Nightmare (1964)

Country of Origin: UK
Years of Production: 1962 - 1963
Running Times: 82 mins
Format: black and white     35mm     Hammerscope
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Hammer Films
Producer: Jimmy Sangster
Production Manager: Don Weeks

SCRIPT
Script: Jimmy Sangster

DIRECTION
Director: Freddie Francis
Assistant Director: Douglas Hermes

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: John Wilcox
Camera Operator: Ronnie Maasz

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Supervising Editor: James Needs

MUSIC
Musical Supervisor: John Hollingsworth
Music: Don Banks

SOUND
Sound Recording: Ken Rawkins
Sound Editor: James Groom
Sound System: RCA Sound Recording

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Roy Ashton
Hair: Frieda Steiger
Wardrobe Mistress: Rosemary Burrows

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Bernard Robinson
Art Director: Don Mingaye

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Pauline Wise

LOCATIONS
Locations: Bray Studios, Berkshire, England, UK

CAST
David Night (Henry Baxter)
Moira Redmond (Grace Maddox)
Jennie Linden (Janet)
Brenda Bruce (Mary Lewis)
George A. Cooper (John)
Irene Richmond (Mrs Gibbs)
Clytie Jessop (Helen Baxter)
John Welsh (doctor)
Timothy Bateson (hotel barman)
Elizabeth Dear (Janet as a child)
Irene Richmond (Mrs Gibbs)
Isla Cameron (mother - uncredited)
Julie Samuel (maid - uncredited)
Hedger Wallace (Sir Dudley - uncredited)

PLOT SUMMARY

Schoolgirl Janet is so traumatised by witnessing her mother murdering her father that she starts to have visions that she will end up a killer herself and will end up in a psychiatric institution. Driven to distraction by a series of strange happenings, Janet stabs to death Helen Baxter, the wife of her guardian, Henry. With the help of a sympathetic teacher, Janet starts to uncover a cruel conspiracy against her...

Part of the so called Hammer "psycho chillers". Another "is the person crazy or are people conspiring against them" story ripped of from Les diaboliques (1955). Julie Christie was to take the lead until Billy Liar (1963) made her a target for more prestigious parts. It was only towards the end of the production that the title from Sangster's orignal script was restored and the producers really were for most of it shooting going to send this out as Here's the Knife Dear - Now Use It. A marvellous opening shot as the camera drifts towards the asylum and a couple of other inventive sequences enliven the usual static talk sequences. One of the better attempts by Hammer at this sort of thing.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Universal Pictures (on double Bill with The Evil of Frankenstein)
Laserdisc Distributor: MCA Home Video (42521 - on double bill with Nightmare The Kiss of the Vampire (1963))

1964
April
19: UK - theatrical release

December
11: Denmark - theatrical release

1995
September
19: USA - laserdisc release (MCA Home Video (42521))

El abismo del miedo - Spanish title
Here's the Knife Dear - Now Use It - early title
Der Satan mit den langen Wimpern - German title
La spirale del terrore - Italian title

MAGAZINES

Daily Cinema no.8901 (17 April 1964) p.10 (UK)
review

Film and TV Technician vol.29 no.227 (December 1963) (UK)
credits

Hollywood Reporter vol.180 no.13 (28 April 1964) p.3 (USA)
review

The House That Hammer Built no.4 (August 1997) pp.197-199 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review

Kine Weekly no.2951 (23 April 1964) p.13 (UK)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.31 no.365 (June 1964) p.90 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Motion Picture Herald vol.231 no.10 (13 May 1964) p.51 (USA)
review

BOOKS

British National Film Catalogue vol.2 (1964)
credits, synopsis

KEYWORDS

paranoia, visions, conspiracies, teenagers, schoolgirls

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008