Review of Dead of Night (1974) by Alex R — 03 Jan 2012

Deathdream is a solid, original and creepy horror flick directed by Bob Clark who would later helm the pioneering slasher film, Black Christmas. Deathdream is a solid and effectively creepy horror film.

Bob Clark assembles a great cast of actors here, and the story is unique, original and what makes it unique is the fact that the film was one of the first to include the Vietnam War as a subtext for its plot.

As a whole, Deathdream is a solid, well crafted horror film. The acting makes this film what it is, and like Clark's other horror classic Black Christmas, Deathdream is full of atmospheric suspense and it works.

This is one horror film that every serious horror fan should see. Deathdream like I said uses atmosphere to effectively build the horror, and in many cases that's the key ingredient on building and effective horror film.

If a film doesn't have any atmosphere, then the film suffers, and the thrills are poor and it really cheapens the scares of the film. However, Bob Clark does a phenomenal job here at delivering a near flawless film, and the atmosphere is present and what elevates this film are the spectacular special effects by Tom Savini.

Deathdream is a different type of zombie film, and it's a refreshing take on the usual zombie flicks that we've seen. Deathdream is unique in that respect. Bob Clark has made a wonderful horror film here.

The film is disturbing, and chilling, and that's what makes horror films so much fun to watch in the first place. A classic must see film.