Fear in the Night (1972) User Reviews

FEAR IN THE NIGHT (Jimmy Sangster, 1972) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 19 May 2007]

Sangster's third and final film as director forsakes the Gothic trappings of the first two for the psycho-thrillers which Hammer occasionally dabbled in (inspired by LES DIABOLIQUES [1954] and kick-started by the Sangster-penned TASTE OF FEAR [1961]).

As such, it's a pretty solid entry in the genre: well-made (the last half-hour being especially tense), stylish (making subtle use of elliptical editing, careful not to go overboard as was the case with STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING [1972]) and sporting a compact but most able cast - Judy Geeson (her inherent vulnerability is suited to this type of frightened lady role), Joan Collins (going through a horror/thriller phase at the time and who's, of course, alluringly bitchy), Ralph Bates (it took me some time to accept him in a modern setting since he's so comfortably placed in the Gothic world of his other stuff for Hammer, but there's no denying that he does quite well by his role here!) and Peter Cushing (superlative as always, he has a field day with an ambiguous characterization); incidentally, Cushing and Collins must be one of the most incongruous husband-and-wife pairings in film history!

As one can gather from the above, I liked the film quite a bit and, in fact, pondered for a while the notion of awarding it a *** rating but was, ultimately, deterred from doing so by a couple of flaws: the 'ingenious' plot is, actually, fairly predictable (but, if anything, it's even more fun to be able to anticipate the many twists involved!); however, this also means that one has to labor through a first half that is both slow and repetitive!! I do feel that it's underrated in the Hammer canon: Leonard Maltin dismisses it, for instance, but Leslie Halliwell - not usually one to bother much with the company's latter-day output - is surprisingly complimentary in his review.

While FEAR IN THE NIGHT more or less adheres to Hammer's formula for this type of film - an innocent girl having a brush with murder and madness in remote surroundings - it also draws parallels to the contemporary giallos, especially with its device of a black-gloved stalker. Incidentally, of Hammer's 10 modern suspensers, I've only got two more to catch up with - MANIAC (1963) and CRESCENDO (1970).

The Audio Commentary here proves disappointing - not because it isn't informative but, rather, due to the fact that we get an awful lot of repetition of Sangster's anecdotes from his tracks for THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (1970) and LUST FOR A VAMPIRE (1971); to be fair to him, the fault lies more with moderator Marcus Hearn - who should have come up with a fresher set of questions, as it were. Then again, I'd have expected more insight into the actual construction of the script (a psycho thriller being, fundamentally, more intricate than a Gothic horror) - but it's safe to assume that, after all these years, Sangster recalls precious little about this aspect...although he does mention that he had pitched the script to the company as early as 1963, and that it was originally intended to be set on a boat! The discussion also touches upon Hammer's other suspensers: apart from citing TASTE OF FEAR and THE NANNY (1965) as his favorite films, Sangster mentions that Orson Welles turned up unannounced one day on the set of MANIAC; in connection with the film under review - which, incidentally, brought Sangster's fortuitous association with Hammer to a close - he acknowledges the fact that Peter Cushing was basically serving the same function (i.e. a red herring) that Christopher Lee did in TASTE OF FEAR.

Intriguing and Mysterious Thriller by Hammer

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 9 December 2018]

In London, the twenty-two year-old Peggy Heller (Judy Geeson) meets and marries the school teacher Robert Heller (Ralph Bates) after recovering from a nervous breakdown. Robert works in the countryside in a private school owned by the headmaster Michael Carmichael (Peter Cushing), who is married with Molly Carmichael (Joan Collins). On the eve of moving to the country with her husband, Peggy spends the night at the board house of Mrs. Beamish (Gillian Lind) and is attacked by a man with mechanical arm in her room. Mrs. Beamish calls the doctor but they do not believe in Peggy. On the next morning, she heads with Robert to the country and moves to the cottage in the school. But soon Peggy is attacked by the same man but Robert does not believe in her. Then she meets The Headmaster and realizes that he has a mechanical arm. What will happen next?

"Fear in the Night" is an intriguing and mysterious thriller by Hammer with Judy Geeson in the lead role. The storyline is good but could have more characters to increase the mystery of the identity of the attacker. But it is worthwhile watching this thriller. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Um Grito Dentro da Noite" ("A Scream in the Night")

Late, but top quality Hammer suspense thriller!

