A tinny, amateurish quickie with a lot of obviously post-synced sound which doubtless provided the interesting cast (most of them Brits struggling with a variety of 'foreign' accents) with a holiday on expenses in Morocco; the 'action' organised around what locations were available, dream sequences absolving the makers of creating a coherent narrative, and the continuous use of zooms enabling director Frederic Goode to quickly get scenes in the can so they could all pack up and go home.
16 Reviews
A tale of lost love and finding it again, in the arms of the walking dead...
rocdoc20048 May 2015
An architect, Paul Carver, loses his family to a car accident in which he was the driver. Questioning his survival, he wanders aimlessly a while trying to deal with the guilt of their death, until the search for distraction has him flying to Morocco. Here he meets an Archaeologist (Otto) and his young assistant (Chantal). Before long strange events begin to conspire against him, forcing him to make a life changing decision, to choose between the "light" and "dark" forever.
This is an entertaining and quite different light horror flick, unusual in that the vampire is a beautiful female without the typical "vampire" feature of sucking blood, although she still is the living dead. In my mind Marissa is more of a succubus, attempting to seduce her victims into a life of darkness, culminating in a death that would probably have them being her slave forever. Nonetheless while different, her demise is pure vampire tradition.
The movie leaves little time for subtle development as Carver experiences some unusual situations and deep conversations pretty early on. After leaving his hotel to find a party being held by archaeologist Otto Gunther, Carver meets the mysterious Omar, who poses some deep considerations to him before disappearing. Then at a party the beautiful Marissa makes an appearance, but is gone all too soon. Carver is distracted by her to the point of having some very strange experiences, until finally their encounter is all to real.
The first half of the movie works well, holding all the mystery as Carver's friends (and perhaps even the audience) wonder how much of his odd experiences are actually real.
The lucky Carver gets to have his way with the beautiful Vampire and lives to tell the tale, although the pretty Chantal is keen to convince him that she is the safer choice for love. After a romp at the beach with her he feels better, but seeing the mysterious Omar again, he is distracted back into thinking about the deadly Marissa.
Before feeling too conflicted though, Marissa puts Chantal in danger, and not having any of that Carver finally decides to put an end to their impossible relationship once and for all. Omar also gets his comeuppance in quite and entertaining scene.
I thought the ending scene was a little odd, although the final line was a good one.
All in all this was an entertaining and different light horror film that I enjoyed watching. This is hardly a masterpiece, but if you catch "The Hand of Night" late one night and you can afford to stay up to watch it, grab some snacks and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
This is an entertaining and quite different light horror flick, unusual in that the vampire is a beautiful female without the typical "vampire" feature of sucking blood, although she still is the living dead. In my mind Marissa is more of a succubus, attempting to seduce her victims into a life of darkness, culminating in a death that would probably have them being her slave forever. Nonetheless while different, her demise is pure vampire tradition.
The movie leaves little time for subtle development as Carver experiences some unusual situations and deep conversations pretty early on. After leaving his hotel to find a party being held by archaeologist Otto Gunther, Carver meets the mysterious Omar, who poses some deep considerations to him before disappearing. Then at a party the beautiful Marissa makes an appearance, but is gone all too soon. Carver is distracted by her to the point of having some very strange experiences, until finally their encounter is all to real.
The first half of the movie works well, holding all the mystery as Carver's friends (and perhaps even the audience) wonder how much of his odd experiences are actually real.
The lucky Carver gets to have his way with the beautiful Vampire and lives to tell the tale, although the pretty Chantal is keen to convince him that she is the safer choice for love. After a romp at the beach with her he feels better, but seeing the mysterious Omar again, he is distracted back into thinking about the deadly Marissa.
Before feeling too conflicted though, Marissa puts Chantal in danger, and not having any of that Carver finally decides to put an end to their impossible relationship once and for all. Omar also gets his comeuppance in quite and entertaining scene.
