Uma Noite de Pavor

A young woman goes to a secluded large house to babysit a little boy however once there she is terrorized by her employers ex husband.

The first half of the film is by far the best, the suspense is very good (if a little creeky), there is a couple of good jump scares and tension builds well. Acting is also very strong, George as the film's central character holds everything together well she as always delivers, Bannan as the demented maniac is chilling at times and Honor Blackman is also very good. What holds the film back however is Collinsons direction in the 2nd half, instead of keeping the audience on the edge by staying in the confines of the house we keep leaving and going to nothing scenes at the restaurant or police station. This could have been a really terrifying experience given the story and situation but sadly only occasionally delivers the goods.

One of the first of the babysitter stalker movies made so it does deserve some credit and its definitely not a bad film it just didn't reach the level I was expecting.

Enjoyed this British film with Susan George, (Amanda), "The Strange Affair", who plays the role of a young gal attending college and taking on a babysitting job way out in the country and walking all by herself after getting off a bus. The house where Amanda is to babysit is very old and their is a little boy she is to take care of while his mom and dad go out to dine. Amanda has a visit from her boyfriend who attempts to make love to her and starts to almost get to first base when the telephone starts to ring. Susan George gives a great performance through out the entire picture and it truly shows the great talent she had during her early years of stardom. If you like Susan George when she was young, pretty and sexy, this is the film for you. Enjoy.

I remember seeing this cult British flick many years ago and remember how it sent genuine chills up my spine..... Susan George gives a brilliant performance as the young, tormented babysitter in this very atmospheric chiller. Ably supported by stalwart British actors (George Cole, Dennis waterman & the ever fabulous Honor Blackman. Some of the dialogue is rather "hammy" and check out the hilarious "dancing" in the nightclub - LOL. Apart from these small points this is a very well crafted little thriller. This film is now available on region 1 DVD and is well worth investing in if you love cult horror movies. Turn out the lights, lock the door and sit back and prepare for "FRIGHT" !!!!You won't be disappointed !!!

You might call this a slasher prototype (since it resembles something of "Halloween" and "When A Stranger Calls"), as your generic staples are there and in full flight. However it's not terribly successful in making it totally effective, but anything with Honor Blackman and the lovely Susan George in a short purple skirt has got to be worth your time. Of course! Being a very minimal production, the Gothic set-pieces are tight and the story quite simple-minded (babysitter terrorised by a escaped homicidal lunatic who returns to his family home for one night), where its all about hysteria and claustrophobic tension in a forlorn staging. The main problem it was just too uneven. Good uneasy first half, let down by a weak, bloated second half. Some plastered jolts, and atmospheric touches worked (mainly those vivid sound effects), but definitely there were moments that didn't have much impact, and fell in the risible bracket. Not helping was the script completely plods along. Peter Collinson's terse direction, along with Ian Wilson's skillful cinematography and Harry Robertson's whimsically edgy musical score build upon the creaky, and moody old-school atmosphere. The dark, gloomy isolated house (you cant go wrong there!) is well-used in many of the set-ups, and they achieve many unique placements (reflections to silhouettes) with the characters. Collinson's framing is first-rate. A busty Susan George (who gets some scenes with her bra-exposed) is superb in her well-rounded performance of conveying the frightening despair that basically overwhelms her. On the other hand Ian Bannen's spaced out, muttering psychotic loony was a bit hit-and-miss. Honor Blackman scores points as the up-tight mother. George Cole, John Gregson and Dennis Waterman provide sturdy support. Passable little horror flick.

Susan George seemed to have spent a large part of 1971 being terrorised in rural houses by maniacs; in Straw Dogs she suffered violence at the hands of vicious country yokels and in Fright she is threatened by an escaped lunatic with murder on his mind.

Unfortunately, despite a great cast including George Cole, Honor Blackman and Dennis Waterman, and direction from Peter Collinson (who gave us the classic The Italian Job) this somewhat tedious thriller/horror rarely manages to be anything more than average.

Susan George (looking a lot like Sarah Michelle Gellar to me — only much sexier) is great as Amanda, the babysitter who must protect baby Tara when his homicidal father drops by for a visit; she convincingly portrays the terror of the situation (whilst simultaneously looking great in a very short dress), but even her performance cannot save the film; the histrionics in the latter part of the film undermine all that goes before and the finale, in which Amanda exacts revenge on the killer, is quite ridiculous.

Director Collinson manages a few nice touches (I particularly liked the intercutting between Susan George and Honor Blackman to show how the maniac was unable to discern between the two women), but the tension of the housebound action is dissipated by some dreadfully dull scenes set in a nearby restaurant and the local police station.

With a little more action, a bit less talk and maybe one or two more deaths, this could have been a classic little chiller — as it stands, it is just another so-so horror film which is unlikely to cause anyone sleepless nights.