DEAD OF NIGHT (1945) STILL HAUNTS US 80 YEARS LATER!!

DEAD OF NIGHT (1945) d. Various (UK)

A landmark horror film, 1945’s Dead of Night was produced by Britain’s famed Ealing Studios and directed by a team of mostly younger upstarts including Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, and Robert Hamer, with veteran Alberto Cavalcanti and producer Michael Balcon marshaling their forces.

Widely regarded as one of the earliest and most influential horror anthology films, Dead of Night presents a quintet of eerie and imaginative stories linked by a chilling framing narrative: an architect arrives at a country house, only to realize he’s been there before—in a recurring dream. As he shares this realization, the guests recount a series of supernatural tales involving haunted mirrors, ghostly hearses, creepy ventriloquist dummies, and more.

Combining original stories and adaptations, Dead of Night blends psychological horror with dark humor, setting the blueprint for anthology series like The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, and Black Mirror. Its influence still echoes through horror cinema today.

Lock your doors, pour yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy some bite-sized nightmares as AC and his incredible panel of guests (Christianne Benedict, Cati Glidewell, John McDevitt, Lee Price, Alan Tromp) celebrate the 80th anniversary of Dead of Night!

BONUS: Here's the link to Lee's article referenced throughout: https://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/2025/05/15/dead-of-night-1945-50-clinical-observations/
---------------------------------------------
CHRISTIANNE BENEDICT is a cartoonist, film writer, malcontent, and Bloginatrix at https://krelllabs.blogspot.com

JOHN MCDEVITT is a lifelong cinephile who programs two recurring film events in Chicago: SUPER-HORROR-RAMA!, a weekly horror gathering with film screenings at Sideshow Gelato, and Fetish Film Forum, a monthly screening series about fetish, kink, leather, and BDSM at the Leather Archives & Museum. John is fascinated by all genres of cinema and appreciates horror most of all for its willingness to explore what makes us uncomfortable and for the compassion it often extends to its characters and the viewer. 

CATI GLIDEWELL (aka The Blonde in Front) is a Chicago-based film critic, lifelong cinephile, film festival jury member, and a member of Chicago Indie Critics since 2020. You can find her on all social media platforms, as well as Post Mortem radio and Radio of Horror on YouTube.

LEE PRICE has dedicated his career to celebrating our history and culture (including horror films!) through freelance writing and 25 years with the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts. He is a guest blogger at “Wonders in the Dark.”

ALAN TROMP is a golden age Monster Kid, who has published articles in Filmfax, Twilight Zone Magazine, and We Belong Dead publications in the UK. He was scriptwriter for the shot-on-video nightmare, The Soul Eaters.
---------------------------------------------
Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!