FrogGlace In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Coventry 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.

MARIO GAUCI Horror anthologies have been a staple since the Silent days; ironically, this particular one shares its name with perhaps the most celebrated example in movie history – the 1945 Ealing film (another fine movie so entitled is Bob Clark's 1974 cult zombie flick actually better-known as DEATHDREAM!). Anyway, director Curtis had already tried his hand at the form with the popular TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975; TV), which had intended showcasing the versatility of its star i.e. Karen Black. Though some bemoaned the fact that here only the last segment was really scary, the very opening narration states that we would be seeing a tale of Mystery, another of Imagination and, well, just one of outright Terror! Incidentally, all three were scripted by genre expert Richard Matheson, with the second episode adapted from one of his own stories, the third an original and the first inspired by the writings of Jack (INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS) Finney."Second Chance": this actually has the feel of a "Twilight Zone" with car fanatic Ed Begley Jr. buying a scrap of metal (the remnant of an automobile-against-train accident from 50 years before) who restores the vehicle to its original state. When he tries it out on the road, he begins to unaccountably pass by a number of similarly-vintage cars and soon realizes that he has been caught in a time warp and effectively gone back to the mid-1920s! Emerging from the car to check out his surroundings, it is stolen shortly thereafter, even if he does try to stop the thief's flight (though pedestrians he meets assure him that that reckless driver did in fact own a car like it). He goes to sleep by the porch of some house and finds himself once again in his own time, later meeting a girl from school he was sure he had never seen before; when she introduces him to her family, he is surprised to learn that not only is the girl's grandfather a car aficionado as well but he actually still owns one from his youth…and it turns out to be the very same vehicle he himself restored, so that, by way of the three-second delay that it took him to intervene, the accident that claimed the life of the man and his female companion was miraculously averted! "No Such Thing As A Vampire": this is more typical fare (down to the classical Transylvanian setting), but it still provides a sting in the tail – Patrick Macnee is a doctor whose wife (Anjanette Comer) seems to have fallen victim to a bloodsucker. The townsfolk are naturally terrorized, but the protagonist's butler actually happens to be a vampire hunter (played by Elisha Cook Jr.!). Still, the attacks persist and Macnee sends for his friend (Horst Buchholz) – the former gives him a lowdown of the recent events whilst sipping tea, but the guest begins to feel drowsy and loses consciousness after a while. It transpires that Buchholz was having an affair with the doctor's spouse, and the latter took advantage of local superstition to exact his revenge – indeed, he puts Buchholz in a coffin in the attic and smears his lips with a trickle of blood extracted from Comer…and then, to complete the illusion, rouses Cook to locate and destroy the vampire via the traditional stake-in-the-heart! "Bobby": like the famous Zuni Doll segment from TRILOGY OF TERROR, the best episode is left for last – interestingly, this draws both from it (a woman is terrorized in her remotely-located home by a strange presence) and from the afore-mentioned DEATHDREAM (a mother resorts to the occult to have her dead son restored to life). In fact, we first find Joan Hackett chalking a large symbolic circle on the floor by which to invoke the Forces of Darkness. In the meantime, she has spoken to her husband on the phone about how she is coping with their son's tragic demise in a drowning accident. Eventually, the boy does turn up knocking on the front door and complaining of the extreme cold (apparently, his body was never retrieved). His mother takes him inside and purports to treat her kid to his favorite food, but he suddenly turns hostile and knocks the plate off the table! His aggressive behavior continues to escalate and he even denounces the woman for her possessiveness – the boy demands that she play a game of hide-and-seek with him which grows more and more threatening, as he attacks her with a knife and even breaks the windshield of her car when, terrorized, she takes shelter inside it. She decides to call her husband for help but the man's voice is listless until she realizes that the wires have been cut and that the boy is on the other line himself! In the end, the kid throws his mother down the stairs and confesses to not wanting to come back because he hates her…and, in fact, he sent a demon in his place (with the child's countenance now acquiring terrifying features)! There is no doubt that the last section is the most effective here but the ones that preceded it, providing nostalgia and inventiveness in equal measures, make for more than adequate (and thankfully varied) build-up.

Dagon Dan Curtis Productions brings you yet another anthology film to satisfy your needs. If you're unfamiliar with who Dan Curtis is, it's possible you may have heard of his other work – Dark Shadows which ran from 1966- 1971, 1975's Trilogy of Terror, and the 1996 sequel Trilogy of Terror 2. Curtis has produced, written, and directed a good portion of his work and in addition, most of it was broadcast on television. In collaboration with Dan Curtis is famed horror/science-fiction writer Richard Matheson. Matheson's work spans across many decades in and out of the genre; his credentials are very impressive indeed.This 1977 anthology is not related to the 1945 title by the same name. Curtis may have paid tribute but I cannot back that claim with proper documentation. Keep in mind that Bob Clark's Deathdream from 1974 also goes by the name of Dead of Night. The runtime of this film is about an hour and ten minutes. In that span of time Curtis brings you three different tales, with of course, varied results. Even though these stories do not share a unified theme the term "anthology" is still applicable. In the first tale, a young man (Ed Begeley, an actor with a seemingly endless resume) restores a classic car from the 1920's in the hopes of driving it like it was intended. During a strange occurrence, he is transported back in time. It's apparent that this particular tale focuses on the supernatural rather than horror. I enjoyed the atmosphere but the pay-off was lackluster – there just simply wasn't enough material to be impressed with. This story seems to fit in more with the likes of The Twilight Zone than the others.The second tale is a period piece involving a vampire, starring Patrick Macnee. This was clever but the wind was taken out of my sails when I noticed a glaring mistake on the set. Shortly after one of the characters arrives and is let in through the front door you see in the same frame the distinct appearance of a set of light switches. Curtis never specified what time period the piece takes place in but given their clothing, even if it was the late Victorian era, they certainly did not have technology like that!The third and final tale is entitled "Bobby." The story involves a mother who dabbles in black magic with the hopes of bringing her deceased son back to life. Be careful what you wish for! Some consider this a slight adaptation of The Monkey's Paw. Most viewers of this film would also agree that "Bobby" is easily the most disturbing tale out of the three. In addition to previously mentioning Dreathdream, that too borrows from the tale of The Monkey's Paw. Isn't it interesting the steps one can take to tie things in together?Dead of Night is a short film and I'd categorize it as one that would serve perfectly for a slow Saturday afternoon - just be sure you get the right version. It's all about the dates!

staytherelass This is pretty cool!Richard Matheson and Dan Curtis(NIGHT STALKER,SCREAM OF THE WOLF)again collaborate.This was a failed pilot for a proposed tv series,but the movie can be enjoyed for what it is.There are 3 tales here,with "Bobby",the 3rd story,being the most chilling.Worth a look.