Starring - JoBeth Williams (Poltergeist, The Day After), Tom Skerritt (Calendar Girl Murders, Alien), and Elijah Wood (Cooties, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
Release Date - 1990
Genre - Drama/Mystery
Tagline - "The secret of a grisly murder, locked in a child's mind"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)
Rating (out of 5):
When I saw the news of the Televised Terrors from Vinegar Syndrome I was really interested in Child in the Night the most. Are You in the House Alone? and Child in the Night was the two that caught my eye but Child of the Night was the movie that sold me on the set. This 1990 made for television flick starring a young Elijah Wood looked really fun and I was digging the original poster for this. I saved it for last in my movie marathon and coincidentally it was the weakest in the set. I enjoyed it but the other two films were better in my opinion.
The film begins with a wealthy business owner and his son visiting his office near the marina when he is attacked and killed with the son witnessing it all. However, the son tells the police and a child psychologist that he didn't see anything. When more murders happen by the same modem it's a race against the clock to get the boy to talk before more innocent people are murdered.
Child in the Night had a poster that made me think this was going to be a slasher like film. I love the artwork and really wish the film would have been more grittier and more inspired by the slashers of the 80s. It wasn't but it was still a well put together murder mystery. The acting in this one is great. Skerritt is once again giving us a hardened detective that has to be stern when the times calls for it but also has a softer side. He's a fantastic actor and I hate that I'm just now realizing that. It was also great seeing JoBeth Williams in another genre effort. Poltergeist was one of my first purchases when I started collecting horror films and I've always found her performances to be extremely underrated. Wood delivers a solid performance especially for his age but it doesn't stand out like Williams and Skerritt does. The story for this one is decent for a murder mystery but it's not as much fun if you watch it back to back with CCM like I did. Child in the Night plays out almost like Calendar Girl Murders but with some changes to scenery and the type of characters. CCM followed Tom Skerritt as a detective who partners with a model to track down a killer who was snuffing out models and anyone else in their way. Here Skerritt partners with a child psychologist to find a killer who is snuffing out people who are associated with the business that was owned by a young boy's son. Similar stories but I personally enjoyed CCM over CitN. Finally, the film has blood but no practical effects or kills that you can enjoy. Just like the other two films in this collection this one is focused on story and character development over carnage. Overall, Child in the Night is the low point of the set but it's still a fantastic watch. I still recommend this one but I wouldn't watch it back to back with the other two films. Check it out, It's worth your time.
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