Grade: B-
Synopsis: An anthology of five tales revolving around an architect’s realization that he’s living out his own reoccurring nightmare.
Dead of Night is an uneven series of horror tales linked by a surprisingly strong framing story.
The best story, involving a haunted mirror, holds up very well today. The special effects, though modest, are unsetting and effective.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the weakest story, involving a pair of golfers, can’t decide if it wants to be a black comedy or genuine horror and succeeds at neither. This, despite Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne essentially playing the same pair of gentlemen they originated in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes (1938).
The other story of note is the final one, involving a ventriloquist’s dummy, written by John Baines who also wrote the aforementioned haunted mirror segment. It’s a solid piece, and well done, but the subject’s been done to death in sixty some years since and thus the material feels stale. At the time of its premiere however, this one probably packed the most punch.
Ultimately, though, what really elevates Dead of Night above other anthology pieces is the framing story, which not only ties all the individual tales together, but also succeeds in trumping all of them in originality. It’s a surprising twist that goes a long way toward leaving a pleasant taste in your mouth, and makes Dead of Night a must-see for fans of classic horror films.
