Night of the Eagle (1962)

★ 6.7 1h 30m IMDb

Horror

A woman who may be a witch defends her husband from forces attempting to harm him.

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Cast

Peter Wyngarde as Norman Taylor Died 2018 · Singapore City, Singapore Peter Paul Wyngarde (born Cyril Goldbert; August 23, 1927 – January 15, 2018) was an Anglo-Singaporean actor best known for playing the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist turned sleuth, in t...

Janet Blair as Tansy Taylor Died 2007 · Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA Janet Blair (April 23, 1921 – February 19, 2007) was an American film and television actress. Description above from the Wikipedia article Janet Blair, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contribu...

Margaret Johnston as Flora Carr Died 2002 · Coolangatta, New South Wales, Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Margaret Johnston (10 August 1914, Sydney, Australia – 19 June 2002, Kingston upon Thames, England) was an Australian-born British actress. Johnston was most w...

Anthony Nicholls as Harvey Sawtelle Died 1977 · Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Anthony Nicholls (16 October 1902 – 22 February 1977) was an English film, television, and stage actor. Description above from the Wikipedia article Anthony N...

Colin Gordon as Lindsay Carr Died 1972 · Colombo, Ceylon. [now Sri Lanka] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Colin Gordon (27 April 1911 – 4 October 1972) was a British actor born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church,...

Director Sidney Hayers

Cast Peter Wyngarde, Janet Blair, Margaret Johnston, Anthony Nicholls, Colin Gordon, Kathleen Byron, Reginald Beckwith, Jessica Dunning, Norman Bird, Judith Stott

John Chard 8.5/10 Apr 09, 2014

The Devil: The Principle of Evil.

Night of the Eagle (AKA: Burn, Witch, Burn!) is directed by Sidney Hayers and adapted to screenplay by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and George Baxt from the novel "Conjure Wife" written by Fritz Leiber. It stars Peter Wyngarde, Janet Blair, Margaret Johnston, Anthony Nicholls and Colin Gordon. Music is by William Alwyn and cinematography by Reginald Wyer.

Psychologist Norman Taylor (Wyngarde) is rocked when he discovers that his wife Tansy has been dabbling in witchcraft. She is adamant that it keeps them from harm and is the reason why his career is flourishing. Not convinced at all, Norman sets about destroying all of Tansy's paraphernalia and soon finds his life taking a drastic downturn…

What is neurosis? A nerve-change, the physical basis of consciousness as distinguished from psychosis.

This, the second of three adaptations of the Leiber novel to get the big screen treatment, is easily the best, a smouldering suspenser ripe with paranoia and atmospheric unease. Subtle in pacing, it's a marked lesson in gaining the most out of suggestion and understated story telling. Clearly not armed with a gargantuan budget, Hayers and his team rely on the strength of writing and acting to let this Eagle soar, and soar it does.

Rites and Practice in Black Magic.

The back drop is a place of academic studies, where the faculty indulge in get togethers, of drinks, snacks and card games, but this is all a false veneer. Lurking underneath is a veritable hot-bed of spitefulness, jealousies and bitter rivalries that come to the fore once the black magic forces of evil gather to destroy the Taylors.

I do (not) believe.

It builds with ambiguity lurking overhead, ensuring the belief system of Norman Taylor and the audience is constantly tested, and then the coiled spring is unleashed. The effects work may not be up to much, but it matters not, the impact is considerably suspenseful, even frightening. No gore or histrionics here, just damn great supernatural film making. 8.5/10