The Night Caller

I don't know why they had to have John Saxon play the leading role in this movie; the Production Team could have chosen one of several dozen British actors who would have done a better job and better fitted the role. But then perhaps the film had American backers and they were calling the tune. Speaking of tune, the introductory song/music on the DVD version of the film is pathetic and totally incomparable to the original brilliant 60s pop instrumental "Image" with its Telstar-type organ backing. All that aside the movie is one that joins many other British SF films in the ranks of fame and is not totally unfaithful to Frank Crisp's 1963 novel "The Night Callers" on which it was based. It has moments which are slightly unnerving, particularly when the proposed candidates for shipping back to Ganymede are being interviewed by the man (monster) behind the shadows. Generally speaking there were very few dull moments and the pace of the plot was just right. Perhaps the ending could have been extended and more seen of the hideous alien with the claw-like appendages. Denham shines out above anyone else in the male cast leaving Saxon looking on from the sidelines as if he were a last minute, and not totally comfortable sub. A must see gem of a movie and despite the absence of the original introductory music the DVD will make a good addition to any SF Movie Buff's collection.

Both the colourised UK version and the US version (still in black & white) can been found on YouTube. There are some minor differences between them of which I am aware. One of these is the theme tune. One of these is the scene in Thorntons bookshop, parts of which were re-shot for an American and/or overseas audience. These re-shot scenes replaced the topless pictures that were on display.

My own opinion on the film is that it is a good standard British 60's UK Sci-Fi.

There are already quite a few good comments on this unusual film already. However a major difference is the utterly splendid opening instrumental score over the opening credits!The USA release has lounge type of male vocalist singing the films title!- it is dire indeed.Not so the British release, It is very memorable, and have only recently tracked it down though spent decades trying!A superb piece by Alan Haven called "Image" It seems to encompass everything; it is a mixture of spooky organ music set to a mod (ish) and moderate jazzy tone.Quite unnerving it seems to warn the viewers what lies ahead. The opening scenes have a tracking shot showing London by night, and perfectly fits the mid-sixties feel and period of the time. Medra was scary!!

This is an unusual movie in that it's almost like two entirely separate films merged into one. The film begins with three astronomers observing an object as it travels towards the Earth. It appears to be a meteorite heading towards London. However, at the last moment, it veers away in a manner that could only mean that there is some force or intelligence controlling it--perhaps it's a u.f.o.. The three go in search of the object and come upon the military who has cordoned off the area. As they, too, have top secret clearance and are egg-head scientists, they are invited in for a look.

Oddly, the object is some sort of sphere about the size of a basketball. And, despite traveling through the atmosphere, the object is ice-cold! Obviously this is NOT of this planet, though the dopey military commander keeps asking from which COUNTRY this originated! How dumb can you be?! Later, after extensive tests have been conducted, it is determined that the sphere is hollow and there is nothing much inside other than a vacuum. However, what they don't know is that it is a device that will allow beings to move enormous distances through space--sort of a space travel device. And, when a monstrous-looking beast is transported with it, the scientists and military scramble to find it! Now, the movie switches gears. The film becomes a police tale about the disappearances of some young ladies. After some investigation, the police determine that a madman is luring the girls using a bikini magazine ad that offers to make them models. But, when the ladies respond to the ad, they end up disappearing--and it's happened to quite a few ladies already. All the police know about the identity of the sicko is that he is very large and keeps his identity hidden--standing in shadows and covering his face.

Eventually, one of the egg-heads (John Saxon) learns of the disappearances and assumes (using what logic, I have no idea) that this is somehow related to the alien sphere and the missing creature! How and why the creature is doing this is something you'll need to see for yourself.

Overall, this is a rather interesting film. What I particularly liked was the way the aliens traveled. Instead of a traditional ship, they shoot a sphere from their location to the planet they wish to visit and it is able to transport them! Pretty unusual--and thankfully it made the film more watchable. Overall, a pretty good alien movie--worth watching despite their being a plethora of films in this genre.

THE NIGHT CALLER is a very uneven movie in that it's sometimes excellent and sometimes awful . For the most part it's very atmospheric and downbeat sci-fi film noir where most of the scenes are filmed during night and resembles the classic QUATERMASS BBC serials of the 1950s where scientists team up with the military and Scotland Yard to deal with an extraterrestrial menace

Unfortunately it becomes clear that the script wasn't written by someone as intellectually or dramatically gifted as the legendary Nigel Kneale and it's the plot and dialogue that's the problem with audience being subjected to some quite laughable techno babble that anyone with any type of basic scientific knowledge will roll their eyes at . Once the alien masterplan is revealed people will be falling out of their seats asking " Is that it ? " and let's not mention some very ludicrous plot holes like how does an alien from another planet learn to drive a car or acquire money to rent an office

This is a movie containing a strange mixture of good and bad aspects and it's by no means an ordeal to sit through especially like me you're a fan of QUATERMASS , the original series of THE OUTER LIMITS and early 1970s DOCTOR WHO but it's a movie that should have been a lot better and shows like 28 DAYS LATER that if a film is good it's down to the director and if it's bad it's down to the screenwriter