Night Slaves (1970)

I wanted to but couldn't!

Better Late Then Never

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

When the film begins, the Howards are involved in a serious car accident. Clay Howard (James Franciscus) is badly injured and required a steel plate in his head*. After his recovery, the couple go on a vacation--a road trip to unwind and relax after this incident. Their trip takes them to a strange little town where everything appears totally normal by day...but at night the townspeople become zombies and disappear on trucks bound for who knows where! When he tries to investigate, he finds a force field is in place and he cannot penetrate it. Apparently he's unaffected by whatever or whoever is controlling everyone due to his steel plate...but why? What is this all about and are these people, including Clay's wife, safe?!I liked this made for TV film because it was original and quite strange. The only apprehension I have is about the ending. I didn't mind it but it does leave the viewer a tad confused as to really what happened after all. I didn't mind this...some might. Still, it is a neat little film and I found a copy of it on YouTube....though, sadly, the print was pretty terrible. If you like other supernatural made for TV films such as "The Stranger Within" (with Barbara Eden), "Dont' Be Afraid of the Dark" (with Kim Darby) or "Crowhaven Farm" (with Hope Lange), then you will most likely enjoy "Night Slaves".*I did find it silly that the husband looked not only okay following getting a metal plate in his head but he was STILL the very handsome James Franciscus! No scars...nothing!

Night Slaves (1970)** (out of 4)Clay Howard (James Franciscus) survives a tragic car wreck that sadly killed the people in the other car. Him and his wife (Lee Grant) decide to get out of town for a while and they end up in a small town out West where he soon begins to think something isn't quite right. At night the townspeople get loaded onto a large truck but in the morning only Clay can remember what happened.NIGHT SLAVES is a pretty bland made-for-television horror film that simply doesn't have too much going for it. Often times these movies were extremely well-made by people who wanted to do something fresh and original. Other times these movies just seemed to be rushed so that they could have something on air by a certain date. Everyone here just seems to be going by the numbers and the cast appear to just be picking up a paycheck.The biggest problem is that there's really not enough done with the central story. I won't ruin why the people are being loaded into the trucks but it's not the greatest storyline out there and I'd argue that there's no suspense gained from it. Both Franciscus and Grant are pretty much going through the motions and even Leslie Nielson is wasted as the Sheriff. NIGHT SLAVES remains partially watchable if you enjoy these types of movies but there's certainly nothing special about it.

A businessman Clay Howard is involved in a car accident. As part of his recuperation process he and his wife go on a vacation to a remote village. Later, in the night, Howard observes everyone, including his wife, leave the town in trucks like somnambulists. He then tries to find out why.Night Slaves is another of a subset of American 70's TV movies whose objective was partially to chill its audience. Obviously its television restrictions mean that it can only go so far but it does have a nicely mysterious undercurrent that keeps things interesting. This one certainly goes into fairly unexpected territory when the source of the mystery is discovered to be aliens who have become stranded on Earth. They invade the bodies of the townspeople in order to make them repair their damaged spaceship. It's not ultimately the most interesting solution to the puzzle to be perfectly honest but the film does have an interesting ambiance in the lead up, while it does end on an ending that could almost be described as poetic. Of additional note is the fact that it features Leslie Neilson as the sheriff in a pre-comedy role, which always feels a bit unintentionally surreal nowadays.

So this one middle class businessman seeming type named Clay Howard wants to drop out of the rat race, and after a little celebration, Splat! Ka-pow!, near fatal car crash. He winds up with a metal plate in his head and his wife and he go on a bit of a recuperation vacation. Stopping in a small town, they stay a couple of nights, enjoy pleasant rural company and good food at the local diner, purchase a lovely Art Deco lamp for a song at a local antiques store, then head on their way having experienced a delightful rest in rural Americana. Actually, there's weird sh!t going on. Sorry to disappoint fans of films about cookery and antiquing, this probably isn't for you. Though thinking about it, like cookery and antiquing it does offer some interest and mild thrills, so maybe it is a good recommendation. But yeah, weird sh!t is going on. I have to give Night Slaves some credit, it goes for some thing different to the many devil cult/political conspiracy/murder set up explanations so popular at the time, though not entirely original it does make a nice change. Also interestingly, the mystery of what's going on plays out with intrigue rather than menace, an enticing but inconsequential puzzle that largely avoids the standard escalating paranoid tension. It's a film favouring reason and acceptance, an approach that raises some moral problems that are never resolved but does give it a nicely unconventional yet very much of its time vibe. On the other hand the general lack of tension means that the film is far more likely to bore people, and the actors have to work harder. Happily the cast do well in selling events, James Franciscus may not bring much depth to Clay but his matinée good looks and easy charm make him a pleasant protagonist, and he is neatly balanced out by Lee Grant as his fretful and nervous wife, cagily watching a situation play out that she never even intended getting into in the first place. The two have good chemistry and an effective charge to their more dramatic moments, and the rest of the cast support them well, most notably Leslie Nielsen as the local Sheriff, a sturdy and realistic type who wants no trouble, just to get to the bottom of things, as well as oddball character acting legend Andrew Prine as a local weirdo who ends up playing a bigger role than expected and the lovely Tisha Sterling as a mysterious girl who may hold the key to proceedings. So the cast and the general interest of the film hold it together for a pretty solid 70 minutes or so, but it isn't the most memorable, thought provoking or exciting of films. Probably only recommended to science fiction and made for television buffs, and not at all bad as such, just a little above average.