Dead of Night

Black and white, 35 mm
United Kingdom, 1945, 104 min
Section: Midnight Screenings

Synopsis

An architect staying at a country cottage is chilled to find that the house and its guests all feature in his recurring nightmare. His companions, too, have strange tales to tell. Few British horrors were made between the Second World War and the genre’s Hammer-led re-emergence in the 1950s. This one was influential as a ‘portmanteau horror’ - it featured a number of short tales of terror within a linking narrative – and inspired many similarly structured horrors produced by Amicus decades later. A collaborative effort, the film showcases the skills of four talented directors. Some sequences work better than others, but the whole is beautifully shot and tightly constructed. A strong linking narrative creates an eerie sense of impending doom, moving towards a dream-like end. Best of all is Michael Redgrave as a ventriloquist tormented by his dummy. Twitching, moving stiffly, rolling his eyes and unexpectedly modulating his voice, his dark and disturbingly doll-like performance is not easy to forget.

About the director

Basil Dearden (b.1911, Westcliffe-on-Sea, Essex; d.1971), director, producer, writer. Made comedies, then later ‘social problem’ dramas, including Victim (1961), the first British mainstream film about homosexuality.

Alberto Cavalcanti (b.1897, Rio De Janeiro; d.1982), art director, writer, director. Worked in Britain from the early ‘30s, on acclaimed documentaries and features, directing Went the Day Well? (1943).

Robert Hamer (b.1911, Kidderminster, Worcs; d.1963), film editor, writer, director; at Ealing Studios wrote and directed the classic comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).

Charles Crichton (b.1910, Wallasey, Cheshire; d.1999), film editor, writer, director; at Ealing Studios made The Lavender Hill Mob (1951); later worked in television, returned to film comedy with A Fish Called Wanda (1988).