[The_Void · 7/10 · 22 January 2007]

This Hammer film has remained in the wilderness for years, but thanks to Optimum Releasing, it now has its long awaited DVD release. The back of the box proclaims this film to be the last of Hammer Horror's suspense films, and one of the best - and both of those statements are true! Many of the suspense films that Hammer produced are among the best that the studio had to offer - Taste of Fear and Paranoiac being among the finest of them. This film isn't your usual Hammer film or your usual Hammer suspense film and plays out a lot like a Hammer version of Italy's popular Giallo sub-genre. Hammer Horror would go on to make a lot of films that took influence from the more lurid Eurohorror imports in the seventies, and while this shift in focus didn't always serve them well - it certainly does here! The plot focuses on a boy's school. Peggy Heller is recovering from a nervous breakdown, and she goes to stay at the school with her teacher husband Robert. Upon arrival, she discovers that the school is run by headmaster Michael Carmichael, and she soon becomes the victim of murderous attacks by a one-armed man. However, nobody believes her...

It has to be said that the plot runs rather slowly for the first hour, with the hapless victim being attacked a couple of times and facing disbelief from both her husband and the wife of the headmaster. It's always interesting, however, and this slow burning first half soon gives way to a more furious final third, where revelations about the school and its headmaster become the forefront of the story and give way to a delicious double twist. The film features performances from three big stars of British horror - the sinister Ralph Bates is perfect as the husband, while the beautiful and deadly Joan Collins provides an extra dimension and things are topped off in style courtesy of a great performance from Hammer's main man Peter Cushing. Judy Geeson holds her own in the lead role also, and the film certainly doesn't come a cropper on the acting front. It has to be said that the final twist is somewhat predictable considering the film's genre, but it's carried off well and the way that the tale concludes is both clever and exciting. Overall, Fear in the Night might not have gained the same amount of praise as Hammer's more popular offerings - but it's a damn good film and I'm glad I saw it!

A Pedestrian Thriller Elevated By Some First-Rate Acting

[ferbs54 · 6/10 · 6 March 2007]

"Fear in the Night" is a somewhat contrived and lesser Hammer picture from 1972 that somehow still manages to work up a fair amount of suspense and one or two chilling moments. The film concerns young Peggy Heller (excellently portrayed by Judy Geeson), who, after suffering a nervous breakdown, moves with her new teacher husband to a large, private boys' school on 1,200 acres of English countryside. Poor Peggy is soon made the victim of a string of attacks by a stalker with a prosthetic hand, and her lot is hardly made more comfortable by the presence of the very strange headmaster (Peter Cushing) or his haughty young wife (Joan Collins). The film builds to a surprise ending of sorts that probably won't surprise many, especially those viewers who have already seen a certain classic Vincent Price horror movie from 1958. Still, the film does offer some compensations, including very fine performances by the actors just mentioned, as well as by Ralph Bates, playing Peggy's husband. Viewers will appreciate just how fine the acting is, perhaps, after a second viewing, with a greater knowledge of all the characters' secret motivations. The film also offers some beautiful scenery, both in terms of the autumnal Hertfordshire countryside AND Ms. Collins herself. Thirty-nine years old here, and nine years prior to incarnating TV's ultimate bitch on wheels, Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter, etc. on "Dynasty," she really is quite gorgeous to look at. (Sadly, she and Cushing, though playing man and wife, share no screen time whatsoever in this picture.) But the film belongs to Geeson, who appears in every single scene (with one major exception). Just five years after her "To Sir, With Love" debut, she turns in a very credible and ingratiating performance. Indeed, it is the sterling acting by all four principals that elevates this rather pedestrian thriller into something quite admirable indeed.

Old-school terror.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 14 March 2009]

Pretty, neurotic newlywed Peggy (Judy Geeson) survives an attack by a leather-gloved, one-armed assailant the day before she is due to leave London to live with her husband Robert (Ralph Bates) who teaches at a posh boys school in the country owned by sinister headmaster Michael Carmichael (Peter Cushing) and his bitchy young wife (the lovely Joan Collins).

Once there, though, poor Peggy soon realises that, even though she is now miles from the city, she still isn't safe: the one-armed maniac appears to have followed her to her new home...

It shouldn't take seasoned fans of psychological thrillers very long to suss that the mysterious goings on in Hammer's Fear In the Night are intended to turn the protagonist completely insane, drive her to murder, or both. But although the film's plot doesn't earn many points for originality, being heavily reminiscent of the French thriller Les Diaboliques, director Jimmy Sangster delivers enough startling imagery (Cushing's shattered glasses; a gloved prosthetic arm) and well-handled scenes of suspense to ensure that the film is certainly never dull: from its wonderful opening credits sequence, in which the camera pans across the school to eventually reveal the legs of a man hanging from a tree, to its tense denouement, Fear in the Night is a solid slice of macabre entertainment.

