Fade To Black: Every Movie Reference (& How The Killer Relates To Each) – Screen Rant

Fade to Black follows a lonely cinephile, and cites numerous classics that help explain the main character's frame of mind. Here's a complete list.

Fade to Black follows a lonely cinephile's quest for revenge, and cites numerous cinematic classics that help explain the main character's frame of mind. Written and directed byVernon Zimmerman, the 198o horror classichas been visually referencedin Todd Phillips' controversial 2019 filmJoker, andbears thematic similarities to Martin Scorsese's 1983 cult classic,The King of Comedy.

InFade to Blackpart of Shudder's 61 Days of Halloween festivalin 2020Dennis Christopher stars as Eric Binford, a Los Angeles native whose entire life revolves around movies. Thecharacter's aunt berates him for living in a fantasy world, and co-workers joke abouthis socially awkward demeanor. Eric means well, buthas little self-awareness, and finds meaning through arbitrary facts about movies that seemingly provide him with a sense of a structure. After a series of humiliating events, Eric adopts the personalities of his favorite movie characters and targets his enemies with violence.

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Fade to Black will always be relevant throughits depiction of mental illness. Eric not only struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with the closest person in his life, but also fails to sustain meaningful friendships with male and female peers. Like many cinephiles, Eric is completely obsessed with movie culture, yet he's unableto transition back and forth from reality to fantasy. Here's every direct movie reference in Fade to Black, whether it's through dialogue or Eric's "killer" costumes.

Within the first five minutes of Fade to Black, Ericreferences William A. Wellman's The Public Enemy, a1931 gangster film 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 Desire while imagining ascene from The Public Enemy, in which James Cagney's Tom Powers shoves agrapefruitinto the mouth of Mae Clarke's Kitty. Eric doesn't initially follow through on his dark impulses, but appears to be triggered by his aunt's statement that"Brain food is what you need, not escapist trash."

Starring James Cagney as Arthur "Cody" Jarrett, White Heatbecomes the cinematic template for Eric's persona in Fade to Black. Early on, Eric smugly challenges his aunt's intelligence withmovietrivia. Forty minutes later in Fade to Black,Eric receivesa visit from a mailwoman and states that his name is "Jarrett...Cody Jarrett." Later, it's revealed that Eric legally changed his name to Cody Jarrett, and Fade to Black actually ends with a dramatic recreation of White Heat's climax.In both films, the male leads have Oedipal-like relationships with their mothers, and thus struggle with abandonment issues.

Approximately 33 minutes into Fade to Black, Eric watchesHenry Hathaway's 1947 film noir,Kiss of Death. The movieis notable for Richard Widmark's striking portrayal of the deranged killerTommy Udo, who murders his wheelchair-bound mother by pushing her down a flight of stairs; a scene that is recreated in Fade to Black as Eric similarly pushes his aunt to her death.Modern interpretations of the Joker character can be directly linked to Widmark's Kiss of Death performance, most notably through his unique vocal approach. In Fade to Black, Eric adopts Tommy Udo's snicker throughout the film.

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Fade to Black directly references the 1942 classic,Casablanca. A young Mickey Rourke appears as one of Eric's co-workers named Richie, whoboasts about his cinematic knowledge. Eric subsequentlypresents a 48-hour challenge by asking Richie to state the full name of Humphrey Bogart's Casablanca character. By the end, Richie loses the bet and refuses to pay, which essentially seals his fate.In Eric's mind, he views himself as a smooth operator like Bogart's Rick Blaine in Casablanca,only he's unable to properly deal with personal conflict.

Mid-way through Fade to Black, a shower scene directly references Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic,Psycho. Dressed in the style of Bela Lugo's Dracula, Eric enters the home of his love interest, Marilyn O'Connor (Linda Kerridge), whose personal style mirrors that of the late Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. Fade to Black recreates Psycho's infamous shower scene, only it doesn't end with a murder, but rather with Eric admitting that he just wanted an autograph. The home invasion sequence underlines Eric's fractured mental state, and clearly implies that he's stuck in a fantasy world, a la Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates in Psycho.

99 River Street (1953):Early on in Fade to Black, Eric choosesPhil Karlson's film noir starring John Payne for a 1:15 TV viewing. ("I should tape that one.") Eric later changes his address sign to "River Street."

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954):Eric references Jack Arnold's iconic monster film during his first conversation with Marilyn.

Cry of Battle (1963):Ericmentions thatIrving Lerner's war film was a part of double-bill on the day that Lee Harvey Oswald was shot at Dallas' Texas Theatre.

Dracula's Daughter (1936):In the early seconds of Fade to Black, Eric tells himself that he can't make a 1:15 screening ofLambert Hillyer's Dracula sequel. By the 43-minute mark, Eric transforms into a Dracula persona.

Hop-Along Cassidy (1935): Eric confronts Richie while in character as William Boyd's famous Western character.

Little Caesar (1931):Eric referencesMervyn LeRoy's pre-code film in the final sequence.

Mary Poppins (1964):A movie referenced by Marilyn when discussing her upbringing in the AustralianOutback.

Night of the Living Dead (1968):Eric watches George A. Romero's zombie classic while dressed up as Dracula.

Reefer Madness (1936):Eric thinks about seeingLouis J. Gasnier's marijuana-themed film "on 52." ("I've seenthe twice. I think that's enough of that one.")

Stagecoach (1939):John Ford's Western is mentioned during a news broadcast.

The Big Sleep (1946):Eric prefers a 1:15 screening of Howard Hawks' 1946 film noir over Dracula's Daughter. ('[Raymond] Chandler and Hawks. There's a combination. They just don't make these kind of movies anymore.")

The Big House (1930):Eric states that his film distribution warehouse workplace reminds him of George Hill's pre-code film. He then compares himself to imprisoned movie characters and references the actorsBroderick Crawford, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Charles Bronson. ("Man got man in cages without reason.")

The Broadway Melody (1929):After Richie refuses to pay for a bet, Ericfinds solace in his movie knowledge and states that Adolf Hitler's favorite movie wasHarry Beaumont's pre-code musical starring Anita Page.

The Thin Man (1934):Eric references W. S. Van Dyke's pre-code film in the final sequence.

The Maltese Falcon (1941):Richie brags about his knowledge during a conversation with a co-worker.

The Mummy (1932): Eric torments his boss while dressed asBoris Karloff's iconic character. He then snickers like the villain from Kiss of Death.

The Prince and the Showgirl (1957):Eric poses as a photographer andplans to recreateLaurence Olivier's film starring Marilyn Monroe.

The Seven Year Itch (1955):When Eric first meets Marilyn, he asks her to name a movie that's visually referenced in Billy Wilder's comedy, starring Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe. Eric then imitates the title characterin Creature from the Black Lagoon. ("I go to a lot of movies. It's my thing.")

The Sound of Music (1965): A movie referenced by Marilyn when discussing her upbringing in the AustralianOutback.

The Sundowners (1960):Marilyn states that herfather was a "drover," and Eric correctly correlates the word with "sheepherder," due to his familiarity withFred Zinnemann's Western, starring Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum.

War Is Hell (1961): Ericmentions thatIrving Lerner's war film was a part of double-bill on the day that Lee Harvey Oswald was shot at Dallas' Texas Theatre.

In Fade to Black, theclimax shows Eric once again citing White Heat and confusing his own life 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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Q.V. Hough is a Screen Rant staff writer. He's also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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