New Zealand Horror Week: Day 4: Review: When Night Falls (2007)

This film, with shades of The Strangers and every other great "Someone's in the house" film, is certainly nothing new or particularly inventive.  However, the atmosphere and the great, spooky period style make this a must-see.  It was released in New Zealand back in 2007, but didn't gain distribution in North America until just this year.

The story takes place in 1932 in the vicinity of Wairarapa.  A pair of nurses, Louise Williams and Martha Davis, are tending to invalid David Andrews in a large and rambling country house.  Also in residence are a caretaker and housekeeper.

The difficulties seem, at first, to stem from the fact that Louise has been longer in the service of David and that she is upset by the arrival of Martha.  The two spar verbally throughout several of their encounters.  Adding to the tension is the fact that, in recent weeks, someone has been murdering nurses in the area.

As night falls and David suddenly requires a new oxygen cylinder, the caretaker is dispatched into town to fetch it.  He fails to return, and the housekeeper ends up incapacitated, leaving the two nurses and their patient to deal with strange sounds and events which imply that someone extra may be in the house.

Like I said, this film is, storywise, not really anything new, and the ending may not surprise most viewers that much.  However, since the film was shot digitally, it benefits from sharp, lush color and imagery and crisp dark areas that would make anyone shudder.  The period details are incredibly well done for a low budget film, and the cinematography is pure art.  The acting is on a level with a lot of big budget films; tension and terror are conveyed beautifully by the entire cast, and no one goes over the top.

Overall:












































Four screaming Angelas