Dead of Night**

 

I was looking for something to watch and scanning Tubi, but eventually I thought of this Dan Curtis mid 70s anthology for television. I wasn't quite sure what horror I'd be in the mood for but as I was watching this, Dead of Night felt perfect. I'll drop old IMDb user comments and conclude with fresh thoughts.

The late great Dan Curtis brings us three horror/fantasy tales from the pen of Richard Matheson, featuring a strong cast. Made for television, Curtis was one of the most successful producer-directors working in the field of horror during the 70's. A nice double feature this would make with his superior omnibus, Trilogy of Terror(..starring the incomparable Karen Black).

The first tale(Second Chance) stars Ed Begley Jr as Frank, a young man with a knack for restoring older cars, with a knowledge and love for them. He restores a '26 London Playboy, understanding from it's past that a teenage couple perished as the driver attempted to pass a train. Driving the Playboy down a dirt road, Frank finds himself in the nearby town Crestwell, except in the 1920's! This is a poignant tale resembling those time-warp Twilight Zone nostalgia episodes where an otherworldly journey back in time can alter the lives of others, a chance given back due to the particular care of someone towards a machine left buried under a tarp. The second tale(No Such Thing as a Vampire) features Patrick Macnee as a professor whose wife(Christina Hart) seems to be falling prey to a vampire, under his own nose, asking a colleague(..played by Horst Buchholz)to assist him. Elijah Cook Jr. is Macnee's frightened, superstitious butler. This one has a twist regarding adultery and revenge. And, the third, final, and best tale(Bobby) stars Joan Hackett as a deeply traumatized mother who desperately longs for her deceased son, who mysteriously drowned(Lee Montgomery;BURNT OFFERINGS), going as far as using black magic, attempting to conjure him back from the dead. He does return, but it isn't the son she once knew. This one is stylishly executed and suspenseful as Hacket finds herself fighting for survival with Montgomery chasing her throughout their large house(..overlooking a cliff leading to rocks and ocean below), playing a game of hide-and-seek trying to kill her, as the thunder roars, power out, and the childlike voice proclaiming, "I'm gonna find you, MOMMY!" Montgomery has this really boyishly innocent face that makes his character's emerging menace even more palpable. The twist, regarding who this kid really is, adds a nice sock to the senses closing the anthology nicely.

The first two tales aren't very potent in the terror category as the opening narration would suggest, but the third tale takes up the slack of both of them, and then some. Interesting enough, DEAD OF NIGHT is quite similar to TRILOGY OF TERROR, structurally, in how the tales impact you..the first is a mild opener, the second has an eye-opening twist, and the third packs a wallop(..quite a roller coaster thrill-ride where a heroine attempts to escape an unlikely malevolent presence bent on inflicting harm, brought to life by a magic spell). I think this will entertain fans of classic horror anthologies, but isn't quite as successful or memorable as TRILOGY OF TERROR, mainly because the novelty of starring Karen Black(..who displayed her incredible range as an actress)isn't here. The first film better belongs in a TWILIGHT ZONE anthology movie than in a Dan Curtis production. I found it pleasant, written with heart and care(..one can see Matheson's yearning for days gone by;this one felt particularly Bradbury), but not suited for what was supposed to be a "terror trilogy." The second's draw is Macnee and Cook Jr, even if the result of the tale is only mildly effective..although, Macnee's wicked grin leaves an unsettling feeling, closing the tale. I think most viewers will leave this movie, impressed with the final tale to the point that the overall product will have legs for years to come--March 21, 2007. 

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"Second Chance" was a better watch last night. Determined as a time travel fantasy, unlike the next two, it is whimsical, with a romanticized view of a bygone era. A chance for rewritten history, a delay changing what would have been a tragedy by Begley, saving two lives, in turn, providing a good conclusion for his own. The second gives Macnee actual revenge through cunning and manipulation against his wife and her lover using superstition and fear to his advantage. The third, where Hackett is actually grief stricken because of her own failings as a parent which resulted in the death of her child, gives us a conjured monster she wasn't prepared for. This was not that long. I had forgotten how quick a television anthology it was. Clocked in at 71 minutes.