A decent thriller with plenty of twists.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 14 February 2008]

Fear in the Night starts as Peggy Heller (Judy Geeson) is set to leave London & join her new husband Robert (Ralph Bates) in the country at a boarding school where he works, however the night before she is due to leave Peggy is attacked in her bathroom by someone with a false arm. No-one believes her though & she decides to just forget about it, once at the boarding school which is empty due to the end of term Peggy meets the strange headmaster Michael Carmichael (Peter Cushing) who has a false arm & his overbearing wife Molly (Joan Collins). Soon after arriving Peggy is attacked again by the mysterious person with a false arm, Peggy puts two & two together & suspects Michael. Is she right? If so what does Michael intend to do? Why attack her & what does he want...

This English production was co-written, produced & directed by Hammer studios regular Jimmy Sangster after he made the disastrous The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) & Lust for a Vampire (1971), realising that their popular classic monsters like Dracula & Frankenstein weren't doing the business at the box office anymore Hammer studios made film just like Fear in the Night to try & branch out & expand with mixed results. I mean if you hear the name Hammer studios you instantly think Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Frankenstein & Dracula not Judy Geeson & Fear in the Night. The script by Sangster & Michael Syson is a psycho thriller with plenty of twists rather than a straight horror, I would say it's worth a watch & the story is good but it's not perfect & has zero replay value as once you know the twists (if you buy the DVD don't watch the trailer before you watch the feature proper as it gives the whole plot away) it loses any surprise or impact that it had. The character's are alright although I have to say some of them are rather gullible & do things which are hard to believe, I mean how could two people marry & one of them not ever see where the other lived? For the plan to work Peggy needed to be fooled but what if those not involved with the plan told her the truth, be it by accident or not? The last thirty minutes has plenty of twists & turns that come thick & fast some of which are highly improbable & a little difficult to swallow, I think maybe that there's one contrived twist too many. Still a good mystery thriller to watch as a one off though & I did like it overall.

Director Sangster does alright but instead of the trademark Hammer horror Victorian period setting Fear in the Night takes place during contemporary Britain, there's a nice early 70's dated but fun look to it & the big school is a period building so in that regard maybe it's not quite as far from the Victorian set classics as I first thought. There's absolutely no gore or violence (although a rabbit is shot by Joan Collins) or nudity so don't expect any, any & all shock value in Fear in the Night comes from the twists & turns in the story. The opening sequence is very good, probably the best in the whole film actually where angelic children are singing on the soundtrack as the camera pans across a picturesque English field & stops on a pair of swinging feet belonging to someone who is hanging from a tree!

Technically the film is good with nice locations, good cinematography & decent production values. The acting is pretty good as well, despite near top billing Peter Cushing only gets about five minutes of screen time with Joan Collins faring little better & she doesn't even appear in the film until past the forty minute mark. Collins made this when her career was at an all time low & after she found success again in Dynasty (1981 - 1989) Fear in the Night was re-released on video to capitalize under the title Dynasty of Fear! Strange but apparently true. Geeson is sort of cute while Bates has a horrible 70's haircut.

Fear in the Night is an entertaining thriller with a fair amount of twists which aren't overly new or original (even back in 1972) but work well enough. A little silly & not really scary or anything it's just about clever enough & the last third has plenty of twists to keep you interested.

Obscure but interesting Hammer movie

[lazarillo · 13 June 2006]

Although this is certainly not one of their more famous titles, I was actually quite impressed with this Hammer movie which is an interesting variation on the famous French thriller "Diabolique" but with four main characters instead of three. Judy Geeson is a naive schoolmarm who marries a man (Ralph Bates) who she thinks is also a schoolteacher but actually turns out to be the caretaker of an abandoned boys' school and its mentally unstable former headmaster (Peter Cushing). The headmaster in turn has a shrewish, grasping wife (Joan Collins)who spends her time cruelly blasting cute bunnies with a double-barreled shotgun. Without giving too much of the plot away, two of the characters are having an affair and scheme to drive another of the characters insane so he/she will kill the fourth character. But as usually happens, the plan goes horribly awry for almost everyone involved.

