Dead of Night is a surprisingly gory and grisly thriller
Dead of Night kicks off with quite a gruesome kill that triggers a whodunit narrative, which plays out during the rest of the film, as a black-robed and masked killer targets victims one by one in brutal fashion. The indie film's strength really lies with its practical effects and grisly murders. The eventual conclusion is a bit predictable, but it doesn't deter from the film's overall suspense or the way Dead of Night works both as a slasher and thriller.
Kirrilee Berger stars as would-be journalist and sleuth Kelly Weaver, daughter of the town's sheriff, played by Dermot Mulroney. Within the opening minutes, the killer targets the daughter of Mayor Mitchell (Alex Camacho). The daughter's death shocks as an opener, and then the killer strings up and displays the body, as if to taunt the mayor and the townspeople. This opening sets the tone for the rest of the movie, in that the film contains a high body count with gory kills. Likely, the carnage will appeal to slasher fans. As the victims increase, both Kelly and her father are determined to catch the killer, though they take different approaches. Kelly uses her journalism skills, while her old man uses the power of the sheriff's office.
The cast is rounded out by Scott Grimes as neighbor David Harris, Zach Justice as David's son and Kelly's close friend and quasi boyfriend, Donnie, and Miles Anderson as Richard Mitchell, former mayor and the current mayor's father. If this movie has one major flaw, it's that there's a bit of bloat. There are a lot of characters and townspeople in this movie, and unfortunately, not all of them have their time to shine. Too many of them are a bit flat, including the mayor and her father, who put politics and advancement above all else. Additionally, some of Kelly's college friends, other than Donnie, are largely forgettable and mostly fodder for the killer. This film would have benefited from trimming back some of the characters a bit and focusing on a smaller cast and maybe just two of the families.
Additionally, some of the pacing, especially the guess work that goes into finding the killer, slows down the movie. However, Dead of Night has a heck of a climax, when the murderer hacks and slashes one victim after the next. It's a pretty explosive finale, though again, the big reveal isn't that much of a surprise, at least for those noticing clues sprinkled along the way. Still, horror fans will definitely dig the carnage candy.
Overall, Dead of Night works as a thriller and slasher, even when it's sometimes bogged down by sluggish pacing and too many characters. The real highlight here is the vicious kills, which are largely punishing and unrelenting. This is a film that relishes in its high body count and offers a solid final girl in Berger's performance as Kelly.
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