It's quite sombre and slow-going, as the tension is fuelled by the snappy character interactions, intense dialogues, unsure behaviour and edgy circumstances that Ekland's character finds herself in. But there really seems to be no doubt, despite the teasing nature of the story's structure and the finale with the scheming exchanges between Lester and Ekland. There's moments when you do question is he really that devious, or maybe it's all in the overactive imagination of Ekland's unstable character. He comes across as one very mature weirdo. It's strange seeing Mark Lester (of "Oliver" fame) in that type of role, but he nails down one perversely sinister and obsessed performance. Similar in tone to the disturbing erotic thriller "The Sailor who fell from Grace with the Sea", the 70's multi-European production "Night Child" is a luridly brooding and audaciously voyeuristic psychological drama in the mould of those monstrous, but intellectual children who get enjoyment out of toying around with those who are vulnerable and manipulating things to their own liking. However Elise begins have doubts about Marcus intentions, as he goes about trying to exploit and feed upon that paranoia to cause friction between Elisa her husband. Something about him just makes her nervous, as his quite smart, but seamlessly a lonely figure and his father believes it has to do with the death of his mother two years ago. There's probably 5-10 minutes of extra footage and being a little more explicit (in its nudity and risqué developments) like the opening intro.Įlise has just married an English author and has moved in with him at his villa in Spain, but soon his twelve year old son Marcus (her step-son) arrives on the scene. This film had been on my "to watch-list" for quite a while now and re-watching it again cemented that I had only watched the cut version "What the Peeper Saw" and not the uncut take "Night Child". Reviewed by lost-in-limbo 8 / 10 "He even lies about his lies!"
But is he the victim of a neurotic woman's overwrought imagination- in Shakespeare's words, the innocent flower, or the serpent under it?-Paul Emmons That he is a brilliant and lonely child is obvious.
She soon becomes obsessed with her 12-year old stepson, who she learns has just been expelled from school for mysterious offenses while the boy enjoys, exploits, and feeds her increasing paranoia about him.
In this stylish and atmospheric psychological thriller reminiscent of Henry James's Turn of the Screw, a widowed English writer brings a young, glamorous new bride to his bleak, isolated home in rural Spain.