Endless Night (1972) ***

I haven't read Agatha Christie's 1967 source novel, but the 1972 film adaptation of Endless Night is a pretty good little murder mystery thriller. I've never seen another film directed by Sidney Gilliat but he wrote the screenplays for some films by famous directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Carol Reed's Night Train To Munich (1940). 

The Hitchcock influence shows in Endless Night, which also has a lot in common with the multitudinous gialli released the same year. Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett, who previously paired up in Twisted Nerve (1968), are both engaging here, as is Britt Eklund. Bernard Herrmann's score is an interesting one, featuring some occasional Moog synthesizer.

I didn't find the reveal all that surprising but I liked its execution. Endless Night is a bit slow but never boring. It features some gorgeous production design. It has an unusual feel for a Christie adaptation, but nothing as experimental as what you'd find in many gialli of the time.