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(aka "The Dream Killer")

 

directed by William Castle
 USA 1964

Another frightening film from the mind of Robert Bloch, author of Psycho.

Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor, reteaming for their first film following their divorce(!), star in this intense thriller about a wealthy widow who is haunted by her husband and seduced by a handsome stranger: all in her dreams.

Following the death of her millionaire husband, Howard (Hayden Rorke), Irene Trent (Stanwyck) endures dreams so real and terrifying, that she finds herself trapped in an eerie world existing between fact and fantasy. Isolated from the world by her husband’s possessive nature, Irene feels there is no one she can turn to except for his personal attorney (Taylor), the only visitor Howard ever allowed to the house. But even as her dreams begin to take vivid shape, Irene begins to walk into a very real nightmare of deception, murder and betrayal."

***

Some Women crave furs and diamonds. Some crave money. Some crave love. But the woman who is the central character in William Castle's "The Night Walker" only craves a good night's sleep.

It seems that the woman keeps having this weird dream in which a strange man pays court to her, trying to woo her away from her blind husband, who is the jealous type.

Well, one night after her husband has disappeared in an explosion and fire, this strange man turns up again in a bad dream and takes her on a chilling escapade. He takes her to an undertaker's chapel and there insists that she marry him, in the presence of a group of wax dummies and a model of her burn-scarred husband waiting to leap at her from behind a door.

Excerpt from the NY Times located HERE

Poster

Theatrical Premiere: December 30th, 1964

 

Reviews                                                               More Reviews                                                       DVD Reviews

 

DVD Review: Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Box Cover

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Distribution

Shout! Factory

Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:25:47.600
Video

Disc Size: 23,961,118,112 bytes

Feature Size: 22,534,754,304 bytes

Average Bitrate: 30.99 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate

Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1988 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1988 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles English (SDH), None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Shout! Factory

 

Disc Size: 23,961,118,112 bytes

Feature Size: 22,534,754,304 bytes

Average Bitrate: 30.99 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:
• NEW Audio Commentary With Author/Film Historian Steve Haberman
• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:30)
• Original Radio Spot (1:01)
• Still Gallery

DVD Release Date: February 20th, 2018
Keep Case

Chapters 25

 

 

 

Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Shout! Factory's transfer is cited as a "NEW HD Transfer From The Interpostive", which doesn't mean a lot I suppose but the image is quite pleasing - dark with plenty of grain. Shout! Factory's single-layered Blu-ray transfer is in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and contrast is adequately layered. The 1080P transfer has an appealing film-like sense to it and I enjoyed the HD presentation with some solid detail and only a few speckles. 

DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel (24-bit.). The score is a remarkable part of the film experience by Vic Mizzy (Don Knott's favorites like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and The Love God as well as the theme to the TV series Green Acres and much more) There are optional, yellow, English subtitles on the Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

Shout! Factory offer a new audio commentary with film historian Steve Haberman (author of Silent Screams: The History of the Silent Horror Film.) He exports many revealing details about the production, author Robert Bloch, Stanwyck, Montgomery, Castle, Torontonian Lloyd Bochner and especially on the impressive score by Vic Mizzy. There are also references to Wes Craven. Unfortunately, it wasn't mixed in well with the film's audio and as Haberman pauses - as he does for some long stretches - for us to appreciate the score or scene's dialogue - we can't hear it. It was still an educational pleasure. There is also a trailer, two radio spots and a gallery.

This is an entertaining Castle horror with a typically inventive opening sequences plus an equally bizarre dream scene - and I've certainly never head Barbara Stanwyck scream so often or so loudly - as described by Haberman in the commentary - equal to Fay Wray in King Kong! It has the 'twist' ending too boot.  The Shout! Factory Blu-ray is decent with the commentary - despite it's poor mix - and fans of Stanwyck talents and Castle's unique horror output will appreciate it the most. Recommended at a reasonable price.

  - Gary Tooze

 


 

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Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 



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