vincentlynch-moonoi
As I look back toward my youth in the 1950s and 1960s, there are a handful of films that I remember most -- "Gone With The Wind", "Ben Hur", a few other greats...and this one. Now that's odd, because this is a suspense film done on the cheap (and to some extent, it shows). But I was attracted to the presence of two formerly married actors (Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck) getting back together to star in a film together...and I love a GOOD horror film. What surprised me even more was that as I watched this film 50 years later, how much of the film I actually remembered. However, as is often the case, the film isn't near as good as I remembered it being Robert Taylor was looking almost old here, although Barbara Stanwyck was still quite beautiful. Taylor's performance is good enough, although for some reason in the early half of the film he has an odd smirk on his face that I just don't understand. Stanwyck is good throughout. This was Stanwyck's last film, but Taylor made a few more.The other key player here was Llodd Bochner, and oddly handsome actor. It's not a particularly memorable role. It was his second film. After a few years he spent more time on the small screen.It's a decent who-done-it, and hardly a horror film, although that's the way it's often pegged. Perhaps "suspense" is a better descriptor. The new DVD release is decent, though there is some deterioration of the negative, though not enough to affect one's viewing of the film. To be honest, and to my surprise, I ditched the DVD after watching it once...just not as good as I remembered. A modest "7".
moonspinner55
Wealthy widow in Los Angeles dreams of a handsome mystery man who romances her--also of the walking corpse of her blind husband, who may not have perished in an explosion as she was told. Robert Bloch was the writer William Castle wanted to work with most. Bloch, who helped bring new shocks to the screen with his script for "Psycho" in 1960, came up with a fairly straightforward thriller here, one that producer-director Castle then marketed his own way ("Are you afraid of the things that can come out of your dreams...Lust. Murder. Secret Desires?"). However, just because "The Night Walker" is relatively gimmick-free doesn't mean it's a washout. Far from it, as Barbara Stanwyck is very good in the leading role, creating a savvy, quick-thinking businesswoman who is also prone to screaming fits (the latter trait doesn't quite pay off, as Stanwyck just isn't a Scream Queen). Eerie thriller on a low budget has a quietly menacing ambiance that is intriguing. Vic Mizzy contributes one of his finest background scores to the film, and the cast is full of pros, including Robert Taylor, Stanwyck's real-life ex-husband. The kitschy opening about the world of dreams is pure William Castle (and has next-to-nothing in common with the movie that follows), but there are many amazing sequences here to cherish. Good fun! *** from ****
bkoganbing
William Castle was always one for gimmicks to get attention for his product. Whether it was those tinted glasses for 13 Ghosts or those insurance policies for Macabre, Castle always had a keen eye for publicity. For The Night Walker he did things the more conventional Hollywood way, he reunited two stars from Hollywood's golden age of the studio who happened to be married to each other at one time.This was done once before, for William Powell and Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey. The trade papers were buzzing about how the former marrieds would get on. Actually they did and they produced a classic motion picture comedy.Would that The Night Walker did the same for Taylor and Stanwyck. Neither was especially fond of the project although they behaved professionally whether the cameras were rolling or not. I agree with a previous reviewer, you either love the film or you can't understand it. I belong in the latter category.Barbara is a beauty parlor owner married to a really creepy blind guy in Hayden Rorke. He's got the idea she's cheating on him and with his attorney Robert Taylor. Later on he's killed in an explosion in the house. After that Stanwyck starts having nightmares, so much so she can't tell reality from dream. The audience has some problems in that regard as well.A really talented cast milks whatever entertainment value can be gotten from The Night Walker. Let's just say that at the end of the proceedings only one is left to tell the tale, a tale the police are going to have a lot of problems believing.Castle puts his usual chilling atmosphere on the proceedings. But I assure you if you think about the plot the whole thing is quite ridiculous.
Neil Doyle
The best thing one can say about THE NIGHT STALKER is that the ending is entirely unpredictable. Of course, it's also entirely unbelievable for the wind-up to a tale that really loses all credibility when you start to examine it.BARBARA STANWYCK does her best to put some professional zing into her role of a woman who dreams too much and ROBERT TAYLOR, as an overly concerned lawyer friend, does his best to make things believable, but the script by Robert Bloch defies reasoning. The trick results are more perplexing than frightening. It's the sort of deceptive thriller that should have been much better written and directed, especially when stars like Stanwyck and Taylor were assigned to it.The opening segment is an expressionistic montage of the dream world that has a certain fascination and promise. But what follows is an extremely artificial tale involving the woman's blind and jealous husband, her concerned lawyer and a muddled mixture of nightmares that plague the woman until the deceptive revelation at the end.Stanwyck and Taylor have clearly seen better days, but fans of the stars will no doubt enjoy seeing them coasting along on their former reputations in a horror film not really worthy of them.
AD