I thought the ending scene was a little odd, although the final line was a good one.
All in all this was an entertaining and different light horror film that I enjoyed watching. This is hardly a masterpiece, but if you catch "The Hand of Night" late one night and you can afford to stay up to watch it, grab some snacks and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Seen on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater in 1970
kevinolzak18 May 2008
"The Hand of Night" (British title) was actually scripted as a vampire film 'without blood,' an effective mood piece, featuring American veteran of British horrors such as "Gorgo," "Devil Doll," and "Devils of Darkness," William Sylvester starring as architect Paul Carver, tortured for two months by the loss of his wife and family in a car crash, whose seeming death wish finds him bedazzled by the denizens of the dark in present day Morocco (in other words, what if the Mummy was a vampire?). These fangless vampires are unaffected by Christian symbols like the cross, fearing only the light, feeding not upon blood but upon life itself, not unlike those in "Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter" (they still cast no reflection). Revived by the recent excavation of her long buried tomb, 14th century princess Marisa was the most cherished prize in her husband's harem, buried alive for her faithlessness, but not before pronouncing a fateful curse, explained by archaeologist Leclerc (William Dexter): "here lies one who does not sleep, but walks the night of death to make all mankind her slave." A curiously passionless performance from Alizia Gur, beautiful former Miss Israel in 1960, one of the two fighting gypsy girls in 1963's "From Russia with Love" (the girl in blue was Martine Beswicke). Miss Gur's career petered out in the early 70s while blonde heroine Diane Clare apparently threw in the towel even earlier. Miss Clare had her share of genre titles, ranging from "The Naked Edge" (Peter Cushing), "The Haunting," "Witchcraft" (Lon Chaney), "The Plague of the Zombies," and "The Vulture" (this was her final feature). Diane has the lines that inspired the original title: "to reach out the hand from dying day, is to clutch the hand of night" (as unsuccessful in Britain under that title as in the US release under "Beast of Morocco"). Like Diane Clare, Edward Underdown was a guest star on THE AVENGERS, and played in the 1965 James Bond feature "Thunderball." Veteran British player Terence de Marney, who had appeared with both Lugosi (1935's "The Mystery of the Marie Celeste") and Karloff (1965's "Die, Monster, Die!"), sparks the proceedings as vampire servant Omar, whose demise at sunrise is by far the standout sequence, as seen in the picture's ads. This marked the climax of William Sylvester's starring career, moving on to Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1973's TV chiller "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," and his final feature role as a TV interviewer in 1980's "First Family" ("nearly 30 million Americans actually voted for the two corpses!"). Becoming ever more obscure over the decades, "Beast of Morocco" made three appearances on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, Apr 11 1970 (preceded by 1959's "The Purple Gang"), Apr 3 1971 (followed by 1966's "Curse of the Swamp Creature"), and May 20 1972 (followed by 1958's Mexican title "The Black Pit of Dr. M").
A chore to sit through
wilvram30 May 2020
Flatly directed would-be horror movie, consisting of long scenes of frequently stilted dialogue interspersed with garish dream sequences. Frederic Goode is one of the most obscure of all British film directors, and on this showing that's no surprise. He fails to bring any conviction to the film at all, and of the actors only veteran Edward Underdown emerges with any dignity. Even the usually dependable William Sylvester, who seems to have been sprayed with orange dye, is defeated by a script that persists in drivelling on about light and darkness to little effect. Filmed in 1966, this sat on the shelf for a couple of years, and makes for terminally tedious viewing.
Disappointing curiosity about bloodless Moroccan vampires
Stevieboy6661 June 2020
Never heard of this minor British horror before, then it turned up on late night TV.
