The Night Holds Terror

Directed by Andrew L. Stone, The Night Holds Terror follows three criminals (John Cassavetes’ Robert, Vince Edwards’ Victor, and David Cross’ Luther) as they hold a couple (Jack Kelly’s Gene and Hildy Parks’ Doris) and their two kids hostage overnight. It’s a solid premise that’s employed to erratic yet generally rewarding effect by Stone, although it’s clear, ultimately, that The Night Holds Terror doesn’t wholeheartedly get going until around the midway mark – with the picture, up to that point, suffering from a vibe of pointed familiarity that’s compounded by its rough-around-the-edges atmosphere (eg several shots are almost distractingly out of focus). The strong performances, especially Cassavetes’ menacing turn as the gang’s ruthless leader, prove effective at sustaining one’s interest even through the picture’s more overtly underwhelming stretches, and it’s clear, as well, that Stone does a solid job of punctuating the proceedings with a handful of impressively tense interludes and sequences (eg Gene attempts to work up the nerve to stab one of the intruders with a pair of scissors). There’s little doubt, then, that The Night Holds Terror‘s eventual transformation into a police procedural paves the way for a second half rife with unexpectedly hypnotic stretches, including the path an APB takes before hitting the airwaves and the frantic efforts to trace a pivotal telephone call, which does, when coupled with a satisfying finale, cement the movie’s place as an ahead-of-its-time thriller that offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek into 1950s police work.

*** out of ****

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