Night of the Big Heat (1967)

Truly Dreadful Film

Sadly Over-hyped

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This film features Christopher Lee AND Peter Cushing--two greats of British horror. So, it IS worth seeing. However, I must warn you that the finale is a bit limp.Britain is in the midst of a cold winter. Yet, oddly, despite this there is a small island which sees temperatures in the 90s Fahrenheit...and there doesn't seem to be a logical reason why. Much of the film is a bit soap opera-like, with a writer having serious women problems, but the finale gets to what's really going on...and, sadly, weak special effects undermine what could have been a really interesting finale. Overall, decent acting and a halfway decent story...but sloppy effects even for 1968.By the way, if you are a Bearded Collie owner (I've had quite a few), this film might be the earliest you can find with an example of the breed running about in the film.

It doesn't have the classy look of the British horror movies of the period. But it is still a somewhat entertaining movie from the Golden age of British horror.The movie builds the atmosphere slowly and the monsters are never really shown. In the end though, the actual form may be a little disappointing to people. Remember we are living in the post-Alien age, so this kind of low budget stuff may not be pleasing to the eye. But still the buildup is worth it. It is also nice to see the sweaty sexy ladies and ahem...sexy men as well. They are drenched throughout. This might just end up as a guilty pleasure because of all these aspects. There are constant sexual elements throughout as well. But not much in terms of explicit nudity as expected.Frankly I thought the characters were sexist. The dialogue in the love triangle section was ridiculous and corny and it really hampers what could have been a fairly good sci fi thriller. I did not enjoy the annoying dialogue. This is like a time capsule and I just couldn't relate to it all. The ending is strange as well which reminded me of some recent American movies with abrupt endings.Anyway I enjoyed it.6/10

Despite having a title that makes it sound like a soft core porno film Night of the Big heat is a major disappointment. Fisher not quite the director genius he is now made out to be shows that sci-fi was definitely not his sort of thing. Christopher Lee gives yet another shouty and stiff performance typical of this particular period. Just before The Devil Rides Out and just after Rasputin the Mad Monk he barely gave a decent performance, from the lamentable Fu Manchu films, through euro tripe such as Theatre of Death and Circus of Blood and finally this, it was probably his worst period in his long 60 going on for 70 year career. Many would say the part of Hanson is underwritten and Lee can do very little with it, but look at similar underwritten and poor roles Peter Cushing and Vincent Price were given during their career and they always gave it their best shot, so its no excuse really. Cushing's scenes are limited but he does the best with his small role, even refusing to remove his jacket so he looked different from Lee and Patrick Allen. The real star of this film comes in the shapely form of the sultry Jane Merrow, she simply sparkles with wanton sexuality in this film, pity she never became a bigger star she had what it took for sure.

Spoiler-Peter Cushing does not drive a stake through Christopher Lee's heart in this movie. This is classic science fiction, make no mistake. It has a status quo established among isolated characters, interrupted by eerie events. In this case the status quo is a love triangle with some other interesting British type characters and interesting British atmosphere, not to mention giants Lee and Cushing playing remarkably believable people, particularly Cushing, whose character is so believable in his errors as well as his attributes. The isolation is an island which is burning in doom. The temperature is rising drastically, and the reason is all too clear for those who watch and know it is a horror film, but of course not to the people on the island. The characters make this movie fascinating. And the ending is very provoking. One scene, in particular, in which the gorgeous tramp and a minor male character are trapped with no hope, and the totally unexpected happens in their actions, but it rings of truth in such circumstances. Very suspenseful, very well done. One of the great science fiction movies, and one of the most underrated.