It opens up interestingly enough - our main character (played by William Sylvester) is in a foggy graveyard, with a funeral in progress. Next he's in the crypt, so too are a bride & groom, some bats and skeletons. This is all very cheap and cheesy looking, it turns out to be a nightmare. Sadly this early promise is scuttled, the majority of the film is rather boring, has bad acting (some very unconvincing foreign accents), blatant day for night scenes,weak continuity and not much horror. The vampires here don't appear to have fangs, I don't remember seeing much, if any, blood and there is too much waffle about the light and the darkness (good and evil). The print that was screened was of poor quality so that didn't help. Some great scenes of the Moroccan desert though.
I do love British horror, especially from this period, but this was sadly rather poor.
Boring and bizarre.
BA_Harrison28 November 2023
In The Hand of Night, William Sylvester plays architect Paul Carver, who takes a trip to Morocco after the death of his family in a car accident, for which he blames himself. In an emotionally dark place, Paul is lured into the sinister night-time world of vampire Mariss (Aliza Gur), who delights in punishing men; pretty archaeologist's assistant Chantal (Diane Clare) tries to bring Paul back into the light, offering him love, but the pull of the dark is strong.
I wonder if any 'Moroccan Gold' was smoked during the making of this surreal vampire movie; that would account for the very bizarre nature of the film, with its weird dream sequences, incoherent narrative and unusual performances. I kinda wish I had been under the influence myself while watching - it might have made the whole experience less painful.
This film is such a laborious slog that it sat on a shelf for a couple of years, finally being released in 1968, when it might have resonated with a hippy counterculture audience. Possibly.
2/10.
I wonder if any 'Moroccan Gold' was smoked during the making of this surreal vampire movie; that would account for the very bizarre nature of the film, with its weird dream sequences, incoherent narrative and unusual performances. I kinda wish I had been under the influence myself while watching - it might have made the whole experience less painful.
This film is such a laborious slog that it sat on a shelf for a couple of years, finally being released in 1968, when it might have resonated with a hippy counterculture audience. Possibly.
2/10.
Darkness And Light...
azathothpwiggins15 October 2021
BEAST OF MOROCCO is about Paul Carver (William Sylvester) and his battle to recover after losing his wife and child. Upon arrival in Morocco, Carver discovers that the man he's there to see has died, adding to his grief.
Drunk and adrift, Carver wanders into a party where he meets a mysterious woman named Marissa (Aliza Gur). He also meets Chantal (Diane Clare), who appears to be the polar opposite of Marissa. Carver finds himself torn between the two, even after some dark experiences with Marissa that point to her being not quite human.
All of this is played out in a metaphorical way, using symbolism -based on traditional folklore- to represent Carver's struggle between darkness / death and light / life. Much of the film is dreamlike, like something that Jean Rollin might have made in his prime, minus Rollin's penchant for rampant nudity.
Certainly not your typical horror movie. Highly recommended for those who seek a different sort of cinematic experience...
Drunk and adrift, Carver wanders into a party where he meets a mysterious woman named Marissa (Aliza Gur). He also meets Chantal (Diane Clare), who appears to be the polar opposite of Marissa. Carver finds himself torn between the two, even after some dark experiences with Marissa that point to her being not quite human.
All of this is played out in a metaphorical way, using symbolism -based on traditional folklore- to represent Carver's struggle between darkness / death and light / life. Much of the film is dreamlike, like something that Jean Rollin might have made in his prime, minus Rollin's penchant for rampant nudity.
Certainly not your typical horror movie. Highly recommended for those who seek a different sort of cinematic experience...
Christopher Lee she isnt
malcolmgsw2 August 2020
Darkness v the light
AAdaSC16 February 2013
William Sylvester (Carver) blames himself for the death of his wife and children in a car accident and has given up with life. He goes to Morocco to hopefully recuperate but he seems to have gained access to the ethereal world that is ruled by Aliza Gurr (Marisa), a dead princess who has put a curse on men she encounters as she wanders around at night-time.
It's not a particularly good film but it does hold an interest because of the different feel to it - it is set in Morocco with spacious vistas to take in and the storyline involves vampires in the desert.
