Everybody has had a dream where they woke up believing it to either be true, a flashback to the past (forgotten or barely remembered), or a prediction for the future. For musician Kevin McCarthy, he seems to believe that he's a murderer, and evidence points to it being true. So who does he turn to confide his fears? His police investigator brother-in-law Edward G. Robinson, that's who. Clues include a tiny piece of metal, an abandoned house in the country where a murder did occur and several weird people who were either the victims, witnesses to McCarthy being around and a strange neighbor with a cough drop fetish. It's up to Robinson to put all the pieces together so he can either turn McCarthy in or pursue other suspects or theories.
As a later made film noir, this wisely uses some standard plot devices including a large closet with an abundance of mirrors, a few spooky dream sequences and every day props that are used for evil and some jazzy songs that seem to be indicating the dark worlds that McCarthy has entered because of his alleged involvements in these murders. Even the supporting characters (Connie Russell as McCarthy's jazz singing girlfriend, Virginia Christine as his sister and Rhys Williams as the cough drop popping neighbor) have neurosis that come into play as the plot moves along.
Previously filmed as the even lower budget "Fear in the Night", this is one of those remakes that is equivalent in quality to the original, and in some ways, even better. McCarthy isn't getting any favors from his brother-in-law as Robinson threatens to turn him in as he learns more. I got the impression that Robinson does this to get McCarthy to realize the truth and thus be able to clear him if he can. The ending is thrilling, keeping the audience on the edge of their seat, biting nails as the tension grows. Well worth searching for, this is the stuff that film noir's fans dreams are made of.
As a later made film noir, this wisely uses some standard plot devices including a large closet with an abundance of mirrors, a few spooky dream sequences and every day props that are used for evil and some jazzy songs that seem to be indicating the dark worlds that McCarthy has entered because of his alleged involvements in these murders. Even the supporting characters (Connie Russell as McCarthy's jazz singing girlfriend, Virginia Christine as his sister and Rhys Williams as the cough drop popping neighbor) have neurosis that come into play as the plot moves along.
Previously filmed as the even lower budget "Fear in the Night", this is one of those remakes that is equivalent in quality to the original, and in some ways, even better. McCarthy isn't getting any favors from his brother-in-law as Robinson threatens to turn him in as he learns more. I got the impression that Robinson does this to get McCarthy to realize the truth and thus be able to clear him if he can. The ending is thrilling, keeping the audience on the edge of their seat, biting nails as the tension grows. Well worth searching for, this is the stuff that film noir's fans dreams are made of.