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Paul Kelly, DeForest Kelley, Ann Doran, Kay Scott, Robert Emmett Keane ... see more see more... , Charles Victor , Gladys Blake , Chris Drake , Stanley Farrar , Julia Faye , John Harmon , Michael Martin Harvey , Dick Keane , Joey Ray , Janet Warren , Jeff York , Leander De Cordova , Jack Collins

One of several low-budget mellers directed by scriptwriter Maxwell Shane, Fear in the Night was based on the short story Nightmare by William Irish (pseudonym for Cornell Woolrich). In his first starr... read more read more...ing role, DeForest Kelley plays Vince Grayson, a young man who has a terrible nightmare wherein he sees himself killing someone. When he awakens, Vince finds a couple of pieces of evidence indicating that his dream was no dream. Detective Cliff Herlihy (Paul Kelly) doesn't believe that Vince has killed anyone, but agrees to investigate. While taking shelter from a storm in a remote mansion, the detective and the young man stumble upon a mirrored room -- just like the one in Vince's dream. The frenzied Vince is nearly driven to suicide, but Detective Herlihy deduces that his friend's nightmare was the handiwork of Lewis Belnap (Robert Emmett Keane), the mansion's owner, who is a dabbler in hypnosis. Fear in the Night was remade in 1956 as Nightmare, with Kevin McCarthy and Edward G. Robinson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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42% liked it

633 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 12 min.

Directed by: Maxwell Shane

Release Date: January 1, 1947

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DVD Release Date: June 24, 2003

Stats: 37 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (37)


  • January 13, 2012
    A man awakes after a dream of murdering a stranger only to find actual evidence of the deed on his person. Was it only a dream or did he kill someone? DeForrest Kelley in his first lead role is pretty good as a guy losing his grip in this noir- ish thriller from the late 40's.
  • October 24, 2010
    Did DeForest Kelley/Dr. "Bones" McCoy kill someone? He's not sure if it was a dream or reality. It was interesting to see Kelley in an older movie, but the movie isn't that great itself. It's just okay.
  • February 11, 2009
    DeForest Kelly (Dr. McCoy, a.k.a. "Bones", from the original '60s Star Trek series) in an excellent role in this murder mystery... is he the assailant or the victim? Watch it!
  • September 10, 2007
    DeForest Kelly gives a solid performance as man who dreams of a mirrored room and finds marks on his body... what do they all mean? The script is strong with an intriguing and involving mystery that is truly perplexing, drawing in the viewer so that we may find answers to this ri... read moreddle. However, the production values are very poor and do put a damper on the proceedings, but the story is so strong that you have to stay to the end to witness the final revelation!

Critic Reviews


Dennis Schwartz
September 27, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

An excellent low-budget psychological thriller. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Bosley Crowther
August 8, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

January 26, 2006
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Fear in the Night Trivia


  • Cape Fear, Do the Right Thing, Night of the Hunter: What do these movies have in common?  Answer »
  • Which movie had a convict blind in the day but could see like a hawk at night, who shows no fear and is constantly on the run from his own past only he can stop the grasp of evil from taking over the universe.  Answer »

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