Dead of Night

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Dead of Night

1945

1h 44m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) goes to Pilgrim's Farm to see a potential client. When he arrives at the house, he gets the feeling that he has been there before. Once inside, he meets a group of people who seem oddly familiar. He tells them that he has dreamt about each one of them and begins to list events that occurred in the dream. Walter's revelations begin a conversation amongst the group, and each person admits to having experienced a strange, unexplainable event.

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Critics Consensus

With four accomplished directors contributing, Dead of Night is a classic horror anthology that remains highly influential.

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TIME Staff

TIME Magazine

10/13/2020

It offers the same sort of spine-cooling thrill you get from listening to a group of accomplished liars swapping ghost stories.

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Erle Cox (The Chiel)

The Age (Australia)

10/13/2020

The audience is worked up to thrilling point with one story when it breaks to pick up another... It ls like eating a dinner in which, while you are enjoying toe fish, the plate is snatched away and poultry or dessert is substituted.

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Times (UK) Staff

The Times (UK)

10/13/2020

There is much sound acting and directing in Dead of Night, but the handicaps inherent in the form this film chooses prove too much for its ingenuity.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 26

4/4

The granddaddy of all horror anthology flicks also remains the best of such portmanteau pics, with much of the credit for its classic status given to one stupendous segment.

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

Dec 23

B+

...the most chilling involving a ventriloquist (Michael Redgrave) and his being driven mad by his dummy. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what terrible fate was awaiting these folks—a testament to the solid storytelling.

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Jack Hawkins

HeyUGuys

Oct 31

3/5

The new 4K release upholds StudioCanal’s high standards, even if Dead of Night may appeal only as an artefact for some.

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Farah R.

@Farah Mar 16

Although I loved the concept of the horror anthology, not all segments were good. The first two were alright and kept me interested, but the rest were tedious and boring.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 8

Successful horror movie in 1 hour and 44 minutes.

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Christopher H.

@BananaCramps Feb 19

Pretty good for an oldie. First horror anthology I think. Definitely influenced the twilight zone.

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Mike P

@RT09890132 May 12

Good if over-rated horror anthology movie; one of the first; set in England, in an old haunted manor as guests there trade ghost stories...It's effective although it's not the **** masterpiece Leonard Maltin claims it is; let's put it that way. The ventriloquist segment at the end is the best. You can see where both The Twilight Zone "Dummy" segment and "Chucky" were kind of riffing on this, or ripping it off; although they both did it much better. Overall this is so-so if passable; it has its moments, but it's slow in spots.

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Sir Xander J. W

@RT36072107 Apr 11

DEAD OF NIGHT Managed To Help Influence Horror Anthologies Like The TWILIGHT ZONE TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE And CREEPSHOW

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david w

@RT20817083 11/08/2024

it only matters if the viewer can absorb the eerie feeling without the gushing blood of modern movies. in forrest ackerman's famous monsters magazine, robert bloch, screenwriter of psycho, said it was the scariest movie he ever saw. that was then. i saw it first on a late night movie show a long time ago, then in a theater, to make sure i got it all. after the old universal movies, i don't watch too many horror shows, but this script and production is so well coordinated it's unreal, and that's the point of this kind of movie. don't let the central presence of bob cratchit (mervyn johns) put you off.

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Alberto Cavalcanti

Director

Basil Dearden

Director

Robert Hamer

Director

Charles Crichton

Director

Mervyn Johns

Walter Craig

Michael Redgrave

Maxwell Frere

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Synopsis

Architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) goes to Pilgrim's Farm to see a potential client. When he arrives at the house, he gets the feeling that he has been there before. Once inside, he meets a group of people who seem oddly familiar. He tells them that he has dreamt about each one of them and begins to list events that occurred in the dream. Walter's revelations begin a conversation amongst the group, and each person admits to having experienced a strange, unexplainable event.

Director: Alberto Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer, Charles Crichton
Producer: Michael Balcon
Screenwriter: John Baines, Angus MacPhail
Production Co: Ealing Studios
Genre: Horror
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2017
Runtime: 1h 44m

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