This is one of the more interesting 70's Hammer films because it actually tries to do something new rather than just mining the old Gothic formulas and monsters that served them so well in the 60's. Hammer had of course done psychological thrillers like this as early as "Scream of Fear" in 1961, but this is one kind of film that they actually refined and perfected in the 1970's (rather than beat like dead horse)with entries like this, "Straight on Until Morning", and the Gothic/psycho-thriller "Demons of the Mind". It was definitely better than Jimmy Sangster's first directorial effort "Lust for a Vampire", even though the latter was much more famous (probably owing to Yutte Stensgaard pulling her two Danishes out every five minutes). It will probably never be regarded as a Hammer classic, but is interesting film at least, which is more than can be said of a lot of their 70's product

Sinister suspense thriller

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 29 July 2021]

It took Peggy Heller a long time to recover from the trauma of a brutal physical assault, suffered in her youth. When she married Robert, he provided her with the love and reassurance she craved for and the two settled down in a pretty house in the grounds of the public school where Robert was a master. But the headmaster of the school is not what he seems and Penny is convinced he means to harm her - is her fear a figment of her tortured imagination or are there forces at work that intend to manipulate her anxieties with fatal consequences?

Fear in the night, a suspense thriller with sinister undertones, benefits greatly from Judy Geeson who is mesmerising as a woman who had suffered a nervous breakdown, and is quite mentally fragile. The plot is pleasingly twisted and the climax suitably dramatic. It's a bit drawn out in the end, but it's an efficient thriller that is about uncertainty around what is real and what is imaginary. There are good performances from Peter Cushing and Joan Collins. It's well-handled by Freddie Francis, the prowling camerawork is effective, and the tension is well constructed till the end.

Dreadful

[johnshephard-83682 · 4/10 · 23 December 2019]

Schoolteacher Robert Heller (Ralph Bates) takes his new, emotionally fragile, young bride Peggy (Judy Geeson) to take up their quarters at the boarding school where he works. Here, she meets the distinctly weird septuagenarian Headmaster, Michael Carmichael (Peter Cushing), and his improbably young and sexy wife Molly (Joan Collins). Michael has a prosthetic arm, and, twice in the early scenes, Peggy is attacked by just such an assailant, but is more or less told by her passive/aggressive husband not to be silly, she imagined it all. Later, Robert reveals that Michael's odd behaviour is explained by an horrific accident at the school some years earlier, since which time the school has been closed, but the traumatised Michael continues to act as if it were still functioning, and that he is still the Head. Robert is not a teacher, but is in fact Michael's carer. Later still, Michael corners Peggy alone, and she shoots him, though we don't see his death scene, and he has appeared to be impervious to the bullets. Cut to later, and we discover that Robert and Molly are lovers, with a plan to drive Peggy so crazy that she kills Michael, is thus sent back to a mental hospital, and the lovers can pocket Michael's wealth. But Michael turns the tables, and both the villains end up dead.

If that synopsis sounds ludicrous, the truth is that the plot is even more ludicrous than any summary can adequately convey. One of the many problems with this film is that it doesn't play fair with the audience. It spends two-thirds of the time portraying Michael as an insane old creep, roaming the school like a madman, engaging in odd conversations -'Do you enjoy tying knots?' he asks Peggy on their first meeting - spending an eternity lecherously untying the scarf in her hair (just after the knot remark), and later pursuing her from home to school, and using his bionic arm to smash his way through a door, because, he explains later, 'I wanted to talk to you.' But in the last third of the film it is revealed that he is aware of the lovers' plans, and sane enough to outsmart them, (and load the gun with blanks because he, obviously, knows that Peggy will try to shoot him, with his own rifle that he doesn't know she will have) with an unlikely sequence of events at the end that somehow meets his objectives. The plot itself, beyond this chicanery of characterisation, is laughable. Robert and Molly's cunning scheme - that they can send Peggy so doolally that she will, quite naturally, kill Michael, is absurdly unlikely to have any chance of success (though, of course, in this narrative drivel it almost does succeed), and why two rational people should choose this as the obvious Plan A bears no scrutiny. Then there's the script, which has so much wrong with it that's it's difficult to know where to start. The zero continuity suggests at times that the two writers responsible for this twaddle took it in turns to write lines of dialogue without first checking what the other had written immediately before. In one scene Peggy think she's seen someone walking through the school at night. Robert tells her not be ridiculous - who would be walking the school at night? She insists, but again, he says 'There's nobody there.' When she repeats it for a third time, Robert says 'Well, it was probably Michael.' Peggy queries this and Robert explains 'Michael often walks the school at night.' What kind of script-editing meeting decides that that is any kind of plausible conversation for two adults to have? In another scene, Robert tells Peggy that he has to go to a conference in London with Michael (presumably to wangle some love time with Molly, though Peggy is so gullible that nothing so elaborate is necessary). When he is told that Michael can't come, so he must go alone, he says 'Damn! I was hoping to have an evening at home.' Again, the two conversations make no sense when taken together. Robert keeps reassuring Peggy that she is quite safe, but gives her a shotgun 'just in case', to reassure her further. This kind of contradictory nonsense goes on and on. Meanwhile, poor old Judy Geeson has to spend the entire film screaming, or running, and sometimes screaming and running, and putting up with the illogical storyline around her, while Joan Collins phones in her ten minutes of screen time as only she can. Add in some cheapo fake blood, shenanigans with tape recorders and dust sheets, and it all amounts to a monumental turkey of a film, as hilarious as it is ridiculous. It is a salutary reminder that to make a realistic and credible thriller requires more than a couple of nubile actresses, an in-vogue leading man, and a stalwart of the genre - it also requires a coherent plot, a convincing script and believable characters.

