Fear in the Night (1947)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Maxwell Shane

Writers:

Cornell Woolrich (story)
Maxwell Shane (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

18 April 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Mystery

Tagline:

Can a man commit MURDER in a dream?...Here is the spine-tingling, blood-freezing answer...different from any mystery you've ever seen!...

Plot:

A man dreams he committed murder, then begins to suspect it was real.

Plot Keywords:

Thunderstorm | Cult Favorite | Based On Short Story | B Movie

Cast

Paul Kelly	...	Cliff Herlihy
DeForest Kelley	...	Vince Grayson
Ann Doran	...	Lil Herlihy
Kay Scott	...	Betty Winters
Charles Victor	...	Captain Warner
Robert Emmett Keane	...	Lewis Belknap, aka Harry Byrd
Jeff York	...	Deputy Torrence (as Jeff Yorke)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joey Ray	...	Contractor (scenes deleted)
Loyette Thomson	...	Waitress (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:12 (DVD rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:(Banned) (1949) | USA:Approved (PCA #11856, General Audience) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Pine-Thomas Productions

Trivia:

Feature film debut of DeForest Kelley.

Goofs:

Continuity: It is daytime when Vince Grayson (DeForrest Kelly) is about to jump out of his window. When his brother in law goes to save him-it is nighttime. When he is pulled back into the window-it is daytime again

Quotes:

Vince Grayson: I've got an honest man's conscience... in a murderer's body.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Carolina (2003/I)

Swampy, Minor Noir Of Interest to Dr. McCoy Fans

Okay, I admit it, a lot of the charm of this really low budget effort comes from Deforest "Bones" Kelley. Kelley's homely mugg was made for b-picture third bananas / villains and this rare, unlikely turn as the goodguy lead (his first credit) is as much the source of FEAR IN THE NIGHT's enjoyment as anything. Kelley gives a nice try in a role he wasn't really built to play, overcoming several overly melodramatic moments with generally naturalistic and believable reactions to the rather ridiculous and murky situation he finds himself in. Direction and other performances are unremarkable, though a little bit of stylistic cinematography in the flashbacks isn't bad.

NIGHTMARE was the slicker remake which came about nine years later with Edward G. Robinson, Kevin McCarthy, and slightly more money, but I would suggest that this earlier version has more suspense and rooting interest (Kelley is far more sympathetic than McCarthy.) More importantly, the flimsy plot holds together better in FEAR IN THE NIGHT, omitting the poorly motivated Edward G. Robinson character entirely. This is far from a great movie; it's not even really a good noir, but Kelley's rare lead performance is fascinating and he makes us care about what happens. Anyone who is into Star Trek classic will probably be as quickly hypnotized by his young non-baggy-eyed presence as Deforest is by the badguys.