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1.7 KiB
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1 line
1.7 KiB
Plaintext
"What's it going to be like when it's midnight all the time and nobody's paid the electric bill?" This is a delightful little anthology that tells three tales of terror surrounding three paintings (hence the original title of Night Gallery). I gather that this was the pilot to the television series that followed.<br /><br />The first tale involved that of a young man (Roddy McDowell) who kills his uncle to inherit his fortune, only to find himself haunted by a painting that hangs in the house. Excellent performances by Roddy McDowell and Ossie Davis along with a great story make this segment a very entertaining part of the whole.<br /><br />In the second segment, Joan Crawford plays a blind woman who receives her sight back briefly when she pays a debtor to donate his eyes to her. But she doesn't get quite what she had expected from the bargain. While this part of the movie was okay, it was definitely not as enjoyable as the first part.<br /><br />The last segment tells the tale of a Nazi war criminal, played by Richard Kiley, hiding out in South America to avoid prosecution who encounters a holocaust survivor and is affected by a fascinating painting in a museum. This segment takes a more serious tone than the others and I cannot decide whether I like this segment or the first story the best. This one is creepier and leaves a more lasting impression, but Roddy McDowell's performance in the first part is more striking.<br /><br />Overall, this was a fun, if not terribly serious, made for television movie that did what it set out to do-entertain the viewer. I generally like anthologies as I think the short story is the right length for horror both in print and on film. This one is worth watching if you get the chance. |