Former stroke victim Maura Prince (Patricia Neal, herself a stroke victim) has a talent for successfully guiding patients through speech therapy, but she can’t take a job in the field. Her blind mother Mrs. Edith Prince (Pamela Brown) insists that Maura take care of her in the large, empty, aging family mansion, Twin Towers. Edith had adopted Maura at 15, and nursed her when she had her stroke. To take a job or get involved in a romance that might take her away from her mother would make Maura seem ungrateful.
When a young biker named Billy Jarvis (Nicholas Clay) shows up asking for a job he wheedles his way into the old lady’s good graces by making the phony suggestion that they might be distantly related. As such, she’s happy to keep Billy around as an “unpaid guest” who happens to do a lot of renovation work on the house. From the start, something is “off” about Billy, but Maura finds herself strangely attracted to him and Billy does nothing to dissuade her. At 35, Maura looks 50, beaten down by life and illness. She is also sexually repressed.
It becomes clear that Billy is more than odd, when he creeps up on his first young victim. We learn what those broad leather straps on his motorcycle are for. Shortly thereafter, we learn that an unknown killer person has been committing a series of violent rapes and murders across England; not a single body turning up. The film’s title offers a clue, as Billy has discovered a way to make sure his victims are never found.
Though Billy is an obvious psychopath Dahl’s script works to generate sympathy for him. When he responds to Maura’s kindness, we almost believe he can be redeemed. Through flashbacks we learn that Billy has a history of impotence, putting Maura in the familiar position of nurse and therapist. Of course, she is in a deep state of denial, ignoring clues that reveal Billy as a serial killer.
The solid acting and well paced direction is matched by an effectively creepy and occasionally moving, score by the legendary Bernard Herrmann. While The Night Digger doesn’t introduce anything particularly new to the horror genre, Dahl, director Alastair Reid and the rest of those involved manipulate the familiar to create a more than enjoyable experience.
The Warner Archive Collection DVD-R of The Night Digger has been remastered in enhanced widescreen. The soft focus camerawork exaggerates some of the grain on video, but the colors appear accurate. Night scenes are also quite clear.
The clear audio track uses Bernard Herrmann’s score very well and dialogue comes through clearly.
The original trailer is included.
