Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Robert Hamer and Basil Dearden / Screenplay by John Baines and Angus McPhail

Over the years, the so-called ‘portmanteau’ horror film, an anthology of self-contained short stories connected by a linking narrative, has spawned the likes of Creepshow (1982), Cat’s Eye (1985), and the ongoing V/H/S franchise (2012-present). The format reached a peak in the sixtes and seventies courtesy of the British company Amicus Productions, whose portmanteau classics include Dr Terror’s House of Horrors (1965), Tales from the Crypt (1972), Asylum (1972) and Vault of Horror (1973). The ancestor of them all, and still arguably the finest film in the whole genre, hails from as long ago as 1945. Dead of Night is a British picture from the stable of Ealing Studios, which at the time was still a few years away from the shining run of comedies for which the company is now best remembered. During the mid-forties, Ealing’s principal output consisted of crime thrillers, war stories and the occasional spinechiller. Dead of Night harnesses the talents of four of Ealing’s most brilliant directors, who between them assemble five supernatural tales which are narrated in turn by the guests at a country cottage, where visiting architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) experiences a creeping sense of déjà vu as the stories unfold: a dream of disaster, a ghostly child, a haunted mirror, a golfing rivalry from beyond the grave - and most memorably of all, the eerie tale of stage ventriloquist Maxwell Frere (Michael Redgrave), whose dummy Hugo appears to take on a personality of his own. Is Hugo alive? Is Maxwell insane? And how is the increasingly troubled Craig able to predict what will happen next? As Dead of Night whirls into the surreal dreamscape of its nightmarish climax, anything seems possible.

Framed Dimensions: 400mm x 315mm

Acrylic on 230gsm Winsor & Newton canvas paper

Glazed, mounted and framed

Supplied with signed letter of authenticity from Barnaby.