Hammer films rule!

[RatedVforVinny · 7/10 · 26 November 2019]

Strong 'Hammer' film production with a super strong cast, Peter Cushing, Ralph Bates and Judy Geeson but it's a fab Joan Collins, who steals the movie (with a chilling performance) as an evil, scheming seductress. Not the usual from this highly productive studio.

Hammer starting to decline

[jeanmathieu-25687 · 5/10 · 25 November 2021]

By the 70s hammer's great atmospheric horror and thriller movies were starting to lose some of their luster. Not all of them mind you. But this one is one of those that illustrates the decay. The ending leaves some loose ends and doesn't satisfy. Even the presence of Peter Cushing and Joan Collins can't really transform this one in a winner. The plot is good but the interpretation is unconvincing and the film fails to create the classic "ambiance" of earlier heammer classics. Still very much watchable for hammer fans though. But shouldn't be too high on a watching priority list.

Good Classic Hammer Film

[Rainey-Dawn · 8/10 · 21 April 2015]

A great story and cast! A suspenseful horror-thriller! Worth watching if you like the classics! The casting in this movie is wonderful - everyone was great in this movie. Judy Geeson plays Peggy Heller so wonderfully... I felt so sorry for her. Ralph Bates plays Robert Heller a man who seemly is in-love with his young wife Peggy. Joan Collins plays Molly Carmichael - snooty rich woman. Peter Cushing is The Headmaster Michael Carmichael - a strange gentleman.

The movie does build an amount of suspense and it does have it's thrilling moments. It makes a wonderful late-at-night film. Not overly scary but definitely suspenseful and thrilling!

8.5/10

A great cast in a solid Hammer psycho-thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 11 July 2016]

A slow-moving psychodrama from the Hammer stable, this was the last of the Hammer psycho-thrillers (probably due to the law of diminishing returns). Although the film is flawed, there is still a considerable amount of fun to be had with the twisting plot as alliances change throughout the film. It's also good fun to watch actors and actresses from a typically period setting act in a contemporary setting like this. The acting in this film keeps the interest throughout. Judy Geeson has a good stab at a less than sympathetic lead role, but Ralph Bates is too morose and feels tedious whenever he's around. Better still are Joan Collins, having a ball as one of her bitchy characters, and Peter Cushing is also on hand as the crippled, one-armed headmaster of the school, and he's great as always, stealing every scene in an enjoyably sinister role. His presence is felt even when he's not on screen.

While the film is hardly original - the premise had already been done by Hammer many times before - and offers up nothing new in the way of suspense, there are some chills to be had, mainly in the scenes in the deserted school, while recordings of the children play in the background. There is little gore on offer, apart from a shot rabbit; this film works on suspense instead. For many fans this is going to be a turn-off, mainly because of the slow pace. For the first hour not much really happens and things are over-simplistic, it's not until the final half an hour that things hot up and become quite exciting. Is the climax worth waiting for? I'd say so, but then again I'm biased in this film's favour, in that I like the cast so much.

Please release a director's cut that's shorter

[bowmanblue · 5/10 · 26 August 2020]

Boy, do I feel like I'm going to get into trouble for this review... Do you ever watch a film and don't enjoy it, only to go and see everyone else absolutely seemed to love it? Well, it looks like 'Fear in the Night' is going to be one of those films for me.

