La nuit de la mort!

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.

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.

The precedent user and I ,we have not seen the same movie!But there's no accounting for taste they say.

Amateurish directing,horrible soundtrack,abominable performances ,only the cinematography is rather decent.

A cursory look at Raphael Delpart ,the "director"'s filmography:from coarse comedy to abysmal horror films ("la Nuit de la Mort" and its doomed successor "Clash"),he made five films in total and that's enough! Here Delpart's idee fixe is to be Roman Polanski: Rosemary and the cannibals.It's all there ,from the first victim who writes a letter to the heroine,to the old people who give her a green beverage added with vitamins ,to the nightmare which is not really one...You'll probably notice snatches of "Beauty and the Beast" too.

Here's Delpart's first mistake:after twenty minutes ,we know almost all about the plot.And it's not much of a plot.On a similar subject, Alain Jessua did a lot better with his overlooked "Traitement de Choc" .Ah! Lemme think! there are two unexpected twists but they come at the most awkward moment.The pictures are often disgusting and some people might go veggie after watching that.But why should they bother?

In France, the orphan Martine (Isabelle Goguey) leaves her boyfriend Serge (Michel Duchezeau) one day before the scheduled to work as a caregiver in a remote retirement home he has arranged for her in the countryside. She has a cold reception from the lame servant Flavien (Michel Flavius) and the owner, Hélène (Betty Beckers), explains that they have not prepared a room for her yet. Further, she will need to remain secluded for the next two months for adaptation purpose. Soon she knows the other caregiver, the young Nicole (Charlotte de Turckheim), who introduces her to the seven weird guests of the house that are vegetarians and shows the work itself to her. They befriend each other and Nicole promises to show the photo of her beloved boyfriend, but she does not have time since Hélène allows that Martine meets Serge. While she leaves the house, Nicole is attacked by the elders that kill her and eat her organs. When Martine returns, Hélène tells that had an argument with Nicole and fired her, and transfers Martine to Nicole's room. When Martine sees Nicole's suitcase with Flavien in the boiler room, she begins to suspect that something might have happened to Nicole.

"La nuit de la mort!", a.k.a. "Night of Death", is a French horror movie from 1980 with a flawed story of cannibalism. There is no explanation why the elders remain alive using vegetarian diet associated to human flesh and organs. The plot does not explain whether they have a pact with the devil, or are witches and wizards, only that they are cannibals and the victims are young woman. Even the soup that the creepy elders give to Martine is not explained. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil) "A Noite da Morte" ("The Night of the Death")

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.