New to Blu-ray and DVD in the UK from today is the British black-and-white horror movie, Night of the Eagle. Directed by Sidney Hayers, and based on the novel, Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber, the film stars Peter Wyngarde, Janet Blair, and Margaret Johnston, and tells the story of a man whose life is turned upside down because of witchcraft.
In the movie, Wyngarde plays Norman Taylor, a psychology professor who teaches classes on superstition. Norman is a successful man, with a great career, a large collection of friends, and a delightful house.
Those who watch on from afar believe Norman leads “a charmed life.” But little do they know, Norman does, in more ways than one!
One night, while getting ready for bed, Norman stumbles upon a good luck charm in a chest of drawers. After questioning his wife, Tansy about the item, she casually tells him the charm is responsible for his success.
The next day, Norman finds more charms. Upon further questioning, Tansy admits she practices witchcraft and uses the charms to improve their lives.
Keen for Tansy to give up her belief in witchcraft and superstition, Norman convinces her to burn all her charms and trinkets. But he soon comes to regret his actions, when things start to go terribly wrong in his life.
Beautifully shot, with a superb script, and a fine performance from Wyngarde, Night of the Eagle is a delightfully dark British chiller, the likes of which simply doesn’t get made anymore. It’s the kind of movie to watch late at night, curled up in bed, when the wind is rattling the door, the rain is tapping at the windows, and you simply want something unsettling to see you off into the night.
The premise is simple, yet it’s devilishly effective. A man who dismisses superstition has a brush with the supernatural and finds himself in a dire and desperate situation.
In the movie, Norman convinces Tansy to abandon her beliefs, she reluctantly does so, and they pay the price. The whole thing is then crammed into a running time which is just shy of 90 minutes, but with plenty of room for suspense, tension, and a case of catatonia.
As noted above, Night of the Eagle is beautiful to look at, with some fantastic imagery, excellent lighting, and plenty of dramatic (and slightly camp) performances. Cinematographer Reginald Wyer works overtime to deliver wonderful shots, while composer William Alwyn provides a suitably intense soundtrack which cranks things up to eleven.
The last half-an-hour of the film is wonderfully macabre, as everything goes a bit nuts, however, the film’s crowing glory is the final ten minutes which is completely bonkers and brilliant in equal measure. Everything suddenly seems to get chucked at the screen, and then just when you think it’s all over, wham(!), director Sidney Hayers hits the audience with one final surprise.
If you’ve never watched Night of the Eagle, but you’re a big horror fan (and especially a fan of classic British horror), then be sure to give this one a whirl. Pair it up with the 1960 version of Village of the Damned and have yourself a marvellous double-bill.
Released by StudioCanal, the Blu-ray of Night of the Eagle is currently priced at £14.99, while the DVD is £9.99. Both include a brand new restoration of the film, as well as a bunch of bonus features.
The bonus features are as follows: Burn Witch, Burn – a featurette with Anna Bogutskaya, an archive interview with Peter Wyngarde, two trailers, US alternate opening credits, behind the scenes stills gallery, and an audio commentary with screenwriter Richard Matheson. You’ll also find a set of four exclusive art cards popped into the case too!
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