Dead of Night (1945) *solved*

[don of forest view rd e12]

Any body know the name of a film about a group of people traped in a celler ,telling 4 storeys , one i remember about,a undertaker knocks at the door,and says`Ive got room for one more inside`

also i think another tail is about a dummy takes over the ventrlloquist.

this film is 1940 or 50s vintage. I cant remember the name of this film any body know ?

DW

[DAVID RAYNER]

Dead of Night (1945). I can't remember anybody being trapped in a cellar, though. You're possibly thinking of two different films.



Miles Malleson played an undertaker driving a Victorian horse drawn hearse and he was seen later in the film as a bus conductor who stood on the back platform of a double decker and said "Room for one more inside, Sir", just before the bus met with a terrible accident.



Micheal Redgrave was the ventriloquist who's dummy took him over.

[don of forest view rd e12]

Originally posted by DAVID RAYNER@May 14 2005, 08:04 PM

Dead of Night (1945). I can't remember anybody being trapped in a cellar, though. You're possibly thinking of two different films.



Miles Malleson played an undertaker driving a Victorian horse drawn hearse and he was seen later in the film as a bus conductor who stood on the back platform of a double decker and said "Room for one more inside, Sir", just before the bus met with a terrible accident.



Micheal Redgrave was the ventriloquist who's dummy took him over.

YES DAVID ,that the one[you must be as old as me[72]? thanks ill try to find it

if possible.

DW

[kaski]

I think the other film that you are confusing Dead of Night with is Vault of Horror, where a group of people are trapped in the basement of an office and each of them tells a story of a dream they've had. Very similar to Dead of Night in a lot of ways... but nowhere near as good!

[widdershins]

Hello film buffs,

I wonder if one of you can help me. There is this film I saw a few times when I was younger, shown on TV in the eighties. I loved it and would love to see it again but can't remember any actors' names or the name of the film. I will try to describe it as well as I can. I'm fairly sure it was British.

It was a horror film, black and white, I would guess made in the late 40s or 50s. It could even be a 30s film.

The story: from what I remember 4 people are meeting at a country house for a get together and they start to get talking about the paranormal. Each one in turn mentions something wierd that's happened to them, and so the film splits into four kind of sub films, each time going back to the conversation in the house.

The first story is this bloke who wakes up in the night, looks out of his bedroom window and sees a hearse going down the street (horse and cart type). The Pall-bearer stares up at him weirdly, points to where the coffin is sat and says 'room for one more on top!', and smiles. The next day this bloke is getting a bus into town and the same man from his 'dream' is the bus conductor, and he says with a smile 'room for one more on top'. The bloke is terrified, doesn't board the bus and almost immediately it swerves off a bridge and crashes, killing everyone.

Three more stories ensue, one is set largely on a golf course, one I think involves a mirror that this man sees a hideous reflection in, and it starts to possess him. I think the other may involve a young girl.

It had a similar feel to the classic 'Night of the Demon' film.



Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[Steve Crook]

Dead of Night (1945)

A classic. It's got an early version of the ventriloquist's dummy taking over that was done again later, and not so well, in Magic (1978).



Stories written by HG Wells, EF Benson and others.

The herse driver is Miles Malleson

The ventriloquist is Michael Redgrave

Googie Withers is in the haunted mirror segment

Charters & Caldicott are in the golfing story



Steve

[widdershins]

Steve Crook - you have saved me from further mental anguish! What speed as well! Cheers. My next question is where can I get it from?

[Mr Cosmo]

Aaargh - you beat me by 3 minutes!!!

Ace film.

[Mr Cosmo]

It's at Amazon

Amazon.co.uk: Dead Of Night [1945]: DVD: Michael Redgrave

[widdershins]

Have either of you two seen Night of the Demon and City of the Dead? Both of these are similar in atmosphere and both excellent.

[Steve Crook]

Steve Crook - you have saved me from further mental anguish! What speed as well! Cheers. My next question is where can I get it from?

It's available in most good shops.

Either by itself or as part of an Ealing collection or as a doule DVD with The Queen of Spades

e.g. from Amazon.co.uk



Steve

[D Cairns]

The director of CITY OF THE DEAD actually posts here, as I recall. I'm sure he'll be gratified by your kind words and comparison with two other classics.

[John Llewellyn Moxey]

The director of CITY OF THE DEAD actually posts here, as I recall. I'm sure he'll be gratified by your kind words and comparison with two other classics.

Indeed I am.



John Llewellyn

[Mr Cosmo]

Widdershins - I run NIGHT OF THE DEMON regularly and think it is an excellent film in many ways although there are parts of it which are a bit dated now. It also has a tremendous performance from Brian Wilde (who everyone knows as Mr Barraclough from PORRIDGE) which makes me jump - and there is a strange bit of rail timetabling towards the end where a train leaves Waterloo and takes about an hour to get to Clapham Junction - then again - I've been on trains like that.



I would say the only thing that stops it being a better movie is we actually see the demon and it would be better if we didn't as the unknown is always more mysterious and terrifying.

[D Cairns]

Well, you know the producer had the demon stuff shot against the wishes of the director and writer? I quite like the demon as a monster, but his appearance kind of mars the film -- we can't relate to Dana Andrews' skepticism since we already know he's wrong. With no visible demon, the film would have a much more frightening ambiguity.

[widdershins]

John Llewellyn,



You'll be pleased to know I'm going to buy City of the Dead along with the other two films mentioned very shortly. I'm having a bit of a renaissance with the horror genre in both books and film. I remember City of the Dead having one of the most atmospheric and eerie starts of any film, where all the horror is in the expectation. It was one of mine and my brothers favourite horror films, along with the other two mentioned.

Re: Night of the Demon. Yes, the producer made a big mistake. On a similar theme I thought the film 'Them' was wonderfully scary and atmospheric until you actually see the giant ants, at which point it loses something.

[John Llewellyn Moxey]

John Llewellyn,



You'll be pleased to know I'm going to buy City of the Dead along with the other two films mentioned very shortly. I'm having a bit of a renaissance with the horror genre in both books and film. I remember City of the Dead having one of the most atmospheric and eerie starts of any film, where all the horror is in the expectation. It was one of mine and my brothers favourite horror films, along with the other two mentioned.

Re: Night of the Demon. Yes, the producer made a big mistake. On a similar theme I thought the film 'Them' was wonderfully scary and atmospheric until you actually see the giant ants, at which point it loses something.

I am very pleased to read that you remember the film. I rather enjoyed the opening as well!

John Llewellyn

[Rehirc]

Back in the 50's I remember watching a movie about a man who had premonitions. There was this scene that I vividly remember where he dreams about room for one more and then the next day he goes to get on a double decker bus and the bus conductor says that there is "room for one more". He's so stunned he doesn't get on the bus. The bus then runs off the road and everyone is killed. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

[Nick Dando]

It's Dead of Night, and it's a 24 carat classic.



Nick

[batman]

Definitely Dead of Night. IMHO one of the two most scary films ever made!



Bats.