The Hand of Night
| The Hand of Night | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster; | |
| Directed by | Frederic Goode |
| Written by | Bruce Stewart |
| Produced by | Harry Field |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | William Jordan |
| Edited by | John Blair (supervising) |
| Music by | John Shakespeare |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
The Hand of Night (also known as Beast of Morocco [1]) is a 1968 British horror film directed by Frederic Goode and starring William Sylvester, Diane Clare and Aliza Gur.[2][3] It was written by Bruce Stewart.
Plot
[edit]Paul Carver is an Englishman who has recently lost his wife and children in a car accident. Waking from a nightmare, we find Carver on a plane traveling to Morocco, where he attempts to meet with a doctor, only to discover that the doctor has died. In despair, Carver ends up at the home of a German archaeologist, Otto Gunther, whom he met on the plane. It is here, in the midst of a party, that Carver first encounters the two women who will determine his destiny: Gunther's assistant, Chantal, and the mysterious Marissa. Grieving the loss of his loved ones and crippled by survivor's guilt, Carver must choose between life, represented by Chantal, and death, represented by Marissa.[4][5][6]
Cast
[edit]- William Sylvester as Paul Carver
- Diane Clare as Chantal
- Aliza Gur as Marisa
- Edward Underdown as Gunther
- Terence De Marney as Omar
- William Dexter as Leclerc
- Sylvia Marriott as Mrs Petty
- Avril Sadler as Mrs Carver
- Angela Lovell as air hostess
- Maria Hallowi as nurse
Reception
[edit]The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The pink mist that billows from the eye socket of a skull throughout the opening credits augurs both the pretensions and the weaknesses of this rather dull exercise in the macabre. Despite some sterling decomposition work by the make-up department, the film relies heavily on old Hammer production tricks without contributing any original variations of its own; and the story is not helped by the portentous rhetoric of lines like "I too have lived in the shadows". William Sylvester leads the group of sweat-streaked humans battling indomitably against the unknown – in this case a species of lily-livered vampirism that would make Dracula turn in his shallow grave."[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Beast of Morocco (1966) - Frederic Goode - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "The Hand of Night". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ "The Hand of Night (1968)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ John Hamilton, The British Independent Horror Film 1951-70, Hemlock Books, 2013, p. 171-174
- ^ Craig, Rob (15 February 2019). American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography. McFarland. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-4766-3522-4.
- ^ Craig, Rob (15 February 2019). American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography. McFarland. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-4766-3522-4.
- ^ "The Hand of Night". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 35 (408): 180. 1 January 1968 – via ProQuest.
External links
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