Thursday, July 15, 2010

Movie review – “Nightmare” (1964) **1/2 (warning: spoilers)

Jimmy Sangster was running out of plot twists for his psycho thrillers by this time. Once again some nasty types are driving to drive a girl insane – in this case, a teenager (Jennie Linden) who saw mum kill dad years ago. Of course she’s in line to inherit money and of course there’s an executor who’s dodgy and in cahoots with a lover. As in Taste of Fear, Sangster switches the protagonist for the last act, removing Linden and centering on baddies Moira Redmond and David Knight.
Story-wise this doesn’t have a lot to recommend it; the last lacks star power and presence (though everyone does a professional job, particularly Linden). It does have a lot of visual flourish, however – lots of poking around a house at night-time – with some jolts (mostly involving stabbing). I’m correct in that Linden actually kills someone, aren’t I? And she’s meant to get out of hospital in a couple of months at the end because she’s better?

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