The Night Has Eyes
| 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 | 1 June 1942 |
Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £15,000[1] |
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.
Plot
Two young teachers travel to the Yorkshire Moors where their friend disappeared a year before. Before long they have encountered the man they believe to be her murderer.[3] That night, they become stranded in the house where they are staying when a violent storm breaks out.
Cast
- 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
Leonard 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]
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
