Dawn Wildsmith as Madame Oleska
  • Jay Richardson as Eddie Green
  • Patricia Schiotis as Stacey Brent
  • Joseph Pilato[3] as Guy Zupan

Animator Jim Danforth appears as one of Satan's henchmen.[4]

Production

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Empire of the Dark was shot on 35 mm film.[2]

Barkett described the film to Tulsa World:

It's really very much a Sleeping Beauty story, combined with Bela Lugosi's White Zombie and a lot of other stuff. It's the toughest movie, and the most expensive movie, I've ever made, and it's been a tough sell.[5]

Home media

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The film was released on VHS by the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based distributor VCI Home Video in 1997;[2] VCI later re-released the film on DVD.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Lentz III, Harris M. (2001). Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film and Television Credits (Second ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 1,071. ISBN 9780786409426.
  2. ^ a b c Ziemba & Budnik 2013, pp. 97.
  3. ^ Squires, John (March 25, 2019). "[R.I.P.] 'Day of the Dead' Scene-Stealer Joseph Pilato Has Died at 70". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  4. ^ Ziemba & Budnik 2013, pp. 98.
  5. ^ Wooley, John (May 27, 1997). "The Buzz of Thriller Bs". Tulsa World. Tulsa, Oklahoma. p. D-2. Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Empire of the Dark [DVD-R] [1991]". VCI Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.

Sources

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