Heart of Midnight (1988)

Director:

Matthew Chapman

Writer (WGA):

Matthew Chapman (written by)

Release Date:

3 March 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Between the madness of what is real and the horror of her imagination lies the... Heart of Midnight.

Plot:

Carol(Jennifer Jason Leigh) inherits a night club from her weird uncle. She moves into the place, only to find out just how weird her uncle really was...

Plot Keywords:

Stockings | Detective | Bondage | Pedophile | Nightclub Owner

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Carol
Brenda Vaccaro	...	Betty
Jack Hallett	...	Lawyer
Nicholas Love	...	Tom (as Nick Love)
James Rebhorn	...	Richard
Tico Wells	...	Henry
Sam Schacht	...	Uncle Fletcher (as Sam Schact)
Nina Lora	...	Carol as a Child
Steve Buscemi	...	Eddy
Frank Stallone	...	Ledray
Denise Dumont	...	Mariana (as Denise Dummont)
Peter Coyote	...	Sharpe / Larry
Jim Geallis	...	Lt. Sharpe (as James Geallis)
Ken Moser	...	Ledray's Sidekick
Nicholas Cimino	...	Boy with Kittens

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #29179) | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Company:

AG Productions

Soundtrack:

Baby, What Else Can I Do

Stolen dreams and empty futures

Jennifer Jason Leigh plays a psychologically devastated young woman who has inherited an adult club from her recently deceased uncle. She initially remembers only his kindness to her, and wants nothing to do with his past business life. Her goal is to transform the closed building into a dance club and to try to make it on her own. She sets up housekeeping in her uncle's former living quarters, and pays a contractor to oversee the renovation. The film contains some graphic sexual content, but it adds to the horror rather than plays a purely exploitive role. The story is about the irreparable harm caused by abuse and it is a powerful celluloid indictment of sexual predators who leave few obvious physical scars on their victims.

The movie died a quick box office death. It was not designed for the fans of X-rated fun & games, and it was too dark and unsettling for most regular viewers looking for a pleasant night out. Leigh's character is the only role fully developed. Most of the other acting is B-movie quality at best and the dialogue is often wooden. Nonetheless, her performance and the story are good enough to carry the picture.

The story functions best as a psychological horror story and the cinematography contains some truly frightening visual images of things she sees or thinks she sees. These elements work well to underline her insecurity and instability. They also highlight her courage in trying to make it on her own in a world ready to accept that she is merely weak-minded and unable to cope. The script is not at the same level as that of "Spoorlos" or "Sixth Sense," but it is as good as many quality thrillers. There are very few pictures that deal with this subject area in more than an oblique way and rarely from the perspective of the abused. Give this movie a chance to work. Realism in cinema is hard to find, and this is an imperfect but realistic exploration of a difficult topic.