A moderately suspenseful thriller (the last of three directed by prolific writer/producer Jimmy Sangster) in what had then become Hammer's familiar house style in which all the usual ingredients were none too inventively re-worked, "Fear in the Night" profited from its effective setting, namely a sinister school with phantom pupils and an unbalanced headmaster (another compelling performance from Peter Cushing). My only regret is that Sangster's plot demanded that the horror ingredients end halfway through and the movie revert to a straight thriller. Nevertheless, the director and his players manage to keep interest high right up to the rather clever conclusion. In the movie's key role, Judy Geeson artfully manages to elicit a lot of interest and sympathy. Joan Collins and Ralph Bates are adequate, if somewhat transparent. If you've seen a few of these Hammer thrillers, you'll find the plot pretty easy to work out. Fortunately, Sangster has a firm grip on his material and knows how to milk each scene for maximum suspense. Brisk editing also helps, though a certain transition device is way overused, Music is effective, art direction often impressive, and other credits never less than highly competent.

No matter how bad the film, the august presence of the wonderful horror character actor Peter Cushing always lifts the proceedings considerably. Which is not to say that 'Fear in the Night' is a bad film, because it is quite well-constructed and enjoyable.Recovering from a traumatic experience, the fragile Peggy Heller (Judy Geeson) moves with her new husband Robert (Ralph Bates) to a boys' school, the headmaster of which is Michael Carmichael (Peter Cushing). Peggy makes the acquaintance of Michael's wife, Molly (Joan Collins), and soon begins to believe that she - Peggy - is being stalked by a one-armed man.I really liked the twist in this film and did not see it coming, which of course made it all the more enjoyable. 'Fear in the Night' is well-made and the performances are naturalistic and convincing. Judy Geeson is a sympathetic heroine and you do feel for her plight. From the ever-reliable British horror film studio Hammer, this is a film worth watching at least once.

This Hammer film has remained in the wilderness for years, but thanks to Optimum Releasing, it now has its long awaited DVD release. The back of the box proclaims this film to be the last of Hammer Horror's suspense films, and one of the best - and both of those statements are true! Many of the suspense films that Hammer produced are among the best that the studio had to offer - Taste of Fear and Paranoiac being among the finest of them. This film isn't your usual Hammer film or your usual Hammer suspense film and plays out a lot like a Hammer version of Italy's popular Giallo sub-genre. Hammer Horror would go on to make a lot of films that took influence from the more lurid Eurohorror imports in the seventies, and while this shift in focus didn't always serve them well - it certainly does here! The plot focuses on a boy's school. Peggy Heller is recovering from a nervous breakdown, and she goes to stay at the school with her teacher husband Robert. Upon arrival, she discovers that the school is run by headmaster Michael Carmichael, and she soon becomes the victim of murderous attacks by a one-armed man. However, nobody believes her...It has to be said that the plot runs rather slowly for the first hour, with the hapless victim being attacked a couple of times and facing disbelief from both her husband and the wife of the headmaster. It's always interesting, however, and this slow burning first half soon gives way to a more furious final third, where revelations about the school and its headmaster become the forefront of the story and give way to a delicious double twist. The film features performances from three big stars of British horror - the sinister Ralph Bates is perfect as the husband, while the beautiful and deadly Joan Collins provides an extra dimension and things are topped off in style courtesy of a great performance from Hammer's main man Peter Cushing. Judy Geeson holds her own in the lead role also, and the film certainly doesn't come a cropper on the acting front. It has to be said that the final twist is somewhat predictable considering the film's genre, but it's carried off well and the way that the tale concludes is both clever and exciting. Overall, Fear in the Night might not have gained the same amount of praise as Hammer's more popular offerings - but it's a damn good film and I'm glad I saw it!

A Hammer film from the latter part of the studio's days. A woman with a history of mental illness is beset by visitations of a person in trench-coat & gloves who repeatedly acosts her, but is she just suffering from delusions again? very VERY slow moving.My Grade: C-Extras: just a commentary & the theatrical trailer