preppy-3
Ellen Wheeler (Elizabeth Taylor) is stuck in a loveless marriage with John Wheeler (Laurence Harvey). There's also a deserted mansion right next door to her. One dark and stormy night she sees a dead body in that house. She's terrified and calls the police. They come but find nothing. Her husband and best friend Sarah (Billie Whitelaw) try to convince her she was seeing things but she's positive it was there. Soon she can't sleep or eat and is slowly going mad.This starts out pretty bad. The dialogue is terrible and the basic setup is VERY obvious. However it slowly gets better. It is slow-moving but it has a spooky atmosphere, the script improves as the film goes on and Taylor, Harvey and Whitelaw give out great performances. Any faults the film has are forgiven by the ending which has TWO twists and an incredibly bloody murder (this would not get a PG today). Worth seeing for the acting alone. Also this is Liz's only horror film and Harvey's second to last movie. Mild but worth catching at least once.
moonspinner55
Elizabeth Taylor stars in this movie adaptation of Lucille Fletcher's play, which was accused of lifting elements from Patrick Hamilton's play "Gaslight"; while true in a sense, the picture often resembles another, similar woman-in-distress thriller, "Midnight Lace" (replacing phone calls with maybe-maybe not dead bodies). A married woman in England, haunted by a ghoulish memory from her past, suffers from insomnia and loneliness; her husband is always working, her best girlfriend runs around with married men, and she's left alone in a big house with a backyard that faces the the rear of a deserted mansion. During a thunderstorm one night, our heroine sees a dead body in one of the neighboring windows (the viewer certainly doesn't, which is a crafty touch courtesy of director Brian G. Hutton). Not-bad vehicle for La Liz might have stood a stronger production, as the overall results are muddy-looking and cheap. Still, we never lose interest in the main character, as Taylor acquits herself well in these shuddery circumstances. It all may seem overly-familiar to movie-buffs, though it features a twist near the climax which I didn't see coming. **1/2 from ****
The_Void
Being a big fan of British horror and seventies horror, I went into this film with marginally high expectations; but unfortunately, Night Watch is just too similar to any number of other films, and since the plot isn't really carried off with any panache, the film doesn't have enough about it to make much of an impact. The plot is the familiar story of a woman who believes she's seen someone killed and upon trying to make others believe her eyes, finds herself being labelled insane. Elizabeth Taylor is the film's strongest asset in the lead role, but even her strong performance and good looks aren't enough to save the film. The plot mostly just drones on and, to be honest, by the time it reached the end, I wasn't really bothered what the outcome to the story would turn out to be, and that isn't a mark of a successful thriller! Director Brian G. Hutton does manage the odd atmospheric moment and the style of the film is spot-on; but the positive elements aren't enough to make the film good and overall I really wouldn't recommend anyone track this film down.
spacejaz
I was 13 when this movie was made and living in Australia it was probably about 2 years after its release that we got to see it. SO I was about 15 or 16 and had seen plenty of thriller movies before this one. I loved it so much I went back and saw it another 3 times. Seeing Liz Taylor in a completely vicious role at the end of the movie did it for me. Clever plot, good acting, very graphic in the double murder scene and haunting images throughout the movie.I just found it available on Amazon and bought it for "old time sake". I'm now 46. Will be interesting to see if it has stood the test of time as far as thrill factor goes. I'm just so glad I found it after all these years. Let you know after I have re- watched it.
AD
