Night of Fear (film)

Night of Fear is a 1972 Australian horror film, directed by Terry Bourke. It was written by Bourke and produced by Rod Hay. Its theme and style bears a resemblance to the horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, released two years later. The film is notable for having no dialogue or character names. It has been called "the first Australian horror movie of the renaissance".[1]

Night of Fear
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTerry Bourke
Produced byRod Hay
Written byTerry Bourke
StarringNorman Yemm
Carla Hoogeveen
CinematographyPeter Hendry
Edited byRay Alchin
Production
company
Terryrod
Distributed byUmbrella Entertainment (2005 DVD)
Release date
March 18 1973
Running time
50 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

Plot

A young woman crashes her car on a lonely country road and is terrorised by a crazed hermit.

Cast

Production

The film was shot over twelve days in mid 1972. It was originally intended to be a pilot for TV series called Fright. The Australian Broadcasting Commission provided a crew and 35mm production facilities in exchange for television rights.[2]

Release

The film was initially banned in Australia by the OFLC.[3][4] The makers of Night of Fear appealed to the review board and it was released in November 1972 with an 'R' (18+) rating.[3] It has since been re-classified 'M' (15+).[5]

The film enjoyed a profitable run in independent cinemas and drive ins.[2]

Home media

The film was released on DVD alongside fellow Australian horror film Inn of the Damned (also directed by Bourke) by Umbrella Entertainment on 16 March 2005.[5]

Critical reception

AllMovie wrote, "Night of Fear is a potent, no-frills little shocker that is likely to delight fans of vintage horror", complimenting its "excellent use of whiplash-speed editing, bizarre camera angles and a densely layered soundtrack to create a consistently unnerving atmosphere."[6]

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References
  1. Goldsmith, Ben; Lealand, Geoff (15 December 2010). Directory of World Cinema: Australia & New Zealand. Intellect Books. p. 190. ISBN 1841503738. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  2. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998 p269
  3. "Night of Fear (1972) | Censor | Refused-Classification.com". refused-classification.com. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  4. "Appeal on film ban deferred". The Canberra Times. 14 November 1972. p. 3. Retrieved 14 July 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Umbrella Entertainment – INN OF THE DAMNED/NIGHT OF FEAR (Double Feature)". umbrellaent.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  6. Guarisco, Donald. "Night of Fear (1972) - Review - AllMovie". AllMovie. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
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