Horror maven Karen Black heads up a phone sex service where girls are being murdered by a killer in a clown mask.

Sounds good, eh?

A likable premise...but it's executed with disappointing results, most notably some rather lame attempts at humor that simply don't work.

Perhaps well liked in some quarters, this isn't scary, funny (or even sexy, for that matter).

Giving one the distinct feeling of a bad 80s direct-to-vid cable flick, the only thing Out of the Dark has going for it is the presence of talented Black (1976's Burnt Offerings, among others).

She keeps her head above water here, but she deserves a better vehicle.