The cast are not particularly wonderful. Apart from Sylvester and Gurr, only Terence De Marney (Omar), who plays a vampire henchman, does not attempt an accent. However, this very obviously looking Brit does not convince as an arab. As for the others in the cast, Diane Clare (Chantal) clearly can't act and is the worst offender when it comes to failing with an accent - it's really quite annoying.
Still, the film scores for being different - those poor gypsy belly-dancers!
It's not a particularly good film but it does hold an interest because of the different feel to it - it is set in Morocco with spacious vistas to take in and the storyline involves vampires in the desert.
The cast are not particularly wonderful. Apart from Sylvester and Gurr, only Terence De Marney (Omar), who plays a vampire henchman, does not attempt an accent. However, this very obviously looking Brit does not convince as an arab. As for the others in the cast, Diane Clare (Chantal) clearly can't act and is the worst offender when it comes to failing with an accent - it's really quite annoying.
Still, the film scores for being different - those poor gypsy belly-dancers!
Thoughtful stuff but weird
Staffsman5 August 2005
I could only get hold of this film on a very dodgy video, and I'd have liked to have seen it in better quality. As other reviewers in old film magazines say, the dream sequence is intriguing and a little spacey. However, would I call it horror? Probably not, it's more of a psychological exploration of a man and his grief, and how that goes into a hyper-real state. The Moroccan landscape was good though - I guess that gave it the element of - is this real? or just his confused mind? Willaim Sylvester is a bit of a disaster as the lead. He was reliable stock actor in B movies of the time, and he doesn't have the power to lift his ability - which is really required - to play this character.
Morrocan vampires.
HumanoidOfFlesh18 January 2011
William Sylvester plays an architect Paul Carver,whose wife and children died in a tragic car accident.He goes on a business trip to Morocco and meets a stunning dark-haired female vampire named Marisa.The opening scene of "The Hand of Night" is wonderfully atmospheric and weird with the use of skulls and bloodied mechanical bats.The film was shot in Morocco,so the location sets are magnificent.Alizia Gur is particularly memorable as a beautiful vampire,who feeds on hope.Paul is also an interesting character.He is grief driven,defeated and obsessed with death.The score by Joan Shakespeare is quite eerie,but the direction is pretty weak and some scenes are very dull.6 Morrocan vampires out of 10.
Poor British horror thriller
lor_22 January 2024
One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Frederic Goode; Produced by Harry Field for England's Associated British-Pathe; released in America by American-International Pictures TV. (British title: "The Hand of Night"). Screenplay by Bruce Stewart; Photography by William Jordan; Edited by Frederick Ives; Music by Joan & John Shakespeare. Starring: William Sylvester, Diane Clare, Aliza Gur, Edward Underdown, William Dexter and Terence De Marney.
Pretentious melange of horror cliches in a format of Sylvester's nightmares mixed with a mummy-type vampire premise. Interesting photography and stagings do not overcome the amateurism here, in glorious Technicolor.
Pretentious melange of horror cliches in a format of Sylvester's nightmares mixed with a mummy-type vampire premise. Interesting photography and stagings do not overcome the amateurism here, in glorious Technicolor.
Help me make it through the night.
ulicknormanowen6 November 2020
Even flatly directed ,with a flawed script,this movie is off the beaten track ; it blends personal tragedies, premonitory dreams (or nightmares) , Morrocan legends in an unsual inventive way .
The hero (William Sylvester ,mostly remembered as the scientist in "2001" ) can be considered on the borderline between life and death ,or light and darkness ;thus the movie fluctuates between dream and reality , the imaginary characters bursting in real life ,puzzling the viewer .Chantal may be the light ,and the princess represents the darkness ;the mysterious Morrocan man can be looked upon as the messenger between the two worlds .
A subject which can have renewed the "manslaughter and I was at the wheel" hackneyed subject, but does not totally convince because of a low budget and the lack of a real director.
