I have a lot of love for director Dan Curtis and for the movies he made during the 1970s, particularly his made-for-TV movies and horror anthologies. He was responsible for some of the most modest yet delightfully entertaining genre outings back then, like the vampire epic "House of Dark Shadows" (based on his own cult-series) and the infamous "Trilogy of Terror" (featuring a segment with Karen Black versus a crazed Zumi doll). For this relatively unknown "Dead of Night", Curtis had the honor and pleasure – I presume – to work with the acclaimed writer Richard Matheson ("I Am Legend") who penned down three versatile short stories of – and I quote the narrator – mystery, imagination and terror! Admittedly all the stories are mundane and tame, but they are charming and the overall movie definitely isn't boring. When browsing through the other user- comments around here it seems that most of my fellow fans prefer the last segment, but I respectfully disagree because I found "Bobby" the most predictable and derivative of the three. Personally I've seen too many full-length films or omnibus segments in which a devastated relative desperately attempts to bring a loved one back from the dead – through whatever method – only to come to the obvious conclusion that doing so is a very bad idea and has painful consequences. No, in fact, my favorite segment is the (also predictable) opening segment "Second Chance" in which old-timer car fanatic Frank (Ed Begley Jr.) buys – for a miserable $100 – and restores an awesome Jordan Playboy that was involved in an accident that killed two people back in 1926. During its first ride, however, the Jordan somehow drives Frank all the way back into time as if it wants to restart its own life-cycle. "Second Chance" is a fantasy/fairy-tale instead of a suspense story and doesn't feature a single drop of blood or moment of tension, but it's likable and nostalgic. The segment in the middle is called "No such thing as a Vampire" and is primarily worth checking out for its cast that contains names like Patrick MacNee, Elisha Cook Jr. and Horst Buchholz. Is there a vampire on the loose in the mysterious old Gheria castle and is he stalking the lady of the house Alexis? The superstitious townsfolk avoids the place like hell, but the truth might not be so supernatural after all. "Dead of Night" might just be the most forgettable movie I watched this year, but at least I don't regret it.
Review of Dead of Night
