Film archive, 1945

Dead of Night

Director Alberto Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden, Charles Crichton, Robert Hamer

1Festival entries

Overall

★Avg. rating

Built on one framing ghost story, the film tells five tales of the supernatural. The architect Walter Granger travels to a farmhouse in the countryside to discuss a commission. The place feels as if he has been there before: he once had a terrifying dream in which everyone in the house appeared. When he tells the guests about it, Dr. Van puts forward a sceptic’s natural explanation, which leads each guest to tell a ghost story of their own. In the end, all five stories turn out to be the protagonist’s nightmare. Arguably the greatest anthology horror film in cinema history, directed jointly by four of Ealing Studios’ leading directors, it not only made the horror anthology a lasting form but also pioneered a circular narrative that inspired later films of its kind.

Stills(3)

Film details

Director: Alberto Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden, Charles Crichton, Robert Hamer
Country/Region: United Kingdom
Year: 1945
Length: 103min
Original language: English
Elsewhere: Letterboxd IMDb Wikidata TMDB Douban

Credits

Director: Alberto Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden, Charles Crichton, Robert Hamer
Screenplay: Angus MacPhail, John Baines, T.E.B. Clarke
Original work: E.F. Benson, H.G. Wells
Cast: Mervyn Johns, Roland Culver, Mary Merrall

Festival appearances(1)

Choose a festival entry to see its screenings, articles and audience reviews.

Dead of Night (4K Restoration)British Flair: A Showcase of Classic Cinema 2026British Flair: A Showcase of Classic Cinema

Festival history(1)

Shanghai Film Archive, 2026British Flair: A Showcase of Classic Cinema

Film posters

Poster language