Dead of Night 4K 1945

Five stories told to Mr. Craig, either in a dream or in reality, and most importantly, you don't know which option is less terrifying, which is what viewers without a seat or place should be prepared for. Just in case, among the characters in Mr. Craig's dream is Dr. Van Straaten, who clearly emphasizes the presence of rrr in every capitalized word in the English language.

Just recently, I dreamed that I was killing someone. Some black, wrinkled old woman, Dario Argento's dream killer, with needles and knitting needles at the ready, wouldn't let me leave the room, exuding anxiety and danger. It was self-defense. That's what I kept telling myself in my dream. Convincing others of this was my goal in the rest of the dream, and it seemed that I was becoming more and more defenseless, that I couldn't escape this nightmare. But the dream ended. And the nets broke. Plopping down on the bed, the signs of the nightmare soon faded from my mind—the veil dissipated, and my memory blurred the images to the point of annoyingly vague nearsightedness. So, they had become useless, and all I could do was throw them away, or rather, simply erase them completely, i.e., not remember them. There is no feedback between us. They have forgotten me too.

Mr. Craig, walking down the corridor from the driveway, will not pay attention to this road. When he sees the house, he will begin to remember. How many times has he been there? He knows all the participants. What will happen and when. Perhaps he is paying too much attention to the signs. He needs to leave this house. That is beyond doubt. Or wake up? Dr. Van Straaten dissuades Mr. Craig every time, finding an explanation for everything and not forgetting to mock him and the other participants in the performance, like an enlightened European mocking a bunch of uneducated savages. And this very bunch, after each story filled with the supernatural, fixes their gaze on the doctor with one desire—to know the answer. But desires are not fulfilled, and everyone remains with their own.

It seems to me that this film is all about rhythm. The first story, short and exciting, grabs the viewer's attention. The second brings in an element of masquerade, a child's perception of a nightmare. The third, slightly longer than the previous two, plunges the viewer into a realm from which it is difficult to awaken. At this point, Mr. Craig should have left. Everyone understands this, and then Elliot Foley tells a joke. The story is completely fictional and does not relate to any of the guests in the house. Everyone laughs. The atmosphere is relaxed. But not for long. Mr. Craig has missed his chance to escape the nightmare that haunts him. Dr. Van Straaten tells the most nightmarish story (for me, of course, since this story features a devil doll, and dolls have frightened me since childhood) about a ventriloquist, the only one he can explain from start to finish from his professional point of view. This is followed by a sigh of relief, but only to push you back into a vicious circle, without giving answers, without summarizing, without drawing conclusions. Well, what else should a nightmare be like? Chillingly indifferent and bearing no responsibility for the time you spend on it.