Red-Barracuda Dead of Night is the first horror anthology movie. In this sense, it is a very original piece of work. Since it was released we have seen all manner of horror omnibus movies, with the British studio Amicus becoming specialists in the sub-genre and producing seven different examples in the 60's and 70's, while there were also notable examples submitted by legendary horror directors such as Mario Bava and George Romero with, respectively, Black Sabbath (1963) and Creepshow (1982). But the fact is that Dead of Night still remains the all-time classic of this type of movie and is a film which is still quite chilling in places. It was made, perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly by the British production company Ealing Studios who are best known today for their series of well-respected comedies. This was their only foray into the realms of horror and it certainly can be regarded as an unqualified success. An architect experiences strong déjà vu on a weekend trip to a country estate where several strangers assemble for undefined reasons. He explains his discomforting feelings to the guests, prompting each one to recount an inexplicable story from their past. The format amounts to five tales of supernatural horror, tied together with an ingenious framing story.The first segment has a hospitalised man suddenly realise that despite it being the dead of night it is a sunny outside. He looks out the window and sees a hearse, the driver of which turns to him and says 'there's just room for one more inside sir'. This decidedly odd event acts as a sinister warning. The second story has a girl unknowingly encounter a ghostly presence in a secret room in a mansion during a Christmas party. The third segment involves a man who comes into possession of a cursed antique mirror that reflects a mysterious room from the past; this ghostly dimension slowly drives him murderously insane. The fourth story is what would go on to be a staple of the sub-genre, the comedy interlude, it tells a tale about a couple of golfing rivals who both fall in love with the same girl. They play a game of golf, with the winner getting the girl but this leads to disaster. The final story concerns a ventriloquist who has a very unusual relationship with his dummy.The final story is the one which is mostly mentioned as being the best of the segments and with very good reason. This is the story which still has the power to chill and has a very creepy atmosphere throughout. It is helped by a great performance from Michael Redgrave as the troubled ventriloquist. It is an idea that has been repeated several times over the years but there is no question that this superlative segment is the definitive execution. This great mix of horror with strong psychological elements plays on the creepiness of the dummy itself and still has the power to chill the viewer even today. The haunted mirror segment is likewise another idea which has gone on to be re-used several times over the years in other films but again it is delivered beautifully here. All the segments are very good with the exception of the golfing story, which while quite enjoyable just felt a bit too unnecessarily silly to fit the tone of the rest of the film. Easily as good as anything on offer in the various tales is the wraparound framing story. This extremely clever idea works beautifully and is made, if anything, even more sinister in that it plays out in the middle of the afternoon, giving it an even more off-kilter tone if anything. The final montage which references all the previous stories in a dream-like spiral nightmare sequence is quite frankly an out-and-out classic of the horror genre. And then directly after this, the true horror of the architect's situation is revealed in a subtle and sinister manner as the credits roll...This truly is one of the most effective of all the pre-60's horror movies and is an absolute must-see for anyone at all interested in the genre.

