The Night Caller

It's the scientists vs. the anomaly, in England, Earth. What in the world is this, they ask. Can't just ask, gotta investigate, because this could be harmful. I love this sort of story, with it's Twilight-Zone atmosphere and low budget. Too often sci-fi movies rely on the visuals, no science, no heart. Not the case here. Danger, Earth!

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

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.

Low-key but intriguing and generally effective variation on the alien invasion theme (though the script is far inferior to the Quatermass archetype); as a matter of fact, the police procedural tends to be more engaging than the high-falutin' scientific theorizing! Unfortunately, too, some of the dialogue is unintelligible due to the heavy British accents (but, then, the version I watched was accompanied by subtitles in Italian!).

The cast features several familiar British faces (Maurice Denham, John Carson, Jack Watson, etc.); still, as with many low-budget horror films of its era, the lead role was given to an American actor: in this case, John Saxon - who's pretty adequate under the circumstances, with a blonde Patricia Haines (whom I recently saw in the awful VIRGIN WITCH [1972]) as his female co-star. Aubrey Morris, however, is memorable as the scurrilous editor of a 'girlie' magazine - which is used as bait for the alien's female victims (who, as is often the case, has descended to Earth because his own planet has reached saturation point). This element gives way to some typically dry British humor (especially the awkward interrogation of one of the missing girl's simple but cantankerous parents)...but Ballard Berkeley's belated introduction as the Commander steering the operations engaged in the alien's capture can't be taken seriously - in view of his regular appearance as the befuddled Major in the classic TV comedy series FAWLTY TOWERS (1975-79), devised by and starring Monty Python's John Cleese!!

With the imposing figure of the alien generally shown lurking in the shadows or hidden behind heavy clothing and a mask (shades of the giallo subgenre?), its menace is evoked through the creature's adoption of a mellifluous yet sinister 'human' voice; that said, the make-up effects shown intermittently are surprisingly subtle. Even so, the best thing about the film is certainly Stephen Dade's chiaroscuro photography - utilizing some odd angles, particularly during the alien manhunt, obviously inspired by THE THIRD MAN (1949)! The rather uneventful cautionary finale, then, is reminiscent of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951).

When a UFO lands in rural England, both the military and a group of scientists (John Saxon, Maurice Denham, and Patricia Haines) are bewildered by the basketball-sized object. Soon thereafter, a rash of odd occurrences begin. It seems that the strange sphere has somehow brought a visitor from another world! When young women start vanishing, Scotland Yard gets involved.

It's soon found out that an enigmatic man named Mr. Medra (Robert Crewdson) has opened a modeling agency. What does this man have to do with whatever is going on?

NIGHT CALLER FROM OUTER SPACE is a different sort of alien invasion film, playing more like a detective story / mystery. This movie also manages to delve into the Soho underbelly without becoming lurid. There are some unexpected deaths as well. Saxon is quite good, as are the rest of the cast. A terrific sci-fi / horror film for those in search of something out of the ordinary...