I know full well that the comments that have been provided by my fellow horror fans are quite accurate, but I think you should give this little piece a chance. As clichéd as it is -- and it is!
Between producer Dan Curtis, director Lela Swift, writer Sam Hall, Robert Cobert's music and Thayer David and Louis Edmonds in lead roles, this pilot for a TV series seems like you're watching an episode of Dark Shadows. Trust me, that's not a bad thing.
Suave supernatural investigator Jonathan Fletcher (a sturdy performance by Kerwin Matthews) and his easygoing assistant Sajid Rowe (likable Cal Bellini) check out a mansion owned by lovely young Angela Martin (an appealing portrayal by the fetching Marj Dusay) that's rumored to be haunted.Director Lela Swift, working from a tight script by Dan Curtis and Sam Hall, does a capable job of crafting a spooky atmosphere, relates the compelling story at a steady pace, and makes fine use of the rundown mansion set that's full of dust and cobwebs.
Failed pilot to a proposed TV series by Dan Curtis("The Night Stalker") features a little known cast in a story about a woman who contacts two paranormal researchers to investigate her reputedly haunted house she has inherited.Oddly video-taped, rather than filmed, which makes the whole thing look cheap and amateurish, though script isn't too bad really, and there is some atmosphere to be had, it just fails to come to life adequately to engage the viewer, though it may have cult possibilities.
This is a bonus feature included for the TV movie "Dead of Night". Despite the similarity of the titles, the two are unrelated projects by Dan Curtis (of "Dark Shadows" fame).
Modest but engaging 'haunted house' effort with all the typical trappings: sinister custodian, lookalike descendant, possession, séance, ghost, grave-digging, atonement over past crime, etc.
