La Nuit De La Mort (1980)

Night of Death! aka La Nuit De La Mort (1980)
written by Richard Joffo and Rapheal Delpard
directed by Rapheal Delpard

Here's a recently rereleased French gem that doesn't have too much written about it.

Running away from a strained relationship, our young female protagonist Martine (played by the awkwardly beautiful Isabelle Gogeuy) takes a job her now (soon to be...its a strange relationship) her boyfriend has suggested for her. It ends up being at a local retirement home, but seemingly ever one of them is mad. Like a no-one under seventy mental institution. She soon develops a friendship with one of the other nurses, has a boss that is mean and the caretaker is oogiling for her affection (he is probably my favorite character, who walks with an exaggerated limp and has a great breakdown scene).

Soon the other nurse disappears and we watch as the audience, this poor nurse be split down the middle and have her organs eaten by all the mental patients and the headmistress that is controlling all of them, in a effort for long lasting life.

This scene has some exquisitely shot gore, but the production is lavish and feels at times like a Hitchcock film, I won't delve too far into the plot, because to the point I just explained is where the movie really takes off.

Its hard to believe there is hardly any information written about this flick, its a really unique horror show, with subtle black humor, weird torture and dangerously erotic without showing any nudity or being sleazy. The old folks/crazy people are wonderfully characterized, with odd walking habits, laughing and regular insanities. Undoubtedly the best crazy person is the old man that looks a helluva lot like Walter Matthau who is a magician and pretends to be handicapped so people can push him around.

What I love is how weird the set up is, and how stranger the pay off gets. At first you think, oh One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but then it turns into some kind of wonderful by mixing Herschell Gordon Lewis gore with Jean Rollin's unique pacing. It reminded me of watching Bubba Ho-Tep, but the black humor of the picture gave me that Paul Bartel edge, bordering Eating Raoul hilarity. Luckily Night of Death! never really goes over the top, the gore is delicate but effective, every body likable, and just a darn entertaining story.

In the end, it was a mixture of the films reference and more, I want to say Twilight Zone,but not quite; however the wraparound twist ending is excellent and surprising. I live to find films like this, to honor old school genre films that respected character craftsmanship rather than be exploitative and over achieving with lack of imagination. A Film like this is worth a thousand Saw's, but understand this is what I love, Night of Death! is not for everybody, and I understand that, but a long lost classic like this, is and was more entertaining than Transformers 2...

Definitely recommend seeking this out! also side note, if you haven't seen Eating Raoul, you're probably better off dead....