Synopsis: A chilling anthology of three supernatural tales: a man travels back in time through a restored car, a woman fears vampires in a sinister mansion, and a grieving mother faces terror when her dead son returns.
Stars: Joan Hackett, Patrick Macnee, Anjanette Comer, Horst Buchholz, Ed Begley Jr., Lee Montgomery, John Dehner, Ann Doran, E.J. André, Christina Hart, Michael Talbot, Elisha Cook Jr.
Director: Dan Curtis
Rated: NR
Running Length: 77 minutes
Disc Review in Brief: Dan Curtis and Richard Matheson deliver three effective horror tales, with the final segment “Bobby” providing genuine terror. Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray presents the TV-movie with excellent extras and the best image quality it’s ever had.
Review:
Throughout the 1970s, Dan Curtis was network television’s undisputed master of horror. From Dark Shadows to The Night Stalker, from Burnt Offerings to Trilogy of Terror, he understood how to deliver chills within broadcast standards. Dead of Night, a 1977 NBC anthology film, showcases his range across three Richard Matheson-penned stories. Picture three standalone episodes of Rod Serling’s classic series The Twilight Zone, but with television movie production values.
The first segment, “Second Chance,” adapts a Jack Finney story. Frank (Ed Begley Jr., Cat People), a vintage car enthusiast, restores a 1926 Jordan Playboy that was wrecked in a fatal train collision. When he takes it for a drive, the car transports him back to the night of the original accident. It’s sentimental magical realism rather than horror — gentle and surprisingly sweet.
“No Such Thing as a Vampire” turns wicked quickly. A doctor’s wife (Anjanette Comer) has been waking up each morning with bloody puncture wounds on her neck. Their housekeeping staff flee. The town whispers of vampires roaming the grounds. The doctor (Patrick Macnee, A View to a Kill) calls in a colleague (played by Horst Buchholz) to consult. To reveal more would spoil the twist, but this segment has all the macabre cleverness you’d expect from an EC Comics adaptation. It’s grim and clever and isn’t’ afraid to get its hands a little dirty.
The standout, and the one you’ve likely seen a frightening image from, is “Bobby.” Alma (Joan Hackett) cannot accept her son’s drowning death. Resorting to black magic on a dark night, she attempts to bring him back with a spell or two. The knock on the door that follows her spellcasting seems to answer her prayers. But the boy who returns isn’t quite…right. Bobby wants to play hide and seek. He won’t take no for an answer. The final fifteen minutes deliver genuine cover your eyes terror as Alma realizes what she actually summoned.
Curtis directs all three with efficiency and atmosphere. The made-for-TV origins are evident in the 1.33:1 framing, but the film-shot presentation looks remarkably good on Blu-ray; this is a strong restoration of the elements. I’d hedge a guess that this is likely the best Dead of Night has ever appeared. Robert Cobert‘s score, repurposing cues from Dark Shadows and other Curtis productions (this happened frequently), enhances the mood without overwhelming dialogue.
Kino Lorber’s extras are substantial. Tim Lucas provides an audio commentary. Jeff Thompson, author of “The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis,” contributes introductions to each segment. An unaired 1969 TV pilot, “A Darkness at Blaisedon,” offers additional Curtis material that will be of great value to Curtis fans. Score highlights and deleted scenes round out the package.
Dead of Night won’t be mistaken for some unearthed masterpiece or buried treasure. But it’s a well-crafted anthology that rewards viewers who appreciate network-era horror done right. It starts out softly and builds to a creepy crescendo. This is one I would have loved to see when it originally aired.
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