In a time of mindless giant robot fighting films, explosions and car chases, rendered on banks of servers, When Night Falls is a breath of fresh air.Made for around US$10,000 and shot over 10 days (according to the Directors Commentary on the DVD), this film achieves what the mega budget films so often fail to do.The story is a good old fashioned thriller, reminiscent of the classics. A suspect, a few red herrings thrown in and an atmospheric location all contribute to an enjoyable experience.Director Galvin was certainly ambitious with the given budget, by placing the story in 1932 New Zealand. However, it paid off. The period costumes, cars and locations are spot on, and add to the 'classic thriller' feeling.This film is NOT going to appeal to the teenage boys who hunger for hard bodies draped over the bonnets of alien transforming robot cars....It WILL certainly be appreciated and enjoyed by the more discerning film goer, not only for the story, but for the work and effort Galvin has put into the film, an obvious labour of love.

Effective period thriller set in New Zealand about a killer on the loose murdering young nurses in the community.After murdering three unfortunate women the murderer zeros in on young Nurse Louise Williams, who is caring for a patient in his estate outside of town. But we don't know who the killer is! From the very beginning, the suspense begins to build, while at the same time Louise's character immediately attracts and holds our concern and sympathy. The combination works very well, and while you're never sure what else is going on, or which of the other characters can be trusted, you know that Louise is in danger and that you care about her.Some of the plot developments probably are somewhat implausible, but the story and atmosphere are crafted so effectively that you never notice while watching.Anyone who enjoys classic thrillers should make sure to see "When Night Falls".

To be honest, it was nice to see a locally made film, independent at that, making a refreshing spin on a suspense thriller of bygone days but in a modern style. Well worth watching, and beautifully produced.Certainly this film has been a labor of love, as this is seen in the way all the actors came across in the film. At times the way the film was shot, you felt at times that you in the actors shoes and were actually experiencing the film.Other times you felt the influences of Steven King, and all the other old masters of the suspense genre style, through out the film in the way it was shot. I can see this cast and crew go forward onto bigger and better productions. It is sometimes hard to realize that this is a first full length feature film they have made, and also having the hard task of writing the script producing and directing this all on a shoe string budget.Plus shooting the whole film in just 10 days. I shall wait with baited breath to see how the next project produced goes, will it or will it not be a follow on. I suppose only time will tell

Call me a wimp, but this film really scared me!!I can't remember the last time I was so on edge in movie theatre. Right from the first scene in the hospital ward (which made me and my friends jump out of our seats), there's a feeling of real dread and terror. And things just keep getting darker...I think the main reason the film works so well is because the director realises that what we don't see can be much scarier than what we do see. The villain is only exposed near the very end, but you can feel his presence in every scene.The other great strength of the film is its music. It's very beautiful, but also unsettling and very haunting.The only weakness, I think, is at the end where the suspense gets replaced by non-stop action. It was all well shot and staged, but I think the suspense worked better! We can see action like that in any slasher film.