Violent Midnight – DVD
Dark Sky Films
Violent Midnight was the first film made by low-budget horror director Del Tenney. It came out in 1962 and featured a younger Dick Van Patton (later of Eight is Enough TV fame). The movie tells the story of Elliot, a Korean war vet turned artist who is living in semi-seclusion and painting a nude model. He had a fling with her in the past and upon driving her home, ends up getting in a fight with her current boyfriend. The next thing you know, she is stabbed to death by an unknown assailant and Elliot is suddenly a prime suspect. Not too long after that, his sister comes to town to start college and one of her friends takes a liking to Elliot (as well as the deceased model’s boyfriend) and suffers a similar fate. Things look bad for both Elliot and Charlie as they are both suspects now, but who really did it?
The film is full frame and in black and white. The picture has been restored and looks really sharp with great contrast. The audio is very clean and in the original mono mix it was recorded in. The movie runs just over 90 minutes long and the bonus features consist of a commentary track, a photo gallery, and trailers for the other Del Tenney films (reviewed previously on this site). Overall it was an enjoyable film that was well worth watching, and a good showing from a first-time director. Any one who like a good murder-mystery would probably find some enjoyment here.
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