Night Slaves (TV 1970)

A man and his wife find themselves stranded in a small western town. He discovers that a strange force has turned the residents into zombies, and runs into a beautiful woman who he believes is the key to the mystery.

Director:

Ted Post

Writers:

Everett Chambers (teleplay), Robert Specht (teleplay),

Stars:

James Franciscus, Lee Grant, Scott Marlowe

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Franciscus	...	Clay Howard
Lee Grant	...	Marjorie Howard
Scott Marlowe	...	Matt Russell
Andrew Prine	...	Fess Beany / Noel
Tisha Sterling	...	Annie Fletcher / Naillil
Leslie Nielsen	...	Sheriff Henshaw
Morris Buchanan	...	Mr. Hale
John Kellogg	...	Mr. Fletcher
Virginia Vincent	...	Mrs. Crawford
Cliff Carnell	...	Deputy Spencer
Victor Izay	...	Jeff Pardee
Raymond Mayo	...	Joe Landers
Russell Thorson	...	Dr. Sanders
Nancy Valentine	...	May
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	(unconfirmed)

Storyline

A man and his wife stumble upon a town whose inhabitants turn into zombies and head for the edge of town every night... he seems to be the only one unaffected. What is happening to the townsfolk? Who is the mysterious young women he keeps seeing? Why isn't he affected?

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Plot Keywords:

truck | abc movie of the week | bandaged head | man in pajamas | steel plate in head | 

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Taglines:

Morning Brings Denials of a Whole Town's Mysterious Night Journey

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Escravos da Noite

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bing Crosby Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

TV debut of Sharon Gless.

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Connections

References They Came from Beyond Space (1967)

User Reviews

A Curious Movie of The Week

1970's "Night Slaves" is one of those curious little films that, on the one hand, probably won't go down as one of the greatest movies ever made but never the less, does seem to have something deeper going on under the surface. It all begins when businessman Clay Howard (James Franciscus) is seriously injured in an auto accident and as a result, is left with a metal plate in his head and the emotional scars that come from the experience. To make matters worse, he and his wife, Marjorie (Lee Grant), have been drifting apart for some time. So, in an attempt to rekindle, they go on a road trip and come to a small town, where they decide to spend the night. Trouble is, something strange is going on at night; the town's folks are roaming around town like zombies onto trucks and being driven off somewhere! It gets even more troubling when Clay's wife is caught up in the spell as well. He tries but fails to stop her and the next morning, nobody remembers a thing; nobody that is, except Clay. Night after night, this happens and things get even more interesting when a mysterious young woman keeps appearing to Clay while all this is going on. Rather than being scared, Clay finds himself falling in love with this mysterious girl and from there, Clay begins questioning his own life, about whether or not he is truly happy in this life and wondering if all this is the key to changing that. The movie is able to tell its story through good use of night filming, an effective music score, good acting on the part of Franciscus and Grant, and competent writing that examines love, one's place in the universe, and happiness. The film is certainly not perfect, but like I said, there does seem to be something underneath it all that is worth looking at. So, if you get the chance, check this one out on you tube because even small TV movies can have something to say about life. Also starring Leslie Nielsen as the town sheriff. 8 out of 10.