The Devil Strikes at Night (1957)
"Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam" (original title)

A serial killer terrorizes Hamburg, Germany, during World War II. When the local police can't seem to catch him, the SS is brought into the case.

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Will Berthold (article), Werner Jörg Lüddecke

Stars:

Claus Holm, Annemarie Düringer, Mario Adorf

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 12 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claus Holm	...	Kriminalkommissar Axel Kersten
Annemarie Düringer	...	Helga Hornung
Mario Adorf	...	Bruno Luedke
Hannes Messemer	...	SS-Gruppenfuehrer Rossdorf
Carl Lange	...	Major Thomas Wollenberg
Werner Peters	...	Willi Keun
Walter Janssen	...	Kriminalrat Boehm
Peter Carsten	...	Mollwitz
Wilmut Borell	...	SS-Sturmfuehrer Heinrich, Rossdorf's aide
Monika John	...	Lucy Hansen, Kellnerin
Rose Schäfer	...	Anna Hohmann
Lukas Ammann	...	Pflichtverteidiger von Keun
Karl-Heinz Peters	...	Hauswart
Heinz Beck	...	Revierwachtmeister
Christa Nielsen	...	Schlampilein

Storyline

A serial killer terrorizes Hamburg, Germany, during World War II. When the local police can't seem to catch him, the SS is brought into the case.

---

Plot Keywords:

serial killer | hamburg germany | ss | party | nazi officer | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

19 September 1957 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Devil Strikes at Night

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Divina-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Klangfilm Eurocord)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Perversion of justice.

Nachts,wenn der Teufel kam has realistically shown perversion of justice as a convincing argument against nazis.Robert Siodmak has convincingly outlined the historical background to examine one of the most ghastly episodes in German history.He elucidates how Nazi leadership made effectual use of crime,violence and totalitarianism in order to remain in power.Nachts,wenn der Teufel kam appears realistic as a result of nice all-round acting performances by Mario Adorf and Hannes Messemer.The film was a big commercial success as it won numerous prizes including the best direction award at Karlovy Vary.