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Nightkill

  • 1980
  • R
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
966
YOUR RATING
Jaclyn Smith in Nightkill (1980)
CrimeHorrorMysteryThriller

A woman's lover poisons her cruel husband, a rich businessman, in front of her. She becomes more terrified when she finds the lover dead as well. A police detective suddenly shows up at her ... Read allA woman's lover poisons her cruel husband, a rich businessman, in front of her. She becomes more terrified when she finds the lover dead as well. A police detective suddenly shows up at her door.A woman's lover poisons her cruel husband, a rich businessman, in front of her. She becomes more terrified when she finds the lover dead as well. A police detective suddenly shows up at her door.

  • Director
    • Ted Post
  • Writers
    • Joane Gil
    • John Case
  • Stars
    • Robert Mitchum
    • Jaclyn Smith
    • Mike Connors
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    966
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ted Post
    • Writers
      • Joane Gil
      • John Case
    • Stars
      • Robert Mitchum
      • Jaclyn Smith
      • Mike Connors
    • 34User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos38

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    Top cast41

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    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum
    • Donner…
    Jaclyn Smith
    Jaclyn Smith
    • Katherine Atwell
    Mike Connors
    Mike Connors
    • Wendell Atwell
    James Franciscus
    James Franciscus
    • Steve Fulton
    Fritz Weaver
    Fritz Weaver
    • Herbert Childs
    Sybil Danning
    Sybil Danning
    • Monika Childs
    Tina Menard
    Tina Menard
    • Consuela
    Melanie MacQueen
    • Alice
    Belinda Mayne
    • Christine
    Michael Anderson Jr.
    Michael Anderson Jr.
    • Lt. Donner
    Ramona Bair
    • Social Worker
    Nimmy Abiaka
    • Pregnant Teenager
    Helen Harding
    • Valda
    Burke Rhind
    • McCarthy
    James Rehfeld
    • Airline Clerk #1
    Christopher Templeton
    • Airline Clerk #2
    • (as Chris Templeton)
    Jim Servis
    • Airline Clerk #3
    Charles Keever
    • Policeman at Accident
    • Director
      • Ted Post
    • Writers
      • Joane Gil
      • John Case
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews34

    5.4966
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    Featured reviews

    Dethcharm

    Time To Get A New Freezer...

    NIGHTKILL is a rather clunky, yet watchable thriller starring Jaclyn Smith as a woman in danger after her lover's (James Franciscus) plot to kill her insufferable husband (Mike Connors) goes horribly wrong. Many twists and unexpected turns help to save this movie from being a complete waste of time.

    Ms. Smith spends most of the movie uncovering one horror after another, while being surveilled and stalked by an unseen maniac.

    Robert Mitchum is a pushy Detective, and Fritz Weaver plays a slimy attorney. Cybil Danning is listed in the credits, but only has about 3 minutes of actual screen time.

    For the names involved, this is a pretty shoddy production. Granted, most were late in their careers, but that's no excuse for such a poor presentation. Fans of Ms. Smith will love the fact that she's in almost every scene...
    5merklekranz

    "Nightkill" is low budget, relentlessly downbeat, and technically flawed...

    The movie is appropriately named, "Nightkill", because it is so darkly filmed that the daylight scenes, which are not many, seem like night, and the nighttime scenes will literally leave you in the dark. Since the plot twists and turns, it would be nice to actually see what is going on. Basically, Jaclyn Smith is unwittingly drawn into a complex murder plot, involving her tyrant, millionaire husband, Mike Connors. Once her lover, James Franciscus, does the killing, nothing is explained, and the audience is left to blindly follow what is happening. Personally, I lost interest until the relentlessly downbeat ending. Despite the presence of Robert Mitchum, and some decent acting, technically the film is seriously flawed. - MERK
    5gridoon

    Baffling thriller that ultimately adds up.

    A very murky thriller. On the first viewing, I swear you won't be able to tell what's going on until....the last five minutes or so. This may be one of those mysteries that require a second viewing to fully understand how everything adds up. Good acting, though, both by Robert Mitchum, as a cunning detective, and by Jacklyn Smith, who's quite convincing as a woman involved in an increasingly threatening situation, with nobody to rely on in the whole world. (**)
    4Platypuschow

    Nightkill: Meh thriller

    Nightkill is a thriller starring the late great industry veteran Robert Mitchum, but it certainly isn't among his best work.

    It tells the story of a woman who witnesses her new lover murder her abusive husband and the chain of events that follow. With her lover now missing and the police closing in what does she do next?

    Lead by Jaclyn Smith this thriller never really gets going and the twist was more than expected. Though the finale is less predictible and quite enjoyable the rest of the movie is highly generic stuff.

    It's certainly not terrible, but it's underwhelming stuff that you'll have seen plenty of times before. Even Mitchum seems bored.

    The Good:

    Robert Mitchum

    The Bad:

    Highly generic

    Things I Learnt From This Movie:

    White wine is for meatballs and cooking

    In the 1980's no money was required to get yourself a plane seat reserved

    Police officers use racial slurs casually
    7jamiecostelo58

    Not bad in actual fact

    I was surprised at how nail-biting this movie was, not only at the somewhat unusual plot, but by the dark and brooding performance by Robert Mitchum. Nightkill is a reasonable enough thriller with good twists and turns throughout, and an equally strong conclusion.

    Jaclyn Smith gives out a not-too-bad performance as Katherine Atwell, but in my eyes I felt as if she was trying a little too hard in some places. Mike Connors though portrays his cold and callous character of Wendel to good effect. You actually despise Wendel! In no doubt, however, it's Mitchum who steals the show; what a twist toward the end! Nice background music too: the score actually tells the story in some parts - very ominous.

    In a nutshell, Nightkill is a relatively suspenseful film, but what lets it down is the somewhat inept direction and weak dialogue in certain places. 7/10

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Originally intended for wide theatrical release in January of 1981, the film was sold to television, after a brief limited theatrical release, where it premiered on 18 December 1980.
    • Quotes

      Steve Fulton: Morning hugs are the best.

    • Connections
      Featured in Jaclyn Smith: Kill or Be Killed (2017)

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    FAQ15

    • How long is Nightkill?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 22, 1982 (Sweden)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • West Germany
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Gece katilleri
    • Filming locations
      • Camelback Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
    • Production companies
      • AVCO Embassy Pictures
      • Cine Artist Film GmbH
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 37m(97 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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