Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

azathothpwiggins After a lengthy, rather silly voice-over intro about dreams, THE NIGHT WALKER begins. Irene Trent's (Barbara Stanwyck) blind, jealous, clock-collecting husband, Howard (Hayden Rorke) suspects his wife has been seeing another man. Howard's suspicions are mostly based on his overhearing of Irene's dreams. Soon enough, tragedy strikes, resulting in a spook-o-thon. But wait! Is anything as it appears to be? While this could have been a fascinating experiment in psychological horror, it is instead, another William Castle cheeeze-log. Forever attempting to be another Hitchcock, the terminally un-subtle Castle, unable to help himself, opted for long, dull stretches of nonsense, interrupted by his signature "rubber-mallet-to-the-cranium" approach to suspense. One feels great sorrow for Ms Stanwyck, who must have been wondering what she had done to deserve such a fate as this cinematic absurdity. At one point, her overwrought screams seem to say, "My god! What happened?! I was in DOUBLE INDEMNITY! Noooo!" Actually, the best thing about this movie is the theme music by none other than Vic Mizzy (the genius behind the music for THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN and TV's THE ADDAMS FAMILY). Other than that, expect non-stop malarkey...

Coventry Say what you want about William Castle but, even without silly gimmicks and avant-garde marketing tricks, this man was able to deliver competent and solid atmosphere-driven horror tales! "The Night Walker" is perfect proof of this statement, because even though the screenplay (by none other than Robert "Pyscho" Bloch") is occasionally too slow-paced and predictable, Castle still managed to turn it into a mysteriously ominous thriller with a handful of authentic fright-moments, hypnotizing music, eerie imagery and strong performances. The voiceover intro is rather dumb and redundant, as it's an exaggeratedly theatrical lecture about the phenomena of dreams and dreaming. Basically, it's just a lot of pseudo-intellectual and pretentious mumbo-jumbo that ends with the nonsensical phrase: "When you dream, you become a night walker". Hence the title, huh? Thank you, Mr. Castle! Immediately after, however, "The Night Walker" becomes tense and compelling. The wealthy, blind and downright petrifying Howard Trent confronts his wife with his suspicion that she's cheating. Irene confesses, but only in her dreams, because she never leaves the house and Trent is cruel and possessive when it comes to her. When Trent dies in a freaky accident in his laboratory, Irene still isn't care-free. She still dreams of her inexistent (or not?) Prince Charming, but also suffers from nightmares in which Trent looking even more terrifying now since half of his face is burnt, comes back from the dead to kill her. Irene receives help and moral support from Trent's handsome lawyer Barry Morland and her beauty salon employee Joyce, but inevitably her mental state deteriorates further. You don't exactly require a PhD. in criminology to figure out what is going on, but William Castle nevertheless admirably attempts to retain the mystery aspects. He reveals very little until the climax, comes up with a few efficient plot twists and successfully makes you wonder if Barbara Stanwyck's visions are real or imaginary. The make-up/mask worn is by Hayden Rorke is fantastically horrific and the, hands down, best quality of "The Night Walker" is the spellbinding music by Vic Mizzy.

Scott LeBrun From writer Robert Bloch of "Psycho" fame and the gimmick-loving producer-director William Castle comes this entry into that genre crudely referred to by some people as "hag horror". (Popularized by the legendary "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?".) Barbara Stanwyck, in her final feature film, stars as Irene Trent, who's unhappily married to embittered blind man Howard Trent (Hayden Rorke). When Howard dies in a suspicious explosion, she becomes a very rich woman. But she continues to be haunted by recurring dreams, in which she is romanced by a handsome young stranger (Lloyd Bochner). Her well-meaning lawyer friend Barry Morland (Robert Taylor) tries to help her solve this puzzle in her life.Castle does some great things with atmosphere, and his direction is stylish. One scene certainly leaves an impression, the "wedding" which is attended by mannequins. Ultimately, the story is resolved in a "realistic" manner which does negate all the surrealism created by Castle, cinematographer Harold E. Stine, and company up to that point. It's not a terribly surprising reveal, but it is a fun one, and in general the movie is quite enjoyable, gimmick or no gimmick. It does keep you engrossed for quite a while, although after some time has passed you do get a sense of where it is going. It's also enhanced by a repetitive, but catchy, music score by Vic Mizzy, somewhat reminiscent of the classic 'Twilight Zone' theme.Stanwyck is very appealing, with top billed Taylor offering solid support as the lawyer. Rorke ('I Dream of Jeannie') is absolutely great; Judi Meredith ("Queen of Blood"), Rochelle Hudson ("Rebel Without a Cause"), Jess Barker ("Scarlet Street"), Marjorie Bennett ("What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"), and Tetsu Komai ("Island of Lost Souls") co-star. The opening narration, ruminating on the entire concept of dreams and nightmares, is spoken by the great Paul Frees.Good fun, and rather under rated as far as Castles' output and the entire "older women in shockers" genre goes.Seven out of 10.

JohnHowardReid Admittedly the plot is absurd and even on its own unbelievable level, it's full of holes and unexplained incidents, but Castle's direction is more inventive than usual and delivers all the expected shocks with dramatic effectiveness. Barbara Stanwyck in her final theatrical film before confining her appearances to TV, makes a moderately attractive figure – and she certainly screams to chilling effect! However, the acting as a whole could be justly described as little more than adequate. Robert Taylor lets the opportunity to deliver a performance of some depth slip by and is content to drift through the film using his usual surface characterization. Jess Barker is practically unrecognizable in a brief but efficient portrayal as a man from the coroner's office, while Hayden Rorke is submerged in convincingly frightening make-up. The movie's imaginatively designed Prologue has actually little to do with the plot but it does set an appropriately creepy mood. Likewise, Vic Mizzy's music score with its tapping cane leitmotif is powerfully atmospheric. Indeed all the special effects are first class. A pity the movie itself is not wholly successful but it's still worth buying.