I love a good deep cut. I’m talking horror movies you’ve never heard of; the kind you’ve never even heard anyone else mention. Often, I stumble across them by complete accident. I stream something—some kind of slasher or classic thriller—and once it’s ended, I make my way to the very, very end of whatever list of recommendations is suggested for my next watch. That’s where you’ll find the really good stuff.
In recent years, there’s one gem I’ve been all but screaming from the rooftops about. A movie so slick, so disturbing, so dramatic and theatrical, I wish for nothing but everyone to sit down, dim the lights, and give it a whirl. The movie in question? Brian G. Hutton’s Night Watch, based on the play of the same name by Lucille Fletcher. Night Watch is a propulsive, subversive take on the woman-in-peril thrillers that dominated the 1960s and 1970s, and it stars an effortlessly compelling Elizabeth Taylor in one of her later roles. It’s streaming free now.
Per Fawesome.TV: Ellen Wheeler (Elizabeth Taylor) is an unhappy housewife who settles her fraying nerves with alcohol while staring out her window. When she witnesses what she thinks is a murder through a neighbor’s window, she calls the police, who find nothing when they investigate. With her neglectful husband (Laurence Harvey) skeptical and unsupportive, Ellen turns to her friend Sarah (Billie Whitelaw), who is slightly more receptive as the pair attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery.
You can catch Night Watch streaming free now on Fawesome.TV. It’s a thunderous, evocative piece of paranoia, and even if you think you’ve seen it all before, I’m willing to bet you won’t guess where Night Watch is heading. It’s unpredictable in the best way, repurposing old tropes from the likes of Gaslight and Shadow of a Doubt into something so much fiercer (and British).
In an editorial I penned on the film upon my first watch, I wrote, “Night Watch is a grisly, gruesome, hypnotic, frenetically-pitched subversion of the ubiquitous “woman in peril” pictures of the last century,” adding, “Hutton is working with cinematic poetry, a vivid, resonant, and evocative tapestry of grindhouse screams and elevated studio thrills.” It’s everything and more I could want from a paranoid thriller, mixing slasher elements with a good, old-fashioned mystery. And with Elizabeth Taylor in the lead, it’s pretty much unmatched.
What do you think? Any plans to watch Night Watch streaming for free? If you do, might I suggest waiting for a dark and stormy night? You won’t be disappointed. When you do, let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
Categorized: News
