Testimone poco attendibile

Recently viewed The Night Visitor 1989) on Tubi. The story revolves around a class clown and a local deviant who witnesses a murder, but nobody believes him. He embarks on an investigation and uncovers potential ties to satanic activities, raising questions about his own safety.

Directed by Rupert Hitzig (Backstreet Dreams) and featuring a cast that includes Derek Rydall (Death Wish 4), Allen Garfield (Beverly Hills Cop 2), Kathleen Bailey (Witchtrap), Brooke Bundy (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Child) and Henry Gibson (The Burbs).

While the main cast, as mentioned above, is recognizable and delivers commendable performances, the dynamic between Richard Roundtree (Shaft) and Michael Pollard (Scrooged) alone makes the movie worth watching. Both of them bring their characters to life, with a cameo appearance by Shannon Tweed ("Dead Sexy") adding some eye candy. However, the acting feels inconsistent, particularly with the main character seeming to try too hard, and Pollard's partner not quite hitting the mark. Some other characters are somewhat annoying, and there are not enough horror elements to generate excitement. The kills in the film are passable, and it wraps up with a classic 80s ending.

In conclusion, The Night Visitor is a relatively average addition to the horror genre, but it does have some good performances and characters. I would rate this a 5/10 and suggest giving it a watch at least once.

It's the solid performances from some recognisable faces that lift this all too typical boy-who-cried-wolf theme in this inconsistent low-budget satanic thriller. What strike me the most was how the storyline is so close to Tom Holland's terrific vampire film 'Fright Night (1985)', but it comparison it does lack the charm and thrills of that film. Vampires no more, but Satanists are the flavour. The hysterically unusual pairing of a wearily scorning Allan Garfield and playfully loony Michael J Pollard was a hammy blast as the two Satanist brothers. Derek Rydall and Teresa Vander Woude make for appealing teen leads that get caught up in the devilish mess. Richard Roundtree's no-bull performance is lean, but potent as the detective on the case and Elliott Gould is amusing as a retired detective who comes out of retirement to help out the teenagers. In support roles the ravishing Shannon Tweed and eventual porn-star Teri Wiegel added some sexual energy. Henry Gibson also pops up. Director Rupert Hitzig hones in a workable display and keeps it on the move, even if his jump tactics inadequately fail. Anyhow the predictably implausible and contrived screenplay seems to be playing it for camp laughs, than actual chills. Just wait for the chainsaw and shotgun clash! It's like it's made up of a bunch of comical errors and eccentric passages, but one or two sequences install some welcoming suspense. But really, the humour does overplay it. And what was the idea of that corn-riddled, over extended ending accompanied with a howling song. It was awful! The whip-lashed musical score drums up the repetitive chanting ala 'The Omen' style, but it doesn't come near Goldsmith's classic piece.

The compulsive liar teenager Billy Colton (Derek Rydall) witnesses the murder of his sexy and prostitute neighbor Lisa Grace (Shannon Tweed) by his history teacher Willard (Allen Garfield). Willard is an unknown Satanist wanted by the police for killing prostitutes with his brother. Like in the fairytale, nobody but his girlfriend believes in Billy. He looks for help with the former friend of his deceased father, the retired Detective Devereaux (Elliott Gould), and they two decide to investigate his teacher's house. But his snoopy girlfriend Dolan (Kathleen Bailey) has had the same idea and is captured by the twisted brothers.

"Night Visitor" is the first movie I have watched in 2004 and uses elements of horror and suspense, like in "Rear Window" and "Fright Night". Indeed it works well on video and entertains. At least three points deserve to be highlighted and commented. The first one is the beauty of Shannon Tweed, impressively sexy in the role of a call girl. The second is the ridiculous character of the great actor Elliott Gould. I do not know how he accepted such a role. The other point is the lack of continuity from about thirteen to sixteen minutes. Bill visits Lisa and gets a beer in his right hand. When Tony arrives, he waives goodbye to Lisa with empty hands. When he arrives home, he has the can of beer again in his right hand and is wearing a type of dark blue coat. When he arrives in his room, he is wearing only the light blue shirt that was beneath the coat. Very funny mistakes. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Nunca Chame o Demônio" ("Never Calls the Demon")

Note: On 21 Jul 2000, I saw this film for the first time.

On 03 Jun 2022, I saw this film again.

Even before "Night Visitor" reaches the end, there will be one question that will keep coming up in your mind: "How did this terrible independent production get picked up by a major Hollywood studio?" Indeed, it's a mystery as to why MGM/UA got the distribution rights, but it's pretty easy to figure out why they subsequently didn't do much with it. (I'm not even sure it played in theaters!) It's a pretty cheap movie, with the low budget making the movie suffer throughout, such as with poor audio and obviously post-dubbed dialogue. But even if the movie had been slickly executed, it would still suffer from a dumb and unlikable protagonist, unfunny comedy, and unthrilling thriller elements. Oh, and some of the most obvious padding you'll see - there's only enough plot for about half a movie. The movie does boast a once in a lifetime cast - Gould, Roundtree, Tweed, Garfield, Pollard - but none of these actors are particularly well used. (And their performances, especially Gould's, suggest they know they are in a turkey.) The movie should only be seen by those curious about how MGM/UA lost its touch by the end of the '80s.

Very uneven thriller, but the results are still enjoyable. The film is about a constent liar (Derek Rydall) who witnesses his teacher (Allen Garfield) murder his sexy neighbor (Shannon Tweed). Film blends teen comedy, horror, and police detective films together. While it isn't very well directed or scripted for that matter, it is well cast right down the line and the actors turn in good performances, especially Garfield and Tweed in an appealing turn. The finale is especially amusing and the film has a good pace and is never boring.

Rated R; Nudity, Extreme Violence, Sexual Situations, and Profanity.