Post by Zone Fighter on Oct 13, 2006 23:47:41 GMT -8
Nightmare (1964)
David Knight - Henry Baxter
Moira Redmond - Grace Maddox
Jennie Linden - Janet
Brenda Bruce - Mary Lewis
George A. Cooper - John
Clytie Jessop - Woman in White
Irene Richmond - Mrs. Gibbs
John Welsh - Doctor
Timothy Bateson - Barman
Elizabeth Dear - Janet as a Child
A good pyschological thriller with a great twist in the middle. Because of the twist in the middle I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would.
Seventeen year old Janet is disturbed by nightmares. Her waking screaming disturbs the other girls at the boarding school so she's sent home to the family estate. When she arrives at the railroad station her guardian Henry Baxter is not there. She's meant by John, the chauver who drives Janet and her teacher Mary Lewis to the house. Henry is not there either. Instead Janet meets Grace Maddox who says Henry asked her to keep Janet company. In reality Grace is a nurse hired by Mrs. Baxter to keep an eye on Janet. Also in the house is Mrs. Gibbs the housekeeper. The teacher learns from the housekeeper that Janet's mother is in an insane asylym for killing Janet's father six years earlier (flashback). That night the teacher finds Janet walking the halls. Janet tells her she had a dream in which a woman came into her room and beckoned she followed the woman into hall. The teacher returns Janet to bed. The next morning the teacher has to return to the boarding school. The next night, Janet awakes to find a woman in her room. She follows the woman to a bed room. On the bed is a body with a knife sticking out of it. Besides the bed is a birthday cake with Janet's name and 11 candles, just like when she found her mouth holding a bloddy knife and standing over her father's body. Janet runs out of the room and tries to leave the house and hand reaches towards her. It's Grace. Janet continues to have these nightmares.
I thought I knew where this movie was heading. Girl a few days from her 18th birthday seems to be going mad. Her guardian resists doctor's suggestion to hospitalize her. Obvious answer, guardian has embesseled the girl's inheritence and is covering up by driving her mad. That was not it. The sudden twist took me entirely be surprise.
After the twist, the story focuses on Henry Baxter and his wife. The bartender at a hotel claims he was there before, with a young lady. Henry denies it. A woman starts phoning Henry when he's out and his wife is there to take the call. Naturally Mrs. Baxter accuesses Henry of having another woman. He denies it. Husband and wife are now constantly arguing over his alledged unfaithfulness. Then Mrs. Baxter starts seeing a strange figure wandering the halls.
After the first great twist I was expecting another so what was supposed to be a surprise ending didn't come as a surprise to me.
Available in the The Hammer Horror Series DVD set.
David Knight - Henry Baxter
Moira Redmond - Grace Maddox
Jennie Linden - Janet
Brenda Bruce - Mary Lewis
George A. Cooper - John
Clytie Jessop - Woman in White
Irene Richmond - Mrs. Gibbs
John Welsh - Doctor
Timothy Bateson - Barman
Elizabeth Dear - Janet as a Child
A good pyschological thriller with a great twist in the middle. Because of the twist in the middle I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would.
Seventeen year old Janet is disturbed by nightmares. Her waking screaming disturbs the other girls at the boarding school so she's sent home to the family estate. When she arrives at the railroad station her guardian Henry Baxter is not there. She's meant by John, the chauver who drives Janet and her teacher Mary Lewis to the house. Henry is not there either. Instead Janet meets Grace Maddox who says Henry asked her to keep Janet company. In reality Grace is a nurse hired by Mrs. Baxter to keep an eye on Janet. Also in the house is Mrs. Gibbs the housekeeper. The teacher learns from the housekeeper that Janet's mother is in an insane asylym for killing Janet's father six years earlier (flashback). That night the teacher finds Janet walking the halls. Janet tells her she had a dream in which a woman came into her room and beckoned she followed the woman into hall. The teacher returns Janet to bed. The next morning the teacher has to return to the boarding school. The next night, Janet awakes to find a woman in her room. She follows the woman to a bed room. On the bed is a body with a knife sticking out of it. Besides the bed is a birthday cake with Janet's name and 11 candles, just like when she found her mouth holding a bloddy knife and standing over her father's body. Janet runs out of the room and tries to leave the house and hand reaches towards her. It's Grace. Janet continues to have these nightmares.
I thought I knew where this movie was heading. Girl a few days from her 18th birthday seems to be going mad. Her guardian resists doctor's suggestion to hospitalize her. Obvious answer, guardian has embesseled the girl's inheritence and is covering up by driving her mad. That was not it. The sudden twist took me entirely be surprise.
After the twist, the story focuses on Henry Baxter and his wife. The bartender at a hotel claims he was there before, with a young lady. Henry denies it. A woman starts phoning Henry when he's out and his wife is there to take the call. Naturally Mrs. Baxter accuesses Henry of having another woman. He denies it. Husband and wife are now constantly arguing over his alledged unfaithfulness. Then Mrs. Baxter starts seeing a strange figure wandering the halls.
After the first great twist I was expecting another so what was supposed to be a surprise ending didn't come as a surprise to me.
Available in the The Hammer Horror Series DVD set.