First of all, let me say that I love Hammer horror films, plus I'm a huge fan of Peter Cushine. Therefore, I was more than happy to invest my time into watching a film where a young woman gets attacked by a one-armed man the night before she moves to an old boys' boarding school in order to help her husband teach there.

That's the basic premise of the film. The cast isn't huge. You have the young couple (Ralph Bates and Judy Geeson), the headmaster of the school (the legendary Peter Cushine) and his young wife Joan Collins. Therefore, you'll probably have a reasonable idea who the attacker is (although possibly not why things are happening the way they are).

The cast is great and the premise, although nothing that special, is fine for a horror movie. However, what really got me was the amount of time spent simply wandering around from room to room in various buildings. The film is about an hour and a half long and at least half of that is spent watching a character walk about quietly. It's like the story should have only been about thirty minutes long and they had to find a way of padding it out to a full feature film's length.

In short, most of it was kind of dull. It wasn't until the very last part of the final act did things pick up enough to peak my interest. It's probably because of what happens when you find out what's really happening that the film has been given such a high score by many. And, I will agree that the ending is pretty good/clever, but it's just a shame you have to wade through so much boring 'filler' to get there.

If you're happy to watch something that is probably the slowest 'slow-burner' ever made in order to get to the good stuff then this is definitely for you. Now I know the outcome I really don't need to watch it again.

After recovering from a nervous breakdown, a young woman goes to stay with her teacher-husband at a seedy British boys' school where further terrors await her.

[verna55 · 14 September 2000]

Often effective British thriller features a tip-top cast(Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Ralph Bates, Judy Geeson), but suffers from a lack of originality as this is, for the most part, a rehash of similar motifs explored in earlier British horror films like PARANOIAC and NIGHTMARE, which themselves derived from the brilliant French thriller DIABOLIQUE. Still, the good outweighs the bad and there are plenty of nice, genuine jolts.

(k)not to be remade

[lee_eisenberg · 6/10 · 24 May 2006]

"Fear in the Night" has a familiar plot (people move into country house and strange things start happening). Set in a boarding school in the British countryside, the movie doesn't quite live up to its potential, but has some neat surprises along the way. Maybe I should have predicted the ending, but I didn't. The movie's strength seems to be mostly in its gradual revelation of things, and the case of a possible mental breakdown.

And the cast? Well, Peter Cushing - as the headmaster - obviously adds a good dimension with his eerie stare. I guess that by 1972, it was a given that any English horror movie had to star Peter Cushing and/or Christopher Lee. Judy Geeson, as the tormented young bride, is gorgeous as ever and has the perfect appearance for someone seeking into despair. Ralph Bates, as her husband, is pretty routine. Joan Collins, as the headmaster's wife, is also pretty routine.

So, for the most part, there's nothing particularly special about this movie, but it's not terrible by any stretch. It's probably a must for Hammer fans. Oh, and Judy Geeson is really hot.

Middle of the road

[movieman_kev · 6/10 · 27 September 2003]

A Hammer film from the latter part of the studio's days. A woman with a history of mental illness is beset by visitations of a person in trench-coat & gloves who repeatedly acosts her, but is she just suffering from delusions again? very VERY slow moving.

My Grade: C-

Extras: just a commentary & the theatrical trailer

"Do you like tying knots in things Mrs Heller?"

[Stevieboy666 · 6/10 · 26 November 2023]

Peggy Heller (Judy Geeson), a mentally fragile young woman, and her husband Robert (Ralph Bates) move to a rural and secluded residential school for boys, a place where he has gained employment. Mr Carmichael (Peter Cushing), the headmaster, is a strange and creepy chap with a prosthetic arm, he is married to Molly (Joan Collins), on the surface a very odd and mismatched couple. Poor Peg is subjected to a night of terror when Rob has to go on a trip to London. The opening credits scene has the sound of children singing whilst the camera pans across empty playing fields before coming to rest at a tree, the lower half of a man's body hanging from it. A very impressive start! Sadly I found the pace to be quite slow for the bulk of the running time, not a great deal happens in terms of horror. The finale is worth the wait, a tad predictable but enjoyable none the less. Small but good cast. Cushing gives a memorable performance as always, we don't get to see a great deal of him but his voice is often present, even when he isn't. Ralph Bates, good actor who appeared in several Hammer movies. Joan Collins is fine as the devious and nasty wife, I'd use the word that can also mean a female dog but my review would most likely be rejected! Films in which young women were subjected to a night of terror when they are home alone were popular in the early 1970's, this psycho thriller/ horror is not a standout example but even so it is still worth a watch, makes a change from Hammer's Gothic output (which was nearing its demise at this point). The old school building does provide a touch of Gothic. The lake that was used in so many of the studio's films is present but instead of horses galloping around it and over the old brick bridge we get a Land Rover instead.