BA_Harrison An early entry in the horror anthology sub-genre, Dead of Night is an important and highly influential offering from Ealing Studios, one that has provided inspiration for numerous later scary movies, including the popular Amicus portmanteau films of the '60s and '70s.But as noteworthy as it undoubtedly is, Dead of Night is also somewhat over-rated, the film suffering from that frequent horror anthology handicap, the comic relief story, and just a little too much of the wraparound tale, which begins as architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) arrives at the country home of Eliot Foley (Roland Culver) and his wife (Mary Merrall), having been invited to stay the weekend.As Walter is introduced to the other guests in the house, he experiences a sense of déjà vu, recognising the names and faces from a recurring nightmare, which he proceeds to divulge. This, in turn, leads to each person recounting their own experience of the supernatural.Tale number one, The Hearse Driver, is short but sweet, telling of how race car driver Hugh Grainger, injured in a crash, is saved from certain death by a haunting vision of a creepy hearse driver. The shock ending is memorable enough that one can easily forgive the unconvincing miniature model effect.Story two is traditional ghost story Christmas Party, with Sally O'Hara (Sally Ann Howes) befriending a small boy, unaware that he is in fact the spirit of a murdered child. The twist in the tale is not at all surprising, a disappointment considering the wonderfully melancholy atmosphere that had been so carefully established.The third tale to be recounted, The Haunted Mirror, is one of the best, and sees Peter Cortland (Ralph Michael) slowly becoming possessed by the spirit of a murderer after his wife (Googie Withers) buys him a haunted mirror. Extremely creepy and well played by Michael and Withers, this one would provide the inspiration for a chapter in the excellent From Beyond The Grave (1974).Golfing Story stars Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne as sporting and love rivals George and Larry, who play a round of golf to decide who shall win the hand of the woman they both adore. Loser Larry kills himself and winds up haunting George, who had cheated during the game. Played for laughs, this one is out of place and could have been left on the cutting room floor (the shorter American version of the film did just that, along with Christmas Party).The last segment is about a ventriloquist (Michael Redgrave) who believes that his doll is alive. If that sounds familiar, it's could be because the same idea was used for the Anthony Hopkins film Magic (1978). Like Magic, this one is supremely creepy—there's something that is inherently unsettling about a ventriloquist doll, and this one wastes no opportunity to freak out the viewer.With its five tales told, Dead of Night wraps things up by revealing that everything we have seen thus far has been part of Walter Craig's recurring dream. The architect wakes up and receives a phone call: it's Eliot Foley inviting him to stay for the weekend. The cyclical dream ending might seem trite these days, but was probably considered rather clever back in 1945.With more killer than filler, the film is still a neat package of spooky stories, one that will no doubt please most fans of the multi-story format. If anything, it's worth seeing just to see quite how many of the characters light up a cigarette during the entire film: it's almost like smoking was mandatory in the '40s.

elvircorhodzic Dead of Night is just something like a nightmare. Romantic, funny, mysterious and terrifying dream. I think in this film is not the point in watching the future but the premonition and despair. This is one compound of confusing psychological experience, sharing stories by several protagonists, and at the end the main protagonist of all the experiences connected to one fantastic nightmare climax. Witnesses chronologically contain foreboding and vision, love and hallucination, "spicy" section and finally jealous split personality. Attempted murder leads to hilarious dreamy swirl in which intertwine all recounted horrors individually.Michael Redgrave as Maxwell Frere left the deepest impression as mad ventriloquist. All the other actors are episodic protagonists who dominate in their sequences. Group of director and screenwriter made sure that every story has a frightening honest tone.

begob A troubled man accepts an invitation to a meeting at an old farmhouse, but when he gets there finds the guests may make his nightmares come true.Interesting anthology that seems familiar and a bit tired. It's certainly heavy on dialogue and some of the stories do drag on, but the framing of feelings versus analysis works well, at least in the first half and in the climax. But a bit lax in the middle.Other reviewers have set out the stories, so I'll just say the haunted mirror is my favourite, and I expected that would be the H G Wells contribution because it uses all its potential. But no - he wrote the daft golfing story.The actors are OK - nobody outstanding (including Redgrave) - and the protagonist has several ucnonvincing dramatic moments. There are a few unnecessary characters in the farmhouse, and I think it would have been more interesting to have the farmhouse actors also play the supporting characters in the stories. Y'know - Wizard Of Oz style.Editing very patchy, with an obvious insert to deliver gravitas to the golfing story. Plus the protagonist's first view of the house, when the car comes to a halt, is so awkward - at the end of the film the same footage is used much better. Music threatened to overwhelm, but thankfully it eased off.Two most impressive moments were the golfing suicide + the scene where the faces press up against the jail bars. The latter is nice and weird and brings the wraparound to a satisfying point, where you think back on everything you've seen. Not perfect, but you get a sense of the conflict of feelings and analysis ending in horror.Overall, interesting but not gripping.