La noche de la muerte

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.

A7+french goodness 70s/80s styles. sort of black horror drama comedy ? loved the cast and script The main actress did a great job. her main job was assistant director on porn movies in real life and this i guess is her big achievement in a role. very well cast. theatrical as it should be.

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.

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.

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.