Atmospheric slow burn with a decent climax

[acidburn-10 · 7/10 · 10 April 2023]

'Fear in the Night' is a British psychological horror film from the 1970's released by Hammer films with a decent plot, some interesting twists, and turns and a creepy yet effective secluded location that gives this movie plenty of dread and atmosphere. The movie is quite underrated as its one of the later Hammer films and the central 4 characters are interesting enough to sustain momentum, but the pacing could have perhaps been a little tighter as it does slow down during the middle section, but the dramatic climax more than makes up for it.

The plot = A young woman named Peggy Hiller (Judy Geeson) is recovering from a nervous breakdown and finds herself being terrorized by a mysterious one-armed man, but nobody believes her. Peggy moves with her husband Robert (Ralph Bates) to a boy's boarding school where they are greeted by Molly (Joan Collins) & her husband who's the headmaster (Peter Cushing), but soon Peggy finds herself being attacked again by the same man.

This movie is a good effort with quality production design and great direction by Jimmy Sangster who demonstrates slick camera work and even manages to throw in some effective shocks into the mix. This is certainly not one of Hammer's better horror offerings, but there is enough here to enjoy especially the excellent performances from the small cast.

Judy Geeson gives a strong performance as the female lead; Joan Collins gives a delightful and twisted performance and is always a joy to watch. Ralph Bates gives a stand performance as the husband and the legendary Peter Cushing gives a stellar performance as the creepy headmaster.

Overall 'Fear in the Night' is a pleasantly twisted and overly dramatic horror film from the 1970's that may be a little slow moving, but has a decent payoff.

One of Hammer's final whimpers

[tomgillespie2002 · 4/10 · 26 May 2015]

Peggy (Judy Geeson), a recently married young woman, plans to move with her new beau Robert (Ralph Bates) to a secluded boy's school near London where he is set to teach. The night before they travel, she is attacked from behind by a man with a prosthetic arm, who strangles her but leaves her alive. Awakening in a panic, the attack is put down to her recent mental health issues and they later arrive at the deserted school. There she meets the ghoulish headteacher Michael Carmichael (Peter Cushing), a one-armed man with a shadowy demeanour, and his bitch wife Molly (Joan Collins).

Directed and co-written by one of Hammer's driving forces, Jimmy Sangster, Fear in the Night sees Hammer at the very end of their life (before their recent resurgence), when they were struggling at the box-office and failing to bring in their young target audience. Interestingly, the film favours the slow-build, creeping atmosphere of their early thrillers, and not the blood and guts approach they adopted during their most prolific years. Sadly, Fear in the Night's ponderous narrative is not saved by it's more European approach, and the film is a pretty dull affair for the most part.

The notable lack of red-herrings means that it doesn't take long for the audience to figure it all out, and there's plenty of time to piece it together given the length of time dedicated to Peggy plodding around investigating her strange experiences. The performances are as solid as you would expect however, with Cushing managing to steal the film with a relatively small amount of screen time, and Geeson is perfectly charming as the unassuming lead, which makes it all the more tragic that the ensemble weren't handed more to run with. Notably lacking in the Gothic atmosphere that audiences used to flock to experience, or any atmosphere at all really, this was one of Hammer's final whimpers before tragically folding.

Judy Geeson is the Star of this Hammer Mystery

[thalassafischer · 7/10 · 18 June 2023]

The overall suspense and mystery of the story for Fear in the Night is particularly strong. The atmosphere is haunting, putting me a bit in mind of The Cure's Charlotte Sometimes video, where a young girl has a supernatural time travel experience to 100 years earlier wandering around an empty boarding school. I wonder if this film was one the inspirations for that music video.

Joan Collins is the usual evil Joan Collins caricature she portrays in nearly every film I've ever seen her in, but I must admit she was STUNNING. Collins was nearly 40 at the time of the release of this film and she barely looks maybe 30 at most.

Judy Geeson is a complete rock star with her meaningful silences and horrified expressions.

Brainstorm!

[hitchcockthelegend · 5/10 · 13 October 2019]

One of Hammer Films' ventures into the psychological horror realm, Fear in the Night is more fun than frightening. Plot has Judy Geeson as a young woman recovering from a nervous breakdown who moves with her husband to a boys' school. Once there she appears to be once again terrorized by a man with an artificial arm, but nobody believes her.

