Bad Dream Gasoline

Dark Star represents the green efforts of two  ambitious filmmakers: John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon. Hungry in their eagerness to play in the filmmaking arena, only one of them would have the political prowess and social skills to truly break out on their own as an unmitigated success in the business.  That’s not to say Dan O’Bannon was a slouch. Dark Star represents the scotch tape and toothpick, comedic version of what would eventually become the O’Bannon blueprint of late 70’s space shocker Alien.

Dark Star looks like the straight pot-smoked and Miller Time version of 2001. A Strangelove-esque comedy on the absurdity of science-fiction films. With only a student film budget on hand it makes it that much more endearing. Even so,  it was an ambitious project for such limited funds that made the production run over three years at a cost of 55,000 dollars in a time when Kickstarter wasn’t an option except to knock on doors and beg for cash. Populated with spacemen named Pinback and Boiler decked out with long hair and beards looking more at home in a hippie commune than a spacecraft. This would be our introduction to the “truckers in space” motif that’s essentially the antithesis of the clean future interpretation of Star Trek.

While Carpenter greatly admires his old friend O’Bannon’s story which became Alien, he didn’t care for the Alien by the end only looking like a man in a rubber suit; wait until you see Dark Star’s psychedelic red rubber ball terror! This is at turns a subtly dry humor experiment filled with light visual gags, “trippy” introspective, artsy, moody, musical interludes and talk contemplating our existence. I recommend it for the inspiration it could induce for future filmmakers.

“Going to the movies and making movies for me when I was young was a way of making sense of the world I was living in. I was in a house and outside was this other crazy world.” – John Carpenter

“Dan was hard to miss. He was a pretty unusual guy. He was angry a lot.” -Dianne O’Bannon

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“An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.” Isaiah 61:1-4. Of course, you’d rather be on the side with the most firepower no matter the level of your cult leader’s self-righteousness. God is no good to those without loaded guns, you could argue this exploitation film is trying to express. Or, god is a gun and if you disavow your faith you’ll feel it’s wrath. The killers in Assault on Precinct 13 believe in what they’re doing and that’s scary enough when all they do is kill those who aren’t a part of the Street Thunder posse. Perhaps the police force felt that street justice was the only way to eliminate the gangs but forgot the fates befallen upon those who live by the sword. John Carpenter’s second film and first solo directorial effort, AOP13 is an exploitation film, a neo-western and a crime thriller all in one. It is a low-budget film with ferocity and testicles that sold tickets well in the 1970s.

During the witching hour on a Saturday morning, six Street Thunder members are executed by the police. The gang leaders swear to get revenge now that they’ve just acquired an arsenal of weapons and a ton of silencers. Between the gang’s downtime they decide to terrorize a ding-ding man and his patrons. “Hey! I wanted vanilla twist.” Says a little girl, sad she got Jack Johnsoned with a wrong cone and is suddenly bloody Sundayed straight through the heart. The father hunts down his daughter’s killers and they all arrive at the 13th precinct. Child murder is where the film cements itself in the exploitation category guaranteeing the film an x rating but it didn’t happen. George Romero explained he was hooked by thatpoint. A fateful diversion sends a bus of convicts on a prison transfer to the precinct  as well.

Due to budget constraints which resulted in shooting limitations you get some 70s hipsterish attitude that dates it a piece but those other production limitations give it an extra jagged edge of realism. John Carpenter’s shocker was an appetizer of his skills he’d perfect in the years to come.

“Black?” – Leigh
“For over 30 years.” – Bishop

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