The Night Has Eyes, released in the United States as Terror House by Producers Releasing Corporation and re-released in the US by Cosmopolitan Pictures in 1949 as Moonlight Madness, is a 1942 British thriller film directed by Leslie Arliss starring James Mason, Joyce Howard, Wilfrid Lawson, Mary Clare.[2] and Tucker McGuire. It is based on the 1939 novel of the same title by Alan Kennington.
| The Night Has Eyes | |
|---|---|
 1949 US re-release film poster | |
| Directed by | Leslie Arliss |
| Written by | Leslie Arliss John Argyle |
| Based on | The Night Has Eyes by Alan Kennington |
| Produced by | John Argyle |
| Starring | James Mason Wilfrid Lawson Mary Clare Joyce Howard |
| Cinematography | Günther Krampf |
| Edited by | Flora Newton |
| Music by | Charles Williams |
| Distributed by | Pathé Pictures International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £15,000[1] |
Plot
editTwo young female teachers travel to the Yorkshire Moors where their friend had disappeared a year before, and it is not long before they encounter a man they believe to be her murderer.[3] That night, a violent storm breaks out, and they become stranded in the house where they are staying.
Cast
edit- James Mason as Stephen Deremid
- Wilfrid Lawson as Jim Sturrock
- Joyce Howard as Marian Ives
- Mary Clare as Mrs. Ranger
- Tucker McGuire as Doris
- John Fernald as Doctor Barry Randall
- Dorothy Black as Miss Fenwick
- Amy Dalby as Miss Miggs
Critical reception
editLeonard Maltin called the film an "OK mystery";[4] Allmovie called it a "taut British chiller";[5] and TV Guide wrote "though melodramatic and soundstage-bound, Terror House is still quite effective and eerie. Fog covers almost every exterior; cinematographer Gunther Krampf spent long periods getting the artificial fog at just the right density...The final film was almost too effective, and after initially getting an A rating from the British censor and being booked on the biggest cinema circuit in Britain, the rating was suddenly changed to H (for "Horrific"), making it off-limits for anyone under 16 years of age. The big circuits had a policy of showing only A films, so the independent cinemas became the big winners, getting an excellent thriller starring Mason, Britain's top leading man at the time."[6]
References
edit- ^ Wood, Alan (1952). Mr. Rank a Study of J.Arthur Rank and British Films. p. 106.
- ^ Space_Mafune (1 June 1942). "The Night Has Eyes (1942)". IMDb.
- ^ "The Night Has Eyes". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
- ^ "Night Has Eyes, The (1942) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
- ^ Hal Erickson. "The Night Has Eyes (1942) - Leslie Arliss - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "Terror House". TVGuide.com.
External links
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