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The Night Walker (1964)

One of the last of the great William Castle’s horror/schlock masterpieces from the 60s. This one doesn’t have quite the tongue-in-cheek humor of some of his earlier efforts like “The Tingler”, or even “Homicidal”, but it’s still worth looking into. Barbara Stanwyck’s acting is solid in this film, although her screaming-hacking cough borders on the ridiculous after awhile.

There are, however, two excellent sequences in this film that are not to be missed. One is the expressionistic prolouge, narrated by Paul Frees in his recognizably sinister voice, and the other is the late-night marriage ceremony, which is also eerie and well done.

Another great facet of this movie is the music score by Vic Mizzy. Mizzy did many excellent scores to minor films during the 60s, but this one is perhaps his very best one. It adds greatly to the film’s atmosphere and suspense.