4K Ultra HD Review – Fear in the Night (1972)

      Fear in the Night, 1972.

      Directed by Jimmy Sangster.

      Starring Judy Geeson, Joan Collins, Ralph Bates, Peter Cushing, Gillian Lind, James Cossins.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Following their relocation to a private boys' school in the countryside for her husband Robert's teaching job, a young woman named Peggy is assaulted by a one-armed attacker, yet no one believes her account.

      Currently, fans of Hammer Films are enjoying a remarkable revival, with the reestablished Hammer Films releasing stunning 4K UHD box sets and StudioCanal upgrading their titles to UHD. After their impressive releases of Horror of Frankenstein and Scars of Dracula last year, StudioCanal has shifted its focus to one of the lesser-known titles in Hammer’s collection, 1972's Fear in the Night.

      

      Newlyweds Peggy (Judy Geeson) and Robert (Ralph Bates) are about to leave their London residence to move to Robert's workplace, a private boys' school in the countryside. However, the night before their departure, Peggy is attacked by a mysterious assailant with a prosthetic arm, which Robert is reluctant to believe actually happened.

      Despite this, they relocate to the school where Peggy meets the headmaster Michael (Peter Cushing) and his wife Molly (Joan Collins). Hearing boys' voices, Peggy investigates the seemingly empty school but encounters Michael, who gives her a tour. Feeling unsettled, Peggy is attacked once again by the one-armed assailant, but Robert's sympathy for her diminishes, as does Molly's, while Michael appears overly kind. Luckily, a shotgun is within reach…

      As Hammer’s last psychological horror/thriller, Fear in the Night was both written and directed by Jimmy Sangster, a longtime contributor to Hammer, who confessed he was fatigued from reworking the French classic Les Diaboliques for the studio. Having already written films like Taste of Fear, Paranoiac, Maniac, and Nightmare, all exploring themes of madness for personal benefit, Fear in the Night follows in those footsteps, though Sangster's fatigue is apparent, resulting in a rather formulaic film that offers few surprises to those familiar with his earlier works. Aside from Peter Cushing's presence lending some credibility, the cast seems similarly uninspired.

      Sangster mentioned in the accompanying audio commentary that Joan Collins was difficult to work with due to her undiagnosed pregnancy causing issues for the wardrobe team. He also had to instruct her on how to shoot a rabbit in her introductory scene, a task she was understandably unhappy about. Ralph Bates shares the screen with Peter Cushing rather than trying to replace him but delivers a rather uninspired performance, lacking engagement with the script, which gives him little to work with until the end. By that point, Judy Geeson’s somewhat bland character has already become grating, which does not help his cause.

      This leaves Peter Cushing to infuse the film with some classic Hammer charm, which he does, though he only appears briefly and is often underutilized. His absence creates a noticeable charisma deficit in scenes without him, though he does provide one of the film’s memorable images through his damaged round spectacles—a moment that, while initially appearing humorous, becomes significant within the film's context, offering one of its rare moments of danger.

      Accompanied by a 64-page booklet, replica press kits, and two posters, StudioCanal has included delightful extras to enhance the film's appeal, featuring insights from the knowledgeable Kim Newman, two audio commentaries—one by Jimmy Sangster and historian Marcus Hearn, the other with historian Troy Howarth—and an archived featurette from the previous Blu-ray, featuring contributions from Jonathan Rigby, Kevin Lyons, and others.

      Overall, while Fear in the Night presents itself as a decent psychological horror film, it inevitably resides in the shadow of Hammer’s earlier efforts in this genre, falling short when compared to Taste of Fear and Paranoiac. For those unfamiliar with those titles, beginning with this film could be worthwhile, as viewing them in chronological order may lead to diminishing returns. If you already own the earlier Blu-ray, the improvements in picture quality might not justify the upgrade to 4K UHD, making the extras the main draw for collectors. Nonetheless, it remains a Hammer film, and for collectors of these box sets, this edition features some stylish artwork that will look appealing on your shelf.

      Flickering Myth Rating –Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

      Chris Ward