Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Michael_Elliott Dead of Night (1974) *** (out of 4)Bob Clark's somber horror tale about parents Charles and Christine Brooks (John Marley, Lynn Carlin) who learn that their son Andy (Richard Backus) was killed in Vietnam. A short time later they are shocked to see that Andy has returned home. The mother accepts her son but the father seems to think that there's something not quite right.Clark's DEAD OF NIGHT, also known as DEATHDREAM, is one of the more unique horror films from this era because not only does it work as a horror movie but it's also quite effective as a drama. Obviously being 1974, the Vietnam war was still a hot topic and the film's screenplay by Alan Ormsby perfectly borrows from The Monkey's Paw story while also throwing in a few twists and of course there's the updating of the setting.I think Clark deserves a lot of credit for the visual style and atmosphere that he created for the film. The film really does a great job at capturing this small town and I really loved the dark look that he gave it. Obviously this is a fairly sad story about a dead soldier returning home to his parents and Clark's direction is right on the mark. The story is told in a rather slow fashion but this too really helps build up the atmopshere and the overall look of the film.Another thing that really works well is the drama. Seeing how this dream come true of having their son return to them turn into a nightmare as it slowly rips the family apart is perfect drama and every bit of it works. Even better is the fact that we're treated to some really fine performances including both Carlin and Backus as the mother and son. The real standout is Marley who is simply wonderful as the father who knows that the person living with them isn't really his son.DEAD OF NIGHT certainly has some flaws as it's not the perfect movie but, considering the budget, Clark was really able to build a rather dark and twisted tale.

Leofwine_draca Not only does this film manage to be a clever allegory about the destruction of the nuclear family via the Vietnam war; it also happens to be extremely frightening and a superbly made chiller. I'm really surprised that this film hasn't got the attention that it deserves - it's rarely heard of these days, yet I found it to be one of the best American horror films of the 1970s that I've seen. It's simple, yet starkly disturbing, with understated performances and a slow pace which genuinely wracks up the fear factor to breaking point at the end.Excellent performances from most of the cast automatically raise my opinion on this film. The standout for me was John Marley's performance as Andy's father; he plays a man who has to come to terms with the fact that his son has turned into a remorseless killing machine. Marley gives a subtle moving performance as he turns to drink for support and finally cannot handle the horror around him. He gives an extremely moving performance to a character who could have become like Burt Young in AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION; i.e. a complete bastard. Richard Backus, in his debut acting appearance, is also superb as the haunted and haunting Andy, with little dialogue he brings us a fleshed-out, frightening and yet sympathetic monster.Lynn Carlin plays the tragic role of a mother who cannot admit that her son is evil, and supports him even until the sad end. Carlin gives her neurotic character an extra depth, something rarely seen in matriarchal figures in the movies. The only performance to fall short, for me, was Anya Ormsby's as Andy's sister; but at least she doesn't manage to be as annoying here as she was in CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS. Henderson Forsythe also puts in a nice turn as the town's local doctor.The slow pacing of this film actually works for it, giving an extra dimension of realism. Most films try to jam as many deaths and as much horror into their running time as possible; this one almost feels like the events are playing out in real time, and in real life. The deaths aren't dwelt on here, the camera instead preferring to show us a few disturbingly bloody flashes before cutting away, making their impact greater. Another achievement for the film is Backus' makeup as he begins to rot away; a young Tom Savini was responsible for these, on a limited budget, and he works wonders. There are signs of the artist's later genius here in the gruesome looking wrinkles and wounds which begin to appear on Andy's body and his final transformation into a hideous zombie makes him look highly similar to Regan in THE EXORCIST, which came out a year later.There are many horrific instances in the film, none more so than when Andy crushes the family's dog when it barks at him one time too many. All of the murders notch up the shock horror scale, but it's the haunting image of Andy rocking in his chair which stays in the mind. After an exciting chase finale, the final poignant image has Andy dying again in a newly-prepared grave. This is earthy, disturbing horror at its finest, and a damn good film at that. This one definitely deserves to be tracked down.

