| The Hand of Night | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster; | |
| Directed by | Frederic Goode |
| Written by | Bruce Stewart |
| Produced by | Harry Field |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | William Jordan |
| Edited by | John Blair (supervising) |
| Music by | John Shakespeare |
| Production company | Associated British Pathé |
| Release date |
|
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
The Hand of Night (also known as Beast of Morocco ) is a 1968 British horror film directed by Frederic Goode and starring William Sylvester, Diane Clare and Aliza Gur. It was written by Bruce Stewart.
Plot
Paul Carver is an Englishman who has recently lost his wife and children in a car accident. Waking from a nightmare, we find Carver on a plane traveling to Morocco, where he attempts to meet with a doctor, only to discover that the doctor has died. In despair, Carver ends up at the home of a German archaeologist, Otto Gunther, whom he met on the plane. It is here, in the midst of a party, that Carver first encounters the two women who will determine his destiny: Gunther's assistant, Chantal, and the mysterious Marissa. Grieving the loss of his loved ones and crippled by survivor's guilt, Carver must choose between life, represented by Chantal, and death, represented by Marissa.
Cast
- William Sylvester as Paul Carver
- Diane Clare as Chantal
- Aliza Gur as Marisa
- Edward Underdown as Gunther
- Terence De Marney as Omar
- William Dexter as Leclerc
- Sylvia Marriott as Mrs Petty
- Avril Sadler as Mrs Carver
- Angela Lovell as air hostess
- Maria Hallowi as nurse
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The pink mist that billows from the eye socket of a skull throughout the opening credits augurs both the pretensions and the weaknesses of this rather dull exercise in the macabre. Despite some sterling decomposition work by the make-up department, the film relies heavily on old Hammer production tricks without contributing any original variations of its own; and the story is not helped by the portentous rhetoric of lines like "I too have lived in the shadows". William Sylvester leads the group of sweat-streaked humans battling indomitably against the unknown – in this case a species of lily-livered vampirism that would make Dracula turn in his shallow grave."
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "Awkwardly combining the Dracula myth with middle-eastern mummy motifs, but bringing nothing of its own to the terror table except exotic locations, this tedious sub-Hammer horror filler is further eroded by bland performances."
References
- "Beast of Morocco (1966) - Frederic Goode - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- "The Hand of Night". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- "The Hand of Night (1968)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- John Hamilton, The British Independent Horror Film 1951-70, Hemlock Books, 2013, p. 171-174
- Craig, Rob (15 February 2019). American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography. McFarland. p. 55,115. ISBN 978-1-4766-3522-4.
- "The Hand of Night". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 35 (408): 180. 1 January 1968 – via ProQuest.
- Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 397. ISBN 9780992936440.