Watch The Night Walker For Free

good back-story, and good acting

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Vic Mizzy's musical notes in this 1964 film sounds exactly the same as the notes of the song "Boy for sale" in the 1968 film "Oliver!" John Green adapted the music and walked away with the Oscar. Nobody seems to have noticed because "The Night Walker" is rarely discussed. Viewing the film a second time after 50 years, this film is still a good thriller and less of a horror film as most people classify it. Very good performances to boot.Few realize that the author of the story wrote "Psycho" directed by Hitchcock, and that the director of the film produced "Rosemary's Baby."

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".

Admittedly the plot is absurd and even on its own unbelievable level, it's full of holes and unexplained incidents, but Castle's direction is more inventive than usual and delivers all the expected shocks with dramatic effectiveness. Barbara Stanwyck in her final theatrical film before confining her appearances to TV, makes a moderately attractive figure – and she certainly screams to chilling effect! However, the acting as a whole could be justly described as little more than adequate. Robert Taylor lets the opportunity to deliver a performance of some depth slip by and is content to drift through the film using his usual surface characterization. Jess Barker is practically unrecognizable in a brief but efficient portrayal as a man from the coroner's office, while Hayden Rorke is submerged in convincingly frightening make-up. The movie's imaginatively designed Prologue has actually little to do with the plot but it does set an appropriately creepy mood. Likewise, Vic Mizzy's music score with its tapping cane leitmotif is powerfully atmospheric. Indeed all the special effects are first class. A pity the movie itself is not wholly successful but it's still worth buying.

Castle follows the Strait-Jacket formula in The Night Walker by casting a couple of former heavyweight champs (Stanwyck and Taylor) and retaining Bloch for another script. Castle's direction is less inspired than Strait-Jacket although the mise-en-scene and depth of field become compelling for creating an ironic sense of claustrophobia and solitude. The opening sequence is sans Castle prologue, but Bloch has written in a poetic voice over address accompanied by a surreal and technically proficient montage sequence. The shot-reverse-shot is sloppy and overt at times and fails to use alternating sound design. There is little alternating shot scale within a scene and few closeups during intense moments. All these elements combined make close psychological identification with characters difficult. Castle keeps the mood eerie through good noir lighting setups, dense smokescreens and mysterious explosions. I wouldn't say that the film follows a dream logic but it shows a significant repression in such a regard and is at least conscious of doing so. This self-reflexive aspect of the film text provokes questions from the spectator which likely aids in retaining engagement given that the pace can lag. The special effects are pretty crumby and the film had no gimmick support. The twists at the end can only be supported through the most convoluted of contrivance, making this film's resolution rather dreary.