Le visiteur de la nuit

Yes it's true there really isn't any strange and deadly occurrence in the film--though you could argue there are several. You could also say that not much really happens in the film--despite these, I feel, truths about this still obscure movie, it's worth watching.

I saw it as an adult in a poor copy that still couldn't ruin the film. Much credit to the director and to a set up that feels like the Manson family is about to attack at any moment--but don't expect that kind of pay off as there is more dread than actual action in the film. Shows what a good cast and director can do--at least back then. Robert Stack is especially good. And the late appearance of Deliverance crazy McKinney makes the ending much more satisfying than it should be. One of the great creepo character actors at the top of his form.

Today this would be made for LIFETIME in a lifeless way. And if they did, they would cut the "headless" scene that is the horror highlight of a movie that isn't really a horror film. I suppose if you saw this as a kid you'd say it was the headless movie though that is one isolated scene with little or nothing to do with the rest of the film.

No the film is not in the same league and the great scary 70's TV movies, but it's way above par for what passes as TV thrillers currently.

Sandor Stern as one of the writers is a plus as well. This just shows what talent and craft can do with a very limited story concept.

Yes, I remember this movie because of the headless dummy scene. It scared the c**p out of me too and I would have to rank that up there with the hand coming out of the grave scene from "Carrie" as one of the scariest moments in filmdom (even if this was a Television Movie).

It's sort of funny and charming to browse through the user-comments on these early 70's made-for-TV chillers; also known as the notorious ABC movies of the Week. The only few and brief comments are customarily written by people who watched the original airings on TV, got terrified of what they saw and then for years unsuccessfully tried tracking down a copy of that one movie that left such a gigantic impression on them. Well, I hope all these devoted fans managed to found a copy in the meantime, but normally that shouldn't be a problem nowadays because thanks to new media canals and exchanging methods, such a thing like an obscure movie hardly exists anymore. Heck, I even came across a proper version of "The Strange and Deadly Occurrence" and I never fanatically searched for it. I do immediately understand, however, why this is such a loved and intensely remembered film among 70's TV-thriller fans. The basic plot of "The Strange and Deadly Occurrence" is rudimentary and straightforward, but the atmosphere is unceasingly tense and there are two or three exceptionally unsettling sequences that are guaranteed to make your entire body tremble. All the other reviews collectively babble on and on about the scene with a headless dummy and petrifying pounding sounds. Those particular sequences are indeed quite scary, although I do think they must have been at least a dozen times scarier back in the early 70's, when horror was merely suggestive and everything else was left to the imagination. The happy and harmonious Rhodes family has been living in their secluded but luxurious countryside mansion for a couple of months now, but lately the number of little problems increases dramatically. There are problems with the electricity and plumbing, the estate is infested with gophers, the 16-year-old daughter suffers from spooky vivid nightmares and the brand new family dog mysteriously dies in the horses' stable. Is the area haunted or does someone just really wants to chase the Rhodes family out of there, like the suspicious Dr. Gillgreen who offers to buy the house at all prices. As said, a very simplistic formula but one that is compelling enough to keep you interested and guessing along with the protagonists regarding the secret of the house. John Llewellyn Moxey, arguably the best TV-thriller director of the era with other highlights in his repertoire such as "Nightmare in Badham County", "Where have all the people gone" and "The Night Stalker", keeps the pace reasonably fast and perfectly knows how to uphold the atmosphere of mystery until the very end. Robert Stack and Vera Miles give adequate performances as the married couple and Margaret Willock is very cherubic as the teenage daughter. This definitely isn't the greatest TV-thriller you'll ever watch, but nevertheless a very decent one.

In THE STRANGE AND DEADLY OCCURRENCE, Michael and Christine Rhodes (Robert Stack and Vera Miles), along with their daughter, Melissa (Margaret Willock), are settling in to their new, rural home. Odd things begin happening almost immediately, like unexplained power outages, weird furnace trouble, and an eerie, heavy-breathing presence!

Christine soon learns of the house's dark past. Could some paranormal phenomena be afoot? And, who's the bizarre guy that insists on buying the house? As the inexplicable events grow more frequent and dangerous, the Rhodes' start to question the wisdom of their investment.

Michael believes that some flesh and blood perpetrator is up to no good. The Sheriff (L.Q. Jones) is unconvinced that anything serious is taking place. Then, a life is lost, and a secret is uncovered. This all leads to the big, shock finale.

This made-for-TV movie is an effective mystery / thriller with a nice, ironic ending. Both Stack and Miles are convincing in their parts.

Watch for the inimitable Bill McKinney as Pratt...

I've seen "The Strange and Deadly Occurence" twice in my life; in 1983 and 1985. Both showings were late-night on a Friday and regrettably we did not own a VCR at the time.

It's quite an eerie film with a good build-up of suspense which unfortunately concludes rather ridiculously. A lot of those TVMs now languish in scheduling purgatory which is a pity. Some enterprising individual should release a bunch of them on VHS (some films just don't suit DVD)--e.g "Vanishing Act" with Elliott Gould and "One Of My Wives Is Missing" starring Jack Klugman.

If anyone has any of the above on VHS please mail me.

In summary then: Some parallels with "Caddyshack"