Peter Cushing, Ralph Bates and Joan Collins also star, in what has to be a candidate for weakest of the Hammer psychological series of films. Things are not helped by it coming off as a cheap knock off of Hammer's own superlative "Taste of Fear 1961", a picture that firmly delivered on its promise.

Fear in the Night starts off promisingly, with a genuinely scary set-up, and once Geeson and Bates arrive at the boys school it's ripe for chills and suggestion. Unfortunately, the premise of Geeson being menaced in what is essentially a four character piece quickly wears thin - with Cushing badly under used in the process.

Atmosphere is fine, director and co-writer Jimmy Sangster always had a good eye and ear for uneasy dread. While the small cast give it a good whirl to make the modest intentions shine brighter. But ultimately it's only a diversion piece that homages better films of its type instead of making its own mark. 5/10

Love this, give it a try!!!

[fofanandinha · 9/10 · 14 March 2019]

Ok, I honestly don't understand all these bad avaliations and this low rating. I wouldn't have seen this - and some other low rated hammer cilms - if it wasn't for my Hammer dvd box set. I loved the story from beginning to end, it's pleasing to watch, it is thrilling and mysterious, and though the endih is somehow a little disappointing, I still enjoy the way it went. Judy Geeson is at her best here and god i love Ralph Bates in here as well. Don't listen to thesw bad avaliations, I realy recommend you to give it a try. Okay, might not be one of hammer's masterpieces but come on! Probably even one of my favorites to be honest. Also I believe it's one of the most unfairly underrated films I've seen. Had to watch it again and i confirm it! I love it.

A lesser Hammer thriller, but still entertaining.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 18 August 2019]

Judy Geeson is at her loveliest and most appealing as Peggy Heller, a 22 year old bride who accompanies her new husband Robert (Ralph Bates) to his new gig as teacher at a boarding school in the country. But while this is going on, she's being repeatedly attacked by a one-armed antagonist, and she can't seem to convince other people that she's in peril.

It's up to the very capable actors to carry this story, concocted by Michael Syson and director Jimmy Sangster. (The latter being a veteran Hammer screenwriter, in his third and final directing job.) There's an inherent creepiness to the campus setting since this is a time when the school is nearly deserted. Sangster doesn't milk as much tension from the scenario as this viewer would have liked, but things *do* get progressively more interesting and involving as the tale winds towards its final act. Whether or not the audience figures things out ahead of time, it's commendable that Sangster & Syson try to keep things ambiguous as to the idea of Peggy having an overactive imagination.

Keeping things off-centre are the performances of old pro Peter Cushing, in one of his finest performances as a subtly strange headmaster (named Michael Carmichael), and a perfectly snooty Joan Collins as his hot-to-trot younger wife. Geeson is vulnerable enough to earn our sympathies, while Bates does a solid job as the concerned husband.

Excellent location shooting is a plus, as well as an effectively melodramatic music score composed by John McCabe. There are not a lot of characters, so a fairly intimate feeling is created, but top character actor James Cossins (as the doctor) and Gillian Lind as Mrs. Beamish are well worth watching in supporting roles. The modern setting is a nice touch for a company whose bread and butter for years was Gothic horror.

Ironically, for a film titled "Fear in the Night", a lot of the story takes place during the day.

Six out of 10.

Not even Peter Cushing can save this one

[bensonmum2 · 5/10 · 9 January 2005]

Fear in the Night is a very seldom discussed Hammer film with Peter Cushing and Joan Collins. It's the story of a woman recently released from the hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown. She's just been married and is about to join her husband who teaches at an all-boys school. The night before she leaves, she is attacked in her apartment. When help arrives, there is no sign of an intruder. Did she imagine the attack or did it really happen? Soon after arriving at the school, she is attached again. No one believes her. Her husband leaves for an overnight trip to London. That night, she hears strange noises downstairs. She grabs her gun and carefully goes down the stairs. Suddenly, the lights come on and..

There's a reason this movie is so seldom discussed - much of the movie is a complete and utter bore. A good portion of the screenplay consists of various characters walking around the school. Just walking. Nothing really happens to them. They just walk. The movie is not, though, without its good points. The finale presents a nice twist that, although fairly predictable, is well done.

I can't really recommend this to anyone other than Peter Cushing or Hammer completest. For what it's worth, I give this one a 5/10.