There’s one film that remains a dark and embarrassing smudge on Kevin Costner’s otherwise pristine legacy—Shadows Run Black.

Let me spill the beans: I’m head over heels for Kevin Costner, a cinematic sorcerer who’s been my silver-screen crush since forever. His rugged charm, that twinkle in his eye, and his knack for stealing every scene make my heart do cartwheels.

From Dances with Wolves to Field of Dreams, Costner’s films are like a warm hug for me—stirring, thrilling, and dripping with soul. That being said, he’s a chameleon, nailing every role with a finesse that’s rarer than hen’s teeth.

But even my idol tripped up in 1984 with Shadows Run Black, a horror-thriller so dismal it’s a thorn in my side. This film of his, pre-Untouchables fame, lurks at a measly 3.1 on IMDb. I wish this clunker had stayed in the vault, a forgotten misstep. As I like to say, “Even a star’s brightest glow can’t polish a tarnished turd.”

When a slasher isn’t scary: A missed opportunity with Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner and Terry Congie in Shadows Run Black | Credit: Troma Entertainment

In the ‘80s, Hollywood was knee-deep in slasher films. The market was saturated, and everyone wanted a slice of the pie, whether they knew how to bake it or not.

Shadows Run Black was one of those films that tried to ride the coattails of the slasher genre without understanding what made it tick. For the unversed, this film attempts to tell the story of ‘The Black Angel’, a killer who is stalking a campus, leaving behind a trail of blood.

The plot is as messy as the execution. The killer’s identity is buried in a twisted web of red herrings, and yet, Kevin Costner’s character, Jimmy Scott, is just another pawn in a game that doesn’t make sense.

But wait…let me tell you that he wasn’t even the main character; he was a mere afterthought. The film threw him on the poster, undoubtedly trying to leverage his future stardom to sell the film, but Shadows Run Black could hardly make use of him in a way that felt substantial.

Costner’s role was a flimsy one, hardly a breakout moment. He plays Jimmy, a campus party animal who is under suspicion for the murders. That’s it. His part was meant to be pivotal—he was the red herring—but it never landed.

When I say his role was underwhelming, I mean it was actually dull. The film doesn’t even seem to understand whether it’s trying to be a horror film or an erotic thriller. It’s not stylish or thrilling; it’s just tedious. The kills are sparse and uninspired, and the suspense barely exists. For a movie with the word ‘black’ in its title, there’s little darkness to be found.

Shadows Run Black: The 3.1 IMDb disaster that haunts Kevin Costner’s career

Kevin Costner in Shadows Run Black | Credit: Troma Entertainment
Shadows Run Black is a stain on Kevin Costner’s career that, unfortunately, the public continues to drag out from time to time. Despite his remarkable rise to fame, this film remains a blot on his record.

Its reception was so tepid that it eventually got shelved. But because Costner’s star power was on the rise, they decided to release it, hoping for a quick cash grab. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.

The film barely made a dent at the box office and failed to even gain a cult following, which is usually a saving grace for movies this bad.

The numbers speak for themselves: Shadows Run Black sits at a dismal 3.1 on IMDb and a measly 12% on Rotten Tomatoes. To say that it’s an underwhelming experience would be putting it kindly.

As a Costner fan, I look at these numbers, and I cringe. I can’t even imagine how he feels about it—probably like a painter who accidentally spilled ink on his masterpiece. And yet, there’s something even more troubling about this whole fiasco: Costner never really spoke about it publicly.

Here’s an interesting tidbit that’s floated around the film industry grapevine: apparently, Costner tried to buy the rights to Shadows Run Black and another of his early films, Malibu Hot Summer.

He wanted to erase them from history (via IMDb). Why? Well, considering Costner’s open disdain for Malibu Hot Summer, his desire to control Shadows Run Black’s distribution makes perfect sense.
Shadows Run Black | Credit: Troma Entertainment
Unfortunately, Troma Productions swooped in and grabbed the rights to both films (via Movie Web). The low-budget movie house knew exactly how to exploit Costner’s name, slapping his face on the cover and capitalizing on his growing fame.

Malibu Hot Summer was sold with the cringey tagline “Hot sand! Hot bodies! Hot Costner!” as if that would somehow make the film more palatable. It didn’t. And while Shadows Run Black wasn’t sold with as absurd a tagline, it was still marketed heavily around Costner’s name, which only added salt to the wound.

Ergo, Shadows Run Black is a film that never should have been made, let alone released. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a bad haircut—you try to forget it, but every time you look at old photos, it haunts you.

If you’re a fan of Costner (as I am), you’ll want to steer clear of this misstep. There’s no redemption here—just a forgettable chapter in his otherwise successful career. Sometimes, it’s best to leave certain things buried in the past. And in this case, that’s exactly where Shadows Run Black should have stayed.