Review #229: Dead of Night (1945)

This review was originally written in October 2022.

Gabe's 100 Bucket List Horror Films Review #83: Dead of Night (1945)

So, one thing I want to preface this review: The audio quality of this film is kind of bad. I had to crank the volume up like 4x higher than usual to understand what anybody was saying since it all sounded kind of fuzzy, and there were still times I had to rewind it to catch something that was said because I didn't understand a transition between scenes. At first I thought this was just an issue with the version I was watching, but I've watched several clips on Youtube (as well as part of a documentary about it, which used some clips from the film) and all of them sounded the same, so I think that's just how the movie is.

That being said, audio issues aside, I was kind of amazed at how good this movie was!

Dead of Night starts off following Walter Craig, an architect who arrives at a country cottage to discuss a business offer with the owner. As he walks inside and is greeted by several other guests in the home, Craig feels strange, and explains to everybody present that he's experienced this all before- he says he's been having a recurring dream where he comes into this exact location and meets these exact people. He makes several predictions that all start to come true, and explains that although he doesn't remember why or how, the end of his dream always becomes a nightmare. The rest of the guests, intrigued by his predictions and the idea of supernatural dreams, start each sharing their own experiences with the supernatural (each taking the form of a short anthology horror story), and debating amongst themselves about whether or not these stories have logical explanations. But when the night comes to a close, the darker side of Craig's predictions seem to be coming true as well, and all of the stories intertwine as the entire plot comes full circle in a way that took me by complete surprise.

First off, the premise intrigued me from the very start. I've always been fascinated by the concept and feeling of deja vu, and I love a good horror anthology (especially when it has a fun framing device like this one). I love how each of the characters had their own clear views on the supernatural and it always felt good and natural when they would debate with each other about the stories they'd been telling; it actually felt like a group of real people having a logical discussion. The stories themselves were good for the most part, but I did feel like some of them went on for a tad bit too long (to the point where some versions of this film actually omitted two of them entirely to reduce the runtime, which seems like a huge misstep to me but luckily that's not the version I watched) and the tone for one or two of them seemed a bit more light-hearted than I would have liked. (I'll be honest, it was the golf story in particular- it felt like a slapstick comedy rather than a horror story, but not to the extent where it ruined the film.) The way the movie came together and concluded in the end was absolutely terrifying, and was so much fun to see after so many other examples of lackluster entries this month. I won't deny that I feel a bit biased against older movies like the ones I've been watching lately, but this one shows that I can still appreciate that a good story is a good story.

I definitely recommend watching this one, I just wish the audio was better!

Overall Rating: 8/10 Scenes Where Everyone Is Smoking (Seriously, There's Like Twenty Cigarettes Lit On-Screen)

Dead of Nightception: At one point in this film, we are watching a flashback within a flashback within a dream. Someone call Christopher Nolan!