GL84 After returning home from the war, a young man's sudden change of behavior alarms his parents who slowly realize the monster he's becoming and try to stop his insatiable blood-lust causing him to run wild throughout town.This one was quite a disappointing effort as there's really not a whole lot right here. What this one really does well is the rather innovative use of dealing with the subject matter at hand, detailing the condition afflicted here without really over-exposing it all that much. By going with the symptoms here for PTSD as a lynch-pin for the change in behavior here, this manages a pretty remarkable feat of giving the film a realistic-based back-story motivation for the horrific behavior but also a thoroughly unique and creative one that doesn't seem all that far-fetched here to possibly happen. Unfortunately, the only other working part here is the film's two horror scenes, where he traps and stalks a doctor in his office after realizing the truth, and the finale where a thrilling encounter at a drive-in leads to a frantic car-chase through the streets of town with a flaming car and a nice crash-stunt that makes this one all the more enjoyable as it's really the main part of this that works. Despite the originality of going with the back-story explanation for the film, the biggest problem is that nothing of interest is done with it. The film tries to make it seem like being cold, distant and completely devoid of interest in interacting with family or friends is cause for being the creepiest tactics imaginable, and yet all they do is drag the film out with scene-after-scene of the same behavioral tendencies and nothing is done about it, either his parents or anyone around him. Nothing about these are scary, and when combined with the majority of time spent here detailing the family life where the dad becomes convinced something's wrong and the mother is in absolute denial about everything doesn't help matters by focusing on drama rather than horror because what's shown isn't that scary which makes her behavior seem overblown and needless while his just drags the film along lifelessly. This is furthered by the fact that the supposed mystery about the mysterious soldier being responsible for the early off-screen death here is so clumsily done that it's impossible to come to any other conclusion here other than he did it as the evidence is so clear-cut and delivered in such a clumsy manner that the police look like incompetent fools for not seeing it, making these go on for what seems like forever. The last big problem is that the film really only deals with horror elements in two scenes which are completely unscary that their effectiveness is really questionable, especially the finale with the laughable make-up effects used here. These here are what really hurt this one overall.Rated PG: Violence and Language.

Scott LeBrun Those horror films that work on an emotional level as well as a visceral level can be quite devastating; Cronenbergs' remake of "The Fly" would be another good example. Here's a story (written by Alan Ormsby) that can work as a metaphor for the effects of the Vietnam War on the young men who fought it. Its characters are thoroughly relatable and sympathetic, and its horror works quite well. Thicky atmospheric and spooky, it benefits from solid acting in all of its major roles.John Marley and Lynn Carlin star as Charles and Christine Brooks, the parents of Andy (Richard Backus), a soldier fighting the war in 'Nam whom they're told died over there. So it's a delight to them when he turns up alive and seemingly well. But all is NOT well, and Andy is definitely not the same person that he was when he went away. The signs don't take long to reveal themselves, and Charles is dismayed over the change in his son, while Christine, still full of love for her boy, tries to deny that anything could be wrong.This is an impressively mature genre effort from the late, great cult director Bob Clark ("Black Christmas" '74, "Porky's") who'd previously guided the more irreverent "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things". It's also historically important for marking the first credit for makeup effects legend Tom Savini. Filmed on location in Florida, it's got some fine suspense and is often genuinely creepy. Savini's effects are good but parcelled out in small doses until near the end. And that ending, when it comes, is a grabber that will really stay with you.Marley and Carlin are wonderful as the parents with the differing feelings and reactions toward their son, and Backus does a fine job of being initially standoffish and growing more and more unnerving as the story plays out. Henderson Forsythe is excellent in support as the concerned local doctor, and various cast members from "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things" - Anya Ormsby, Jane Daly, Jeff Gillen, and Ormsby himself (who was also a makeup artist on this show) - play other supporting roles and bits.Any fan of the genre is well advised to check this one out. It's simply one of the finer horror films to come out of the early 1970s.Nine out of 10.