Director: Jimmy Sangster
Script: Jimmy Sangster & Michael Syson
Cast: Peter Cushing, Judy Geeson, Joan Collins, Ralph Bates, James Gossins, John Bow, Gillian Lind, Brian Grells
Running time: 94 minutes
Year: 1970
Certificate: 12
Fear in the Night begins with Peggy (Judy Geeson) telling her landlady that she’s moving out of her rented accommodation and going away to live with her new husband, Robert (Ralph Bates), a school teacher. Robert picks her up and drives her into the country to an old public boy’s school that’s run by headmaster, Michael, played by the ever impressive Peter Cushing. The couple have been given the use of a lodge to the side of the school, which Peggy is suitably impressed with. However, her encounter with Michael, which comes later, rather unsettles her since he has an awkward manner and seems to talk to children who aren’t there.
In addition to Robert and Michael, the only other person Peggy meets is Molly (Joan Collins) who is Michael’s wife, but who seems to have some kind of unhealthy attachment to Robert. In fact, it’s plain from the get-go that Molly is jealous of Peggy and this makes guessing what will happened further down the line much easier.
When Robert is sent to a teacher conference, leaving Peggy alone overnight, her already fragile mental state is sent spiralling when Michael turns up at the lodge, unexpectedly, causing Peggy to shoot him, whilst in her terrified state; all thanks to Molly having left a shotgun with her – “for protection, just in case…”.
In the morning Robert finds his traumatised wife in one of the dormitories, near to some blood stains and a damaged door that Michael forced his way through to get to Peggy before she shot him for a second time. The body has now gone, which seems to upset Robert more than seeing his wife in an extremely anxious state, and this absence of a body agitates Molly even more, and she’s prepared to torture Peggy for answers to find out what happened to her husband.
While I don’t want to spoil the ending, to anyone who’s already seen any films shaped in the mould of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Les Diaboliques (1955), they will anticipate the ending from a mile off. That’s not to say the film isn’t satisfying, it’s just not terribly original.
What works best for the film are the performances, which are all excellent, especially Cushing who has some great lines and his scene where he’s mussing with Peggy’s hair is both tender and creepy all at the same time. Ralph Bates is on fine form too as the scheming husband and Collins can do ‘queen bitch’ in her sleep. It did actually occur to me while watching the film that this could easily be adapted into a stage play, since it’s mostly set-bound and has very few characters.
The final sequence involving the police is strangely English, in the best kind of way, with a line said by one of the Bobbies that explains much of Michael’s peculiar behaviour. Eccentric doesn’t even begin to cover it!
While it’s not top-drawer Hammer, Fear in the Night is still a decent psychological thriller that is sadly under-appreciated these days. Studio Canal has done a great job with this release, including providing fans of the film with a plethora of extras to get their teeth into.
Extras include –
Audio Commentary with co-writer/director Jimmy Sangster and Hammer film historian Marcus Hearn – An interesting commentary through which we learn lots of tid-bits regarding the film and its background. For example, the original script was drafted in 1963 and the action took place on a boat on the Thames. It turns out that Joan Collins was pregnant during the shoot and Sangster praises Bates as having lots of potential, although he didn’t initially want him for Horror of Frankenstein. He also talks about the composer who, at the time, was a resident pianist based at the University of Cardiff.
Audio Commentary with film historian Troy Howarth – Howarth, who specialises in European Cult Cinema, talks about Hammer’s own series of so-called ‘mini-Hitchcocks’, which were psychological horrors, with a hefty nod to some of the films that the ‘master of suspense’ had directed during the 50s and 60s. He also reveals that Jimmy Sangster published several novels over the years, including some dark comedies. Apparently, John Carpenter is a fan of Hammer movies and wanted Cushing to play Dr Loomis in Halloween.
The Fragile Mind (26.20 mins) – Kim Newman provides his usual, nuanced presentation about the film, and about Jimmy Sangster’s career in particular. He also discusses the in-front of camera talent, explaining that Ralph Bates later became better known for his comedy work on TV. Sadly he passed away, of pancreatic cancer, while he was still fairly young (51).
Inside Fear in the Night (16.37 mins) – Alan Barnes (author of The Hammer Story), writer Jonathan Rigby (English Gothic) and journalist Kevin Lyons discuss the film in detail revealing that Sangster had issues with Joan Collins, who apparently had a ‘bit of an attitude’, especially after he demonstrated killing a rabbit to her before her introductory scene, which involved her shooting a rabbit in front of Peggy. They also play ‘spot the regularly used Hammer props’, which includes the same red sofa from The Devil Rides Out.
Theatrical trailer (3.02 mins) – This makes the film look more like a giallo.
