Night Child (1972)

Night Child (or Night Hair Child or What The Peeper Saw or Diabolicas Malicia or Child of The Night)is a 1972 British thriller starring Mark Lester (he of Oliver) and Britt Ekland (she of The Wicker Man [apart from her arse, which wasn’t in that]. Elise (Ekland) is married to widower Hardy Kruger, who has a 12 year son, Marcus. Marcus seems to be very sexually interested in Elise and Elsie slowly starts to think that Marcus is suffering mentally because of his mother’s death. But then, what of his mother’s death? Was it an accident? Is her own life in danger? A power struggle begins between step-mother and step-son, but how far will they take it?

Pretty far as it happens. I would suggest that out of all the films Mark Lester made this was probably his favourite to make. He was about 14 when he made it but gets to snog Britt Ekland, watch her slowly strip bare and even share a naked passionate embrace when she climbs (naked again) into his bed (this part I should mention is part of a drug fuelled hallucinatory dream. Even this film has some boundaries). How can a 14 year old not like that.

Unfortunately a good premise quickly gives way to dodgy film-making and on reflection I think the main reason for this is the miscasting of both Lester and Ekland who constantly prove themselves to be not able to provide their roles with the necessary depth and realism. Ekland is particularly at sea and even occasionally seems to miss her cues, which either of the two directors (two directors – rarely a good thing) seem to care about either.

The music, while enjoyable as a separate entity, more often than not seems at odds with the underlying menace. Of course it could have meant to be ironic but who knows.

I will say that I liked the twist at the end and that it caught me off-guard for a moment (I really should have seen it coming) and at least made the journey to the end worthwhile. As so often with these type of films, worth a watch once but not a lot there to tempt you back for a second viewing.