Dead of Night (1946)

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.

So says one of the characters to a woman (Googie Withers) who has just related her story of "The Mirror", by far the most compelling in this rather variable collection of stories of mystery and horror. The over-arching story of the architect (Mervyn Johns) visiting a house full of strangers he has never seen before yet knows already, is rather redundant, really only providing a hook for the individual characters to tell their own stories. The tone, interest and quality of the stories is rather variable - humour perhaps included to provide lighter moments but instead allowing the mood to sag. The Michael Redgrave section with the dummy is too elaborate and contrived. But "The Mirror" is both the simplest of the stories and least star-studded yet incomparably most effective.Why it is so effective is difficult to say. Was it the excellent casting? Partly. But there must be some elemental fear at seeing an entirely different image reflected in a mirror. Here the subtle but critical difference is the burning fire in the grate - the room seen in the mirror is in use, is occupied and at any moment a figure could come into view - but who or what? The audience almost as much as the character finds it both difficult to look at the mirror yet almost more difficult, to look away.I'm pleased that, unlike some other reviewers, I didn't see this as a child and have a fear of mirrors thereafter. Meanwhile, I'll take that drink if its being offered - I could do with it.

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.

Classic supernatural anthology film starts when architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) arrives at a country house along with several other guests. Craig has been having a recurring nightmare and it starts this same way. As each guest takes their turn telling their story, it becomes clear to Craig that his nightmare is coming true. This is the set-up for the film, where each guest's story is told.The first story, "The Hearse Driver," is about a racing driver (Anthony Baird) who is haunted by a vision of a hearse (coach not car). The second story, "The Christmas Story," is a ghost story about a group of kids playing hide & seek at a Christmas party, where a young girl (Sally Ann Howes) meets a mysterious boy in the attic. Both of these stories are good but fairly routine efforts. Anybody who has seen or read ghost stories, even in 1945, will have encountered similar material. "The Haunted Mirror" is the third story is about an antique mirror a woman (Googie Withers) buys that seems to have a strange hold on her husband (Ralph Michael). This is possibly my favorite story in the film. It's definitely the most underrated. Ralph Michael gives a fantastic performance as the man drawn to this strange mirror and being slowly driven to kill.The fourth story is a humorous one called "The Golfing Story," about a pair of friends (Basil Radford, Naunton Wayne) who are rivals for the same girl. They decide to settle who gets her over a game of golf. It's a likable, frivolous story, written by H.G. Wells, and sandwiched between two darker ones, presumably to lighten the mood somewhat. The last, and most famous, story from the film is "The Ventriloquist's Dummy." Psychologist Dr. van Straaten (Frederick Valk) tells how he was called in to determine the sanity of a ventriloquist (Michael Redgrave) who claims his dummy Hugo is alive. This story is the one for which the movie is most remembered. Obviously there have been dozens of similarly-themed stories down through the years. If you have seen some or most of those before you come to Dead of Night, you might be less impressed by this story. Still, it's very good with an outstanding performance by Redgrave.The beginning of the film ties back in at the end in a clever way that is one of the best twist endings to a horror anthology film I've seen (and they all seem to have them). What I said before about the impact of the final story being diluted somewhat by years of imitations, remakes, homages, etc. can be said for the entire film. Most of these stories have been done, in one variation after another, in films and television shows for decades. I think this is perhaps why the film is not more widely regarded today. I've recommended the film to several people over the years and they've all come away liking it but also with a sense of disappointment. To a person they all cite the sense of familiarity of some of the stories, particularly the ventriloquist one. Unfair as it is, that's just an unfortunate side effect of being an influential film. I would still recommend you watch it and try it for yourself.