The Night Holds Terror Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The Night Holds Terror Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 16, 2019

Note: This film is available as part of Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954-1956.

Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment mined an interesting nonet of features for their Noir Archive Volume 1: 1944-1954, and now a second volume is forthcoming, with another nine outings that show what a reliable purveyor of noir or at least noir-ish films Columbia Studios continued to be through the mid-fifties. As the subtitle for the first volume made clear, that collection spanned a decade, from what was arguably the apex of noir in the mid-forties to the arguably somewhat less fertile era of Eisenhower. This second volume picks up in 1954 and continues forward two years, assembling a rather diverse collection of writers, directors and stars, some of whom at least many would probably consign to the so-called “B list”, though others, like Kim Novak, Jack Finney and even William Castle, certainly have claims to "A list" fame. One way or the other, though, there are some interesting titles in this second collection, and noir fans may well find this as appealing a set as the first outing.

If 5 Against the House (also included in this second volume of noir offerings) might be thought of as a progenitor for the heist film, The Night Holds Terror might be thought of as a relatively early example of the so-called “home invasion thriller”, though in this case that “invasion” begins with the misguided decision by Gene Courtier (Jack Kelly) to pick up a hitchhiker named Victor Gosset (Vince Edwards), which leads to a cataclysmic series of events where Courtier’s entire family is held hostage by Gosset and two of his thug buddies, Robert Batsford (John Cassavetes) and Luther Logan (David Cross). This is a surprisingly tense and pointed film, one which manages to make the most of the Courtier family dynamic while also detailing the various sociopathic and/or psychological issues inherent in the three bad guys. While the cast is certainly notable (including Hildy Parks as Mrs. Courtier), it’s the involvement of married couple Andrew L. Stone (who wrote, produced and directed) and Virginia L. Stone (who edited) which might raise at least a few cineaste eyebrows. The Stones each had rather interesting film careers over the span of many decades, but they may be remembered best for two of the all time fiascos in the waning days of the big budget roadshow film musical, 1970’s Song of Norway and the 1972 remake of The Great Waltz.

The Night Holds Terror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Night Holds Terror is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This is another somewhat variable looking presentation that can offer rather good detail levels and general clarity in its best moments, but which can then falter somewhat with some kind of odd degraded looking sequences (including a bunch of moments in the Courtier house, as in circa 44:42). This is another fairly grainy looking presentation, where some of the shots toward skies can look somewhat gritty. There's also recurrent damage in the form of scratches and flecks, though nothing I'd term major. My score is 3.25.

The Night Holds Terror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Night Holds Terror features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track which suffices perfectly well for a film that features not just narration (in the opening) but also voiceover for Kelly's character. The opening of the film almost reminded me of the old Quinn Martin detective shows, since the narrator announces all of the stars, detailing the three bad guys as a "unit" of villains of sorts. There's some good ambient environmental sounds that help develop a realistic environment in several of the outdoor scenes, and dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout the film.

The Night Holds Terror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

None of the three discs in this set feature any supplements.

The Night Holds Terror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Night Holds Terror was supposedly based on a real story (the film begins with a still photograph supposedly showing the real family involved), and it's an unusually tense and effective "little" film. The procedural element that intrudes toward the end, including a fun look at how they used to trace phone calls, also gives this film an imprimatur of authenticity. Video is variable, but audio is fine, and The Night Hold Terror comes Recommended.