The hero (William Sylvester ,mostly remembered as the scientist in "2001" ) can be considered on the borderline between life and death ,or light and darkness ;thus the movie fluctuates between dream and reality , the imaginary characters bursting in real life ,puzzling the viewer .Chantal may be the light ,and the princess represents the darkness ;the mysterious Morrocan man can be looked upon as the messenger between the two worlds .
A subject which can have renewed the "manslaughter and I was at the wheel" hackneyed subject, but does not totally convince because of a low budget and the lack of a real director.
Kooky and a Lot of Fun!!!
ultracat5003 July 2014
I saw this movie back in the late 70's, when I was in art school. I was home one day sick with a fever or something, and this movie came on. The fever and the weird images made for a one quite "singular" experience!! I recall laughing out loud at the bad acting and the cheesy costumes.But it was 'so bad it was good'!!! Which is why I'm giving it 9 out of 10. Oh hell, I'd give it 10 out of 10!! It's stayed w/ me all these years!! I even have drawings I made from it somewhere in a drawing book. I'll have to rent this again one day but it probably won't live up to my fond memories. :~)) (I keep trying to submit this review but there's a message that says I need 10 lines of text. I've counted this over and over and now it should come out to 12!!?)
'Goode's little seen Moroccan spine chiller is a creepy curates egg, but, if you don't at least give it a try the yolks on you!!!'
Weirdling_Wolf2 January 2023
Following the tragic sudden death of his family in a car accident, the melancholic, still grieving widower, Paul (William Sylvester) travels to Morocco, ostensibly to visit an old friend, but his exotic African sojourn fatefully taking a far darker turn when the altogether bizarre characters within Paul's lurid nightmare ultimately prove to be distressingly real, as he becomes ominously drawn into the unsettling, increasingly strange nocturnal realm of the dusky, exotically enticing vampire siren, Marisa (Aliza Gur). Seemingly trapped in a stiflingly sinister waking nightmare, Paul's Moroccan 'trip' finally proves to be uncomfortably literal!
With a weird, hallucinatory quality that recalls, Maestro, Mario Bava's surrealistic shocker,'Lisa & The Devil', Frederic Goode's deliciously off-key fright flick, 'The Hand of Night' is arguably one of the most unfairly neglected British horror films of the 1960s. Rarely screened on TV, and poorly represented by an insalubrious-looking, bare-bones DVD, Goode's tremendously atmospheric, far-flung supernatural has some credible performances, with an especially memorable performance by the enigmatically eerie, Terence De Marney as dastardly, 'Omar', the impish, gobledygook-spouting manservant to the altogether malign, Marisa and some exceptionally evocative photography from DP, William Jordan, it is high time, 'The Hand of Night' came out of the lost movie shadows and onto a brightly glistering remastered Blu-ray!
With a weird, hallucinatory quality that recalls, Maestro, Mario Bava's surrealistic shocker,'Lisa & The Devil', Frederic Goode's deliciously off-key fright flick, 'The Hand of Night' is arguably one of the most unfairly neglected British horror films of the 1960s. Rarely screened on TV, and poorly represented by an insalubrious-looking, bare-bones DVD, Goode's tremendously atmospheric, far-flung supernatural has some credible performances, with an especially memorable performance by the enigmatically eerie, Terence De Marney as dastardly, 'Omar', the impish, gobledygook-spouting manservant to the altogether malign, Marisa and some exceptionally evocative photography from DP, William Jordan, it is high time, 'The Hand of Night' came out of the lost movie shadows and onto a brightly glistering remastered Blu-ray!
Oh Diane
neil-douglas20109 March 2022
Late 60's so called chiller is actually more of a psychological mystery. Lead Actor William Sylvester but in my opinion the star is Diane Clare ( in her last film ) as Chantal. The location work raises this above the norm, not a great film, more of an average one..
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