The Power of Darkness – Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Argentina, 1979
Director: Mario Sábato
Writer: Mario Sábato
Cast: Sergio Renán, Osvaldo Terranova, Carlos Antón, Christina Banegas

Release Date: February 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 95 Minutes 4 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.99

"Fernando Vidal, a formerly wealthy man now living in a tiny single room in Buenos Aires, is accosted one evening by someone who claims to be a childhood friend. Vidal denies ever having met him. But later the stranger turns up at his threadbare apartment and begins to ask questions about their childhood together, reminding Fernando about how he would catch birds and poke out their eyes just to see if they could fly without sight. These long suppressed memories start to haunt Fernando and he becomes increasingly detached from reality.

From that point on, strange events accumulate in his life. A seemingly drunk neighbour tells him about sighting a huge bird – a warning of disasters to come. Fernando begins to notice blind men everywhere in the city, some even following him through the night-time streets and onto subway trains. Finally his childhood friend tells him that he has discovered a secret society of the blind which is plotting to take over the world. And suddenly Fernando begins to see evidence of this everywhere. Following a series of clues, he climbs the stairs of an old apartment building in a deserted section of the city and finds himself lost in a vast and dark labyrinth where bizarre and terrifying visions flash in and out of view. Somewhere in the void, he is convinced, lays the answer to all his problems. He steps forward, as the darkening shadows swallow him up." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly restored from negative."

The Power of Darkness comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 27.8 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB

The source is in excellent shape, free of any blemishes. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. The audio is clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds and the score are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles) and a featurette about the film (5 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English).

Summary:

Mario Sábato adapted The Power of Darkness from a story written by his father, Ernesto Sábato, whose most famous novel, The Tunnel, has been adapted numerous times. Although Mario Sábato had a career that spanned multiple decades and 15 theatrical films, outside of The Power of Darkness, his films were mostly comedies that were geared to younger audiences.

A man uncovers a secret society of blind people who come after him.

The Power of Darkness is best described as a psychological thriller rooted in paranoia. The narrative revolves around a protagonist named Fernando whose friend one day comes to him about a conspiracy connected to blind people. While hesitant to believe his friend at first, a series of events unfold, and he starts to see blind people everywhere. Is it a coincidence that he sees blind people everywhere he goes or is something more nefarious behind what’s happening to him?

All around, the cast are excellent in their roles, especially Sergio Renán in the role of Fernando, a man whose traumatic past is connected to what's happening in the present. When Fernando was a young boy, he poked out birds' eyes to see if they could still fly blind. His fascination with the blind continues as an adult; he practices what it's like to be blind. That said, his performance does a superb job putting the audience into his character's state of mind.

The Power of Darkness is a dialogue-driven film that relies heavily on atmosphere. While there is an abundance of forbidding moments, it is a bloodless film where no carnage happens onscreen. The visuals take an observer approach instead of creating visually arresting moments. That said, the most striking moments are scenes where the protagonist follows a blind man into darkness. An area where The Power of Darkness excels is its score, which does an exemplary job heightening the mood. Ultimately, The Power of Darkness is a well-crafted descent into madness whose ominous finale leaves the protagonist's fate implied instead of resolved.

Mondo Macabro gives The Power of Darkness a solid audio/video presentation. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer