The Night Caller (1966)

Just what I expected

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

One of a handful of low-budget, British science fiction thrillers which came out at the same time (INVASION was another) and effectively portraying man's encounter with the first of an invading alien force. THE NIGHT CALLER is a low-key chiller, short on action but high on suspense. An adept cast work their hardest to bring life to their lines, which are unfortunately mired in scientific jargon, yet the film works because the plot shift from a Quatermass-style military investigation to a mildly sleazy "missing girl" mystery comes as a welcome surprise.This is an undeniably British film, what with its stiff, impeccable accents and stuffy police investigation, yet the American influence is clear. John Saxon is the charismatic and imported American lead, who brings what life he can to his stuffy lines. Despite being a thriller more mature than its American counterparts, the producers of this still couldn't resist throwing in a tacky, "monster" claw-hand which is seen briefly coming through some doorways, to mixed effect.THE NIGHT CALLER does threaten to become occasionally boring due to the lack of action, but the short running time thankfully dispels this. Things pick up for a police "stake-out" at the film's finale, which results in the unexpected death of one of the leading protagonists. Along with this, the conclusion is also unusually downbeat, with the alien visitor getting away with his crimes and returning to his home planet.There is much to enjoy in this film, not least the efforts of a sterling cast. Patricia Haines is good value as the sturdy female lead and makes an interesting team with Saxon. Also around are Maurice Denham (as a scientist) and John Carson (shortly before his success as the evil squire in THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES) as a military major who helps out. The familiar faces of Jack Watson and Warren Mitchell pad out the cast, the latter appearing in a clever comic scene where he is interviewed, with his wife, by the police.The alien in this film is kept in the shadows for much of the running time, which is a good thing because the final revelation of his appearance is a disappointingly human one. To keep things moving, a few staples are thrown in - a car chase, a sleazy interview with a homosexual porn shop worker - as well as a load of unused scientific equipment in the background of some scenes to give them a realistic look. The film is shot in stark black and white, and good use is made of shadows and lighting. I've also watched the colourised version which doesn't have quite the same impact. John Gilling's assured direction serves up a few chills and a sense of real urgency in places but the low budget means that this is no classic. It is, however, an intriguing oddity, and well worth watching for fans of the period.

Transmutation of matter…that is what this alien "spectrometer" from space (actually the third moon of Jupiter, to be exact) that has landed near London can do and has brought to Earth a savage, but super intelligent alien lifeform with claws, wearing a mask (it is theorized that he uses a breathing apparatus, worn underneath a black leather mask), speaking eloquently with a smooth, soothing English accent that didn't evoke a sense of sinister. English lovelies, answering an advertisement for Bikini Magazine, start vanishing once the alien lifeform escapes a British military base, orchestrating his crimes from a hidden room inside a building labeled Orion Enterprises. Where are the ladies taken and can the local authorities, specifically Scotland Yard, stop the alien from possibly bringing an invasion to destroy human life? Less about the action, more about science and investigation, "The Night Caller" operates as serious science fiction, without too much emphasis on silly looking monsters, instead focusing on the whereabouts of the transported alien, his motives, and trying to locate/save missing young women with designs on being models. Notable for featuring a young John Saxon as a scientist, one of three, trying to learn as much about the device (that has a spherical shape, said to be of silicate substance, cold and having been led to our planet and settled with perfect precision) and Jupiter 3's visitor as possible, resulting in tragedy. Ends, to me, grimly, in regards to the abducted girls, and troublingly says that an advanced alien race can land on our planet and take from us if they so desire. Aubrey Morris (A Clockwork Orange) has a memorable supporting turn as a sleaze who is a responsible for sending invites to the homes of the missing girls, inadvertently assisting the alien in his abductions. Maurice Denham and Patricia Haines are Saxon's scientific colleagues who meet tragic fates because of their curiosity in the alien lifeform. The other title, Blood Beast from Outer Space, sadly does this good film a disservice. The song, Night Caller, that opens the American print of the film is abusive to the ears and does not belong in the introduction of a science fiction film.

When a group of scientists track some form of meteorite coming to earth they become involved with the military and police. Finding a small sphere that has landed (?) in the "crash" zone they take it back to their lab and analyse it. After dark, Anne Barlow is typing up a letter when a bright light and intense feeling come over her – seconds later a strange hand grabs her but she gets away. With no way in or out of the room Dr Morley hypothesises that the sphere allows the transportation of matter and that some form of creature has come to earth for some reason. Soon lots of girls are going missing and the police find a link to a modelling agency advertising for bikini models in a magazine. The suspect is identified as the mysterious Medra and Dr Costain believes that he is an alien, preparing to lead an invasion of earth.A low budget and relatively unseen little sci-fi b-movie from 1960's Britain, this film had little to make it stand out when I saw it listed in the TV guide but watching it is an entirely different matter. The idea sounds silly – basically an alien has come to earth to pick up chicks, and if you say it like that it sounds trashy. However the plot is much better than the basic premise and it works surprisingly well. The dialogue may well be par for the genre course but this is only one aspect of the delivery and it is carried by others when required. The atmospheric direction provides a genuine sense of menace and the film is careful about letting us see Medra – keeping him a sinister hand and eyes for almost the whole film. Along with this is a rather adult sense of humour (for the period); we have outrageously gay sex shop owners, very British couples arguing in rambling stories and other nice touches.What was most effective though was just how bleak the whole thing was. I can't say anything because of spoilers but some of the things that happened I wasn't expecting and it really took me by surprise. This is also backed up by one or two moments of violence that, although not gory, were genuinely shocking in how graphic they were (again, for the period) – plus the fact that many came out of nowhere and it made them even more so. The cast are not the best but all do well enough for the type of film they are in and also add to the convincing air of foreboding and tension. Saxon looks a bit out of place but does well and is actually good with his lines – he is more than the usual "action scientist" of these films. Denham is much more of a genre staple but he is still OK. Haines is good and quite alluring – the sexual tension between her and Saxon also surprised me for the period. Burke is good and leads the police side of the story well.Overall this is a low budget British sci-fi horror but it works very well and was surprisingly enjoyable. The US title of "Blood Beast from Outer Space" implies that it is a gory b-movie but it is much more than that and is actually pretty engaging in a low-key but tense way. The end of the film is typical of the dark and downbeat tone of the whole film and it is worth seeing for this quality as well as other factors.

The Night Caller starts at 'Falsley Park, Government Radio & Electronic Research Establishment' where two scientists named Dr. Morley (Maurice Denham) & an American named Dr. Jack Costin (John Saxon) plus their assistant Ann Barlow (Patricia Haines) have detected an unidentified object in space heading for London at 10,000 mph. They assume that it is a meteorite but soon work out that this object is being guided down & has landed somewhere nearby, cue opening credits over Big Ben & the Houses of Parliment just to further prove that we are in fact in London! In no time whatsoever Doctors Costin & Morley are at the calculated crash site, however the army have beaten them to it. But Costin & Morley aren't going to let a little thing like the army stop them so after waving their ID's all over the place they're both giving out orders like they own the place. They speak to the Major (John Carson) in charge & establish the whereabouts of the object. Upon arrival they find a white sphere that appears to be slightly larger than a football, they load it into a jeep & head back to Falsley Park to examine it. Costin & Morley quickly discover that the sphere is alien to our planet & they theorise that it might be a transmitter for sending & receiving matter. Soon after Morley is killed while conducting an experiment on his own & the sphere is stolen, the only clue Costin has is a description by Ann who claims she was attacked by something with a claw for a hand & that 21 girls in under 3 weeks have disappeared & a man fitting the description Ann & some soldiers gave was seen by each girls house shortly before they went missing. Costin visits Scotland Yard & talks to Super Intendant Hartley (Alfred Burke) who is heading the investigation, together they quickly learn that the common factor between the missing girls is a magazine called 'Bikini Girls' which carried an advert to which they all replied. As more girls go missing Costin is convinced that it is connected to the sphere & the mysterious man with the claw, but how exactly...?Directed by John Gilling I thought The Night Caller was an OK Sci-Fi horror that's a decent enough way to spend 80 odd minutes. The script by Jim O'Connolly based on the novel 'The Night Callers' by Frank Crisp is not quite as predictable as I expected without the cliché of any monsters hiding out in nearby woods occasionally popping up to kill the odd disposable character & is basically split into two half's. The first half of The Night Caller is standard 60's Sci-Fi with the alien object falling form the sky, the army & scientist characters at odds with each other because the scientists see it as a possible way to learn & want to examine it while the army see it as a possible threat & want to destroy it & the monster which is only shown by it's rubbery claw to start with. But for the second half of it's running time The Night Caller switches to police thriller as the investigation into the missing girls come to the fore & the film concentrates on this aspect. Like a lot of other Sci-Fi from this period The Night Caller tries to end on a message as it asks who are the real aggressors & what are we doing to our world... It moves along at a reasonable pace & never becomes boring & I thought the dialogue wasn't quite as stiff & wooden as in most 50's/60's Sci-Fi films. It does seem a little strange that a highly intelligent being from another world capable of space flight & the transmitting of matter has to take an ad out in the back of a magazine called Bikini Girls to attract girls though! The Night Caller is a fairly modest effort & doesn't try to do too much, there is only one monster so don't expect a entire invasion & it's mostly only shown by it's claw hand while when it's face is eventually revealed it looks just like an ordinary man with a few lines on one side of his face. The special effects are kept to an absolute minimum as well, there are just a couple of optical effects throughout the entire film without a flying saucer in sight. There is no blood or gore & only two people die as our alien is revealed to be mostly peaceful at the end & basically means us no harm. The acting wasn't as bad as I had expected either but at the same time it ain't great & Saxon gives a very one dimensional performance. Technically the film is fine with the surprisingly nice sharp free flowing black & white photography being better than I expected, I mean I've seen a lot worse in films such as this. Overall I liked The Night Caller as far as 60' Sci-Fi goes, it didn't knock my socks off or change my life but it's an entertaining way to pass 80 odd minutes. Worth a watch especially if your a fan of this sort of thing.