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Heart of Midnight (1988)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Matthew Chapman (written by)
Release Date:
3 March 1989 (USA)
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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...
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Awards:
1 win
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User Comments:
Dark, disturbing and atmospheric, with a great performance by Leigh
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
93 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (TVC)
Sound Mix:
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Filming Locations:
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Fun Stuff
Soundtrack:
So Long
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This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (19 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Heart of Midnight (1988)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Showing on cable tonight. | djmattn |
| Where's the DVD in the US? | feekly |
| Haunting, powerful and creepy as hell! | Mother_of_Tears |
Recommendations
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Heart of Midnight is a very strange movie, and I mean that in a good way. Broadly speaking I guess it falls within the horror genre, but it draws upon elements from many different subgenres and works on many levels. You can take it as a haunted-house movie, a ghost story, a psychological thriller and a character study rolled into one.
Jennifer Jason Leigh gives a superb performance as Carol Rivers, a fragile and sensitive young woman recovering from a nervous breakdown. When her estranged uncle dies of AIDS, she mysteriously inherits his deserted nightclub and, upon moving in, discovers its seedy past as a "massage parlour". From here on in, the story gets darker and more twisted, but suffice it to say that it contains many of the ingredients of full-bore horror: moaning voices in the night, taps dripping blood, secret passageways, beheaded rats, apples that ooze maggots and so on. For much of the film, we're kept in the dark as to whether Carol is privy to hallucinations and sinking into another nervous breakdown, or whether there is actually a dark force living in the empty nightclub with her.
Heart of Midnight is not a perfect film. There are some plot loopholes and the usual budget limitations of a B movie, including a pesky boom mic that dips into the frame a few times. But it makes up for its flaws with a strong visual style and a convincingly claustrophobic atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife. Along the way there are several recognizable nods to films like Peeping Tom, Suspiria, The Shining and two Roman Polanski classics - Repulsion and The Tenant.
Jennifer Jason Leigh really gives it her all in the lead role as Carol. She is an exceptionally talented and striking actress, and Heart of Midnight provides the then 25-year-old with a strong early showcase for her talent. Her portrayal of the frail but determined Carol is passionate, believable and always sympathetic. She's a horror-movie heroine of unusual strength and intelligence, which means we really root for her during this often harrowing nightmare. Peter Coyote, Frank Stallone and Brenda Vaccaro all lend decent support, but it's Leigh who makes this dark journey worth taking.