Yah, every crumb bum criminal always says he (or she) is as innocent as a lamb, wouldn’t touch somebody else’s dough for all the money in the world, wouldn’t knock off a guy who bothered him for an equal amount, and certainly wouldn’t get-trigger happy over some little misunderstanding with a dame. No way. Yah, that’s what they all say, and say it loud and often. We have been through that song and dance before and the alibi that the guy, the seemingly Walter Mitty guy, Vince (played by a young DeForest Kelley of Star Trek fame) who is on the hook in this film under review, Fear In The Night, stinks to high heaven. No way did his story made sense, no way even to a cop relative (played by Paul Kelly) who plays it by the book. No way he didn’t knock a guy and dame off just for kicks or some other perversion so forget going to the bother of looking for some clue that might get him off the hook. The kid is a weirdo, maybe a little flighty, maybe on dope, maybe just trying to put together some bizarre insanity plea. Sweat this boy, sweat him hard to get the truth, and get it quick before he caves in totally.
Yes, I had this B-film thriller figured early. No question Vince did it and did it mean and rotten. How else did he know about the keys, about a button, and about a funny farm mirrored room? Yah, hang him, hang him high. But wait a minute it turns out this guy, the Vince fall guy, actually was innocent of murder anyway if not bad acting as he tried to make us get all tensed about his dilemma. As it turned out the pair that were murdered were bleeding some big time doctor dry, one way or another. Moreover the woman was, ah, married to the big time doctor. So rather than taking matters into his own hand and risk swinging from some high gallows ropes dear old Doc makes Vince the patsy. How? Easy, the power of suggestion, hypnosis, get it. The oldest gag in the book. Sorry Doc, your ticket has been punched.
As for Vince and this B-beauty you get what you pay for. If you want Alfred Hitchcock suspense that has you gnawing at your finger nails then look elsewhere, you know stuff like Strangers On A Train, Psycho and what not. If you want a low- budget black and white movie that looks like it was shot in about three days in somebody’s back yard wrapped around a twist and turns Cornell Woolrich story line then you are home. I still Vince should be doing a little time for letting Doc put him under his whammy. But I am just sore this guy really was innocent when I had him tagged as a lamester from square one. Enough said.
