Dead Of Night

Nostalgia can be scary, a point demonstrated by Dead Of Night, a 76-minute made-for-TV movie from 1977. Best considered a precursor to the Creepshow series of films, Dead Of Night is comprised of three unrelated shorts ranging from 20 to 35 minutes that strive to be eerie and unnerving. Having dubious shock value, especially after almost 32 years, the film has its moments of suspense but overall it's really just funny and scary in the most unintentional of ways. Second Chance stars Ed Begley Jr. as an unnamed man who restores a 1926 roadster to its original condition decades after having been crushed by a train, with its owners killed. The refurbishing sends Begley back in time to just before the horrendous accident, forever altering the course of history. While far from shocking or thought provoking, it's a tender build-up for the ensuing No Such Thing As A Vampire, the tale of a woman terrified of succubi. Her husband engages the assistance of a friend to help control her terrors yet eventually finds himself unravelling a sinister plot to drive her mad. Easily the most engaging short, Bobby finds a mother pining for her drowned son. Her wish of having him back is granted, however, her sweet boy has taken a drastic turn; he's out for blood. Again, while the make-up, effects and acting of Bobby — well, the flick as a whole — leave something to be desired, even time can't hold back a strong plot such as this. With the addition of suitable bonus material (deleted footage, a music score highlight, the pilot for 1969 Dead Of Night TV series dubbed A Darkness At Blaisedon, revolving around psychics investigating a haunted house) and inspired if not altogether horrific stories, even if Dead Of Night and its extras are extremely dated it's still a fun, light-hearted romp through disco-era horror.