La noche de la muerte

After several years of unemployment Martine finally finds a job as a nurse in an old people's home.On her arrival she is greeted by a worrying and mysterious guard who presents her to cold and dominating director Miss Helene.Soon the nurse in station Nicole vanishes without a trace.In fact she is butchered by old French people,who feast on her naked flesh.Her cannibalized body is hidden somewhere in the building.Martine tries to solve the gruesome mystery of rural retirement home...Raphael Delpard's "La Nuit de la Mort" mixes black humour with suspense and stomach-churning gore.There are two pretty graphic scenes of cannibalism,hand cutting and hysterical climax.The score is quite eerie and old men and women with the taste for human flesh are creepy enough.Unfortunately not much happens during most of the film.Overall, "La Nuit de la Mort" reminded me a little bit S.F Brownrigg's "Don't Look in the Basement" with its bizarre aura of insanity.7 out of 10.

Martine (Isabelle Goguey) begins working as a nurse at a convalescent home and quickly discovers some strange things afoot. Her co-worker has mysteriously disappeared, the residents are all a bit nutty and a murderer nicknamed "The Golden Needle Killer" is terrorizing the town. To say any more would give away too much for this fun little French horror film. If you have any interest in it, I would suggest staying away from any reviews or discussions. While the director gives some major things away early, there are still a few nicely done twists later on. The film has a few graphic gore scenes and some great dark comedy moments. One of the best things about the film is the great location and house. The Synapse DVD is crystal clear, as if the film were just shot last week, and presents the film in French with English subtitles.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Night Of Death; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 1.50 Acting: 1.50 Enjoyment: 1.50

TOTAL: 7.50 out of 10.00

Night Of Death was a breath of fresh air for two reasons. One: I've been watching a few more recent movies of late, and even though they may be superb, they don't hit the spots the oldies do. Two: we don't get many Ghoul tales in the horror genre, and when they're as good as this, they're a refreshing tonic.

The writers had an astute idea, one I wish I'd had. Take your average Residential Home filled with grumpy and awkward old folk but add a dark and ominous twist, which I won't reveal here - nobody likes spoilers. In the fifties and seventies, many nursing homes were constructed on rural land. It was to provide peace and quiet for the residents. However, in this instance, the writers use the homes' isolation to keep the world beyond its locked gates out. Nobody can see what's happening within Deadlock House. Add in a few mysteries, why can't the carers leave the property for the first two months? What happened to the previous nurse? What are the strange noises in the night? Why is the caretaker cruel to the residents? And, what does the Gold Needle Killer have to do with it all? And you should have enough to keep you intrigued until the finale. But they don't stop there. No! They fill the story with credible and relatable characters. You can understand Nurse Nicolle's exasperation working with a few members of the community, particularly the menfolk. You're comforted by Carer Martine's effervescent and helpful manner. You may even feel a slight sadness for Flavian, the rough caretaker. All of which pull you into the story more and add to its power.

The virtuous script allows the director, who co-wrote, enough leeway, so he's not required to do much, but he still does. He has a keen eye for composition. The shot of Deadlock House standing on the charming grounds in a soft mist is beautiful and a tad eerie. He gives the audience an exemplary vision of Martine surveilling Flavien from behind a pine tree - Her face perfectly framed by the branches and foliage of the tree. As a still, it could have graced many magazines of the day. It's a wonderful image. He's also skilled at using light and shadow to add unease to a scene. When the old fogies walk down the hallway at night, they pass from dark shadows into pools of light coming from open doorways. The way he places the performers is crucial to the atmosphere. He has them positioned like tenpins in a V shape. The smallest at the front and the tallest at the rear. It allows you to see all their faces and the different emotions they carry, which makes it all the more chilling. The only baulk I have is with the pacing of some scenes. Some could have been a smidgen slower to build tension, especially the segment where Matine discovers a secret doorway. And he could've sped up some others to add a hint of excitement, such as the fight and flight scenes. But these are tiny things, and the film is damned good anyway. And, it enjoys the best blood I've seen, both in colour and consistency. Shame it doesn't appear to dry.

The cast is brilliant. Isabelle Goguey as Martine is exceptional. Not only does she possess screen presence, but she exudes a true warmness onscreen. I could happily watch this actress time and time again if she's always this excellent. Flavien is a confused and obscure character; he is afflicted with inner conflicts, and Michel Flavius displays this mental turmoil well. However, in his spectacle of rage, he slightly overcooks the emotion, which damages the scene a bit. I especially liked Jean Ludow and Michel Debrane as Leon and Jules. They were the most likeable and testy of the old folks and reminded me of my Grandparents and their friends. It's always good to take a trip down that delightful memory lane. Thank You.

I would suggest that all horror fans try and find a copy of this flick - it's worthy of your attention. It has a way of getting under your skin, in a good and entertaining way, which doesn't require the use of any sharp implements.

Please feel free to visit my Absolute Horror and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where I ranked Night Of Death.

Take Care & Stay Well.

A word of advice to pretty women seeking employment at a remote stately home: if the property has an ominous name like Grimstock Towers or Mortlake Manor or Darkcliff Hall, then give it a wide berth. Something terrible WILL happen to you. Take Deadlock House for example, the setting for French horror Night of Death: attractive redhead Martine (Isabelle Goguey) goes there to work as a nurse, tending to the needs of a group of kooky old people. What she doesn't realise is that the pensioners are much older than she thinks, having halted the ageing process by devouring the innards of the young women hired to look after them.

Martine becomes suspicious when fellow nurse Nicole (Charlotte de Turckheim) suddenly disappears, supposedly having been fired for misconduct. After spying Nicole's suitcase in the boiler room, the missing girl's belongings about to be burnt, Martine goes looking for further evidence to support her belief that something bad has happened to her co-worker. Naturally, this course of action puts Martine in deadly peril.

The plot for Night of Death is predictable horror hokum that rarely surprises, but a likeable central turn from Goguey, a creepy soundtrack (crashing piano chords and screeching violins, accompanied by haunting vocals), and plenty of quirkiness (check out the bizarre procession of the old people down the hallway, their strange appearance at Martine's window while she is changing) all go to make this an atmospheric treat for fans of obscure oddball Euro-horror.

Also adding to the fun are a couple of very messy gore scenes (the disembowelment of Nicole is particularly grisly), a smattering of nudity (de Turckheim is stripped naked and the ample Goguey briefly bares her blouse bunnies), and a neat twist ending in which we discover the identity of the Golden Needle Killer, the murderer who has been preying on local women.

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb. A ghoulish, gory Gallic gem.

I never thought when i started watching this movie that i would be experiencing a new form of horror entertainment. Michel Flavius 's breathtaking performance is only matched by such milestone compositions as Boris Karloff's Frankeinstein and Peter Lorre's Orlac in Mad love. Laurent Petitgirard's score haunts you like nothing has haunting you before. Great choice of extras in particular Mr Roger. So you get the picture ,great acting ,great script,great score,and above all a great director:Raphael Delpard. This is french cinema at it's ravishing best.