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“The Dead of Night is a state of mind, that dark unfathomed region of the human consciousness from which all of the unknown terrors of our lives emerge.”
This film is an example of what I always say, that many made-for-TV horror cult classics don’t have anything to envy from big-budget horror movies made for the cinema screen.
I’m going to warn you that this is the kind of movie that you watch if you are interested in the aesthetics of horror art. Not really a movie to have a few adrenaline rushes or some jump scares.
Dead of Night is a 1977 horror TV movie. It’s not a PG movie, but a TV-14 cult classic, so don’t expect primal shocks or gore because the movie doesn’t have any of that.
About the Three Stories in Dead of Night
Dead of Night is an anthology horror TV movie. When it starts you are welcomed by the creepy voice of a narrator saying you’re about to witness three stories: one of mystery, one of imagination, and one of terror.
I’d say they are three stories, one of wonderment, one of Gothic betrayal, and one of paranormal horror.
“Second Chance”, the first story, is about a car that transports the driver to the 1920s. Is this the mystery story the narrator told about? It isn’t horror but more of a time travel and slipstream tale. It reminded me of several episodes of the original Twilight Zone.
“No Such Thing as a Vampire”, the second segment, is when things get interesting. Not just because it’s about vampires, but also because of the setting which is Solta, Croatia, during the Victorian age.
This segment has many of the narrative and visual Gothic trappings one expects from such a tale.
“Bobby”, the last tale in the movie is a new spin on W.W. Jacobs’s classic horror chiller “The Monkey’s Paw”.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since 1977 and horror stories about revenants have been done to death (pun intended), but if you judge “Bobby” keep in mind the year in which it was written and the year the story was converted to a segment in an anthology movie; it’s above average for a revenant’s yarn.
Dead of Night’s Talent
This review may be biased because both the writer and director are two of my favorite horrorists of all time: Richard Burton Matheson and Dan Curtis!
I loved the performances and chemistry between the characters played by Patrick Macnee and Horst Buchholz in the second tale, and Bobby the revenant played by Lee Montgomery in “Bobby”.
Lighting, Setting, Wardrobe
I liked how the 1920s town in “Second Chance” was recreated and I felt that it looked totally believable.
By far, the best cinematography, for me, was in “No Such Thing as a Vampire”. I promise you, this segment of the movie is what I think justifies watching Dead of Night.
The creepy but peaceful night scenes in the second segment (most of the tale, actually) have that Dan Curtis feeling of dread that compliments the quaint atmosphere. It made me feel a horror art pleasure of the type that I think only Dan Curtis can conjure.
Dead of Night’s Editing Choices
Personally, I think the editing is logical. Obviously, since the second tale is the one I liked the most I thought it would have been better as the third tale. But on remembering “Bobby”, the 2nd tale I think it was wise to leave that story for last since it has a much higher dramatic register and shock factor than the vampire story.
Soundtrack
Have you seen how many horror anthology movies have a wrapper story? Dead of Night doesn’t have any such thing. There’s no wrapping story that wraps up the three tales in the horror cult classic.
Yet, I think this movie has a wrapper, albeit not your common kind of wrapper. The wrapper of this movie is its incidental music. The creepy, dread-inducing music is the same (or at least very similar) for the three stories, and it’s not bad. Actually, quite the contrary.
Cult Classic Entertainment Value
The entertainment value of the first two stories is very high, both being period pieces. I can’t say the same for the last story since it’s set in contemporary (1977) times.
Personal Likes and Dislikes
My dislikes for this movie are two. One, is about the first story, while interesting and thrilling, doesn’t gel with the two that follow. The other thing I didn’t like was that the movie was only 73 minutes long. Considering that it doesn’t have a wrapper, each story is around 24 minutes on average.
Dead of Night’s Moral Message
The moral theme can be found in the last story, it’s just a rehash of “The Monkey’s Paw”, which is, to let those who left us alone, sleeping the slumber of death, and don’t try to bring them back.
Recommendations
Sometimes you want to dive deep into a horror movie’s universe and other times you just want to be entertained and enjoy a horror anthology movie. I guarantee you you’ll enjoy this movie if you are in the mood for short horror subjects.
If you can’t stand a Twilight Zone type of story before the good stuff, then don’t watch this movie, or start watching it at the 22nd minute.
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© Bholenath Valsan 2024 — Dead of Night (1977) Best Horror Cult Classic Reviews
