Main Cast: Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, Judi Meredith, Hayden Rorke, Rochelle Hudson
Release Year: 1964
Country: US
Run Time: 86 minutes
Plot
Irene Trent (Barbara Stanwyck) was married to the inventor Howard (Hayden Roarke) before the blind electronics genius blows himself up following an argument between the couple. Irene leaves after the arguments only to learn of her husband's demise later. When Irene has reoccurring dreams of a faceless lover, she confides in her friend and attorney Barry Moreland (Robert Taylor) of her vision. She also tells him that Howard had accused her of marital infidelity and had her trailed by a private detective. William Castle directed the suspenseful thriller written by Psycho author Robert Bloch. Taylor and Stanwyck appear in their first film together in 27 years. The two were married from 1939 to 1951 and appeared in two films before their marriage. Their mutual respect as friends and performers is evident in The Night Walker. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review
William Castle's The Night Walker is pure schlock, but it's the kind of schlock that's difficult to resist. Clearly inspired by the runaway success of such films as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? on the one hand and Psycho on the other, The Night Walker is neither as deliciously over-the-top as the former nor as masterfully frightening as the latter. Robert Bloch, who wrote the book upon which Psycho was based, has here penned a screenplay that's full of plot holes you could drive a hearse through. Worse, the dialogue is stilted and unbelievable. Fortunately, William Castle clearly couldn't care less; he has a field day going for the cheap scares, and so lovingly (if obviously) sets up his "fright pieces" that the viewer is generally willing to go along with him. However, even Castle's enthusiasm wears thin after a while, and even Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor, who make the most of this familiar material, can't keep the film from sagging in places. Stanwyck, especially, gives it her all, but she can't quite rise to the camp heights that, say, Joan Crawford would have attained in the role. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Walker is Vic Muzzy's atmospheric, characterful score, which makes especially deft use of a harpsichord for surprisingly chilling effect. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Marjorie Bennett - Manager; Jess Barker - Malone; Tetsu Komai - Gardener; Ted Durant - Narrator; Lloyd Bochner - The Man in the Dream; Paulie Clark - Pat; Kathleen Mulqueen - Customer
Credit
Frank Arrigo - Art Director, Alexander Golitzen - Art Director, Helen Colvig - Costume Designer, William Castle - Director, Edwin H. Bryant - Editor, Vic Mizzy - Composer (Music Score), Joseph E. Gershenson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Bud Westmore - Makeup, Dick Blair - Makeup, Carl Silvera - Makeup, Harold E. Stine - Cinematographer, William Castle - Producer, Julia Heron - Set Designer, John McCarthy - Set Designer, Charles Spurgeon - Special Effects, Robert Bloch - Screenwriter, Elizabeth Kata - Short Story Author
