This 1945 film opens with Architect Walter Craig driving to a house in the English countryside. He immediately feels uneasy; he has never been there before or met any of the people present but states that he has dreamt about them many times before... this recurring dream always ends badly! Of those present only Dr Van Straaten is sceptical and soon each of them tells their own story with spooky elements. In between these stories the evening advances as Craig predicted.One usually associates Ealing Studios with their classic comedies but apart from the 'Golfing Story', told by one of the people in the house, there are few laughs to be had. There may not be gore or the 'nastiness' of more modern horror films but there are a few nicely chilling moments. Of the five stories told I found 'The Haunted Mirror' and 'The Ventriloquist's Dummy' to be the creepiest. The level of scares means this is suitable for most ages although elements may be disturbing for younger viewers. Some elements may seem a little cliché now but that is because later works have been inspired by this; it is original for films of its era. The cast does a fine job bringing the various stories to life; each fitting the tone of the section they feature in. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to anybody wanting gentle chills rather than gore and terror.

Dead of Night, as Milton Subotsky admitted, directly inspired the numerous and enjoyable Amicus anthology movies of the 60s and 70s. And it's not hard to see why. This beautifully-written, superbly directed ensemble is one the most memorable supernatural chillers ever made.An architect (well played by Mervyn Johns) makes his way to a farmhouse in the English countryside. He recounts to the occupants the startling fact that he has dreamed all of this before, which encourages his hosts to each recount a story that has recently happened to them - a story in which the supernatural is always prominent.The framing device is one of the cleverest aspects of this movie (though the idea has been done to death since), and the stories are all good. The first is an eerie tale of precognition "Just room for one more inside." The second, concerning Sally-Ann Howes' "Subconscious Thingummajigs" concerns a sighting of a ghostly boy who was previously murdered. It wasn't until I read The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher about the Constance Kent murder that I realised the killing was actually true.Our third tale is the best so far, a chilling account of a haunted mirror. The fourth, the golf story of course, is usually dismissed as the weakest as it gently comedic rather than scary. But this is surely just to relax the audience before hitting them with the full whammy.When we get to Michael Redrave's astonishing performance as the disturbed ventriloquist and his maniacal dummy Hugo - well, just prepared to be afraid. VERY AFRAID. This one of the greatest moments of all supernatural cinema. Wow is it frightening. Even today. I can't praise Redgrave enough for his work here. You have to see it to appreciate it. The film neatly ends with the architect waking from his dream, and starting the story all over again. I've avoided a few spoilers to not give away too much.Rather amusingly British critics of the time thought the film was "sick". Most of us today view it as a masterpiece. How times have changed!

Such an entertaining movie! It grabs you pretty quickly in the beginning and keeps you captivated throughout the film. Great plot, story line, dialogue and great performances by all. Definitely worth watching. Michael Redgrave is one of my favorite British actors. Anyone see him in "The Browning Version"? Each character's relayed experience is so intriguing. My husband doesn't especially like old British movies. After the man started explaining about his dream and the real life similarities he was finding with the group of guests, he told me "Don't change the channel!" We were transfixed through the entire movie. Highly recommend this one and hope to see it again some time.

The architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) drives to a farmhouse in the countryside of London and he is welcomed by the owner, Eliot Foley (Roland Culver), who introduces him the psychiatrist Dr. Van Straaten (Frederick Valk), his friend Joan Cortland (Googie Withers), his young neighbor Sally O'Hara (Sally Ann Howes) and the race car driver Hugh Grainger (Antony Baird). Craig tells that he has the sensation of Déjà vu since he had had a nightmare with them in that house but one lady is missing. However Mrs. Foley (Mary Merrall) arrives completing the characters of his dream.The skeptical Dr. Van Straaten does not believe in supernatural but the guests tell supernatural events that they have lived. Grainger had a car accident and then a premonition that saved his life; Sally had met a ghost during the Christmas; Eliot and his wife had lived an evil experience with a haunted mirror; two golfers that loved the same woman and decide to dispute her in a game, but one of them dies and haunt the other; and Dr. Van Straaten tells the story of a ventriloquist with double personality that is dominated by his dummy. But when Dr. Van Straaten accidentally breaks his classes and the power goes out, the nightmare begins."Dead of Night" is an original horror tale that is certainly the source of inspiration to "The Twilight Zone", "Tales From The Crypt", "Vault of Horror", "Creepshow", "Tales From the Darkside: the Movie" where the screenplay discloses a main story and many segments. The final twist is totally unexpected and a plus in this little great movie. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Na Solidão da Noite" ("In the Solitude of the Night")