The Midnight Man (2016 horror film)

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The Midnight Man
The Midnight Man 2016 horror poster.jpg
Directed byTravis Zariwny
Screenplay byTravis Zariwny
Story byTravis Zariwny
Jimmy Loweree
Based onMidnight Man by Rob Kennedy
Produced byCassian Elwes
Jeff Beesley
Frankie Lindquist
Starring Lin Shaye
Gabrielle Haugh
Grayson Gabriel
Emily Haine
Louise Linton
Michael Sirow
Robert Englund
CinematographyGavin Kelly
Edited byKyle Tekiela
Music byOlaf Pyttlik
Production
companies
Armory Films
Gussi Films
Elevated Pictures
Voltage Pictures
Stormchaser Films
Scooty Woop Elite
Buffalo Gal Pictures
Wooden Rocket
Distributed by IFC Midnight
Release dates
  • September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)(Canada)
  • January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19)(United States)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Midnight Man is a 2016 horror film directed by Travis Zariwny and starring Gabrielle Haugh, Lin Shaye and Grayson Gabriel.

Contents

Plot

In 1953 three children are seen playing a game beginning at midnight and ending at 3:33 a.m. Their game seems to be in fact a horrible waking nightmare in which they must avoid being captured by the Midnight Man (Strauts) who feeds on their fears and ultimately kills them. By the end of the game only one player, a girl named Anna Luster, remains alive.

The plot then jumps to 2016 and Anna (Shaye), is a grandmother who has been diagnosed with a dementia-related illness and still lives on the property the game took place. She is cared for by her teenage granddaughter Alex (Haugh). One evening, Alex's close friend Miles (Gabriel) comes over and the two discover the game. Anna freaks out after seeing the game and is treated by Dr Harding (Robert Englund) who advises them and leaves immediately.

They start playing without reading the full list of rules till the end, as a piece of paper seems to be missing.

Once they start playing Alex goes to check on her grandma but when she reaches her, Anna blows her candle out, and she gets trapped in the bathroom by the Midnight Man who plays tricks on her. Here Miles too experiments by blowing out his candle and is punished by the Midnight Man. Later he rushes to save Alex and brings her downstairs. At that point, Kelly (Haine) arrives and insists on playing the game. While playing, Kelly's candle goes out and couldn't be re-lit within 10 seconds, so the friends draw a protective circle of salt around her.

Kelly is killed while Alex and Miles go searching for another candle.

Dr. Harding arrives again and helps them to destroy the game after revealing that he too was there on the night Anna played the game as a child. Anna arrives and kills Dr. Harding but is later shot by Alex. The grandfather clock strikes 3:30 a.m. as the Midnight Man faces Alex and Miles, who are still protected by the circle of salt. Alex tells the Midnight Man that he has lost and he disappears. They wait until it is 4 o'clock before leaving the circle. While Alex picks up the remnants of the game, Miles checks on Dr. Harding's body and notices the time on his watch shows 3:27 a.m. He then realizes that the Midnight Man has tricked them. The Midnight Man appears and kills Miles and then tells Alex she has lost the game.

The scene reopens with a boy and his father at the house. The boy notices a box on the table and asks his father if he can take it. His father allows him to do so and they leave. The boy can be heard saying that he hopes it's a game.

Cast

Production

Producer Cassian Elwes first acquired the rights to a remake of the 2013 film Midnight Man, by Irish director Rob Kennedy, after seeing the film at a festival. Soon after, Elwes courted production designer turned director Travis Zariwny to helm the film. Along with Kennedy's film, Zariwny noted similarities with his own film to The Midnight Game , saying "the most terrifying thing as a filmmaker, is while I’m writing a story somebody else is making the movie that I’m writing". [1] By March 2016, Lin Shaye and Robert Englund boarded the film, rounding out a cast including Gabrielle Haugh, Grayson Gabriel, Summer Howell, Keenan Lehmann, Meredith Rose, Kyle Strauts, and Michael Sirow. [2] Production began that same month in Winnipeg. [3] According to Zariwny, a full day of filming and $80,000 were lost during production due to a drop in the US dollar and a raise in the Canadian dollar. [4]

Release

The Midnight Man debuted in Canada on September 30, 2016. The film remained dormant until IFC Midnight bought the distribution rights, setting the release date for January 22, 2018. [5] The film released on VOD on January 19, 2018.

Home Media

Shout Factory released the film on Blu-ray and DVD on June 5, 2018. [6]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Midnight Man holds an approval rating of 27%, with an average rating of 4.50/10, based on 11 reviews. [7]

Sara Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak praised the production design and claimed the film was a step up from Zariwny's Cabin Fever and Intruder , she criticized the monster's rules and called the ending "unintentionally laughable". [8] Frank Schenk, for The Hollywood Reporter , said the film was "derivative" and "forgettable". [9] For Dread Central , Matt Donato wrote "The Midnight Man is largely a robotic hide-and-seek slog". [10]

Writing for FilmInquiry, Stephanie Archer complimented the performances of Shaye and Englund and Gavin Kelly's cinematography. [11] Of TheFrightFile, Dustin Putman wrote "The Midnight Man isn't exactly deep and the film is not quite sure how to stick the landing, but as a trifle offering a stylish sheen and a handful of effective chills it proves more successful than not." [12]

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References

  1. ↑ Wallace, Misty (March 27, 2018). "Interview - Travis Zariwny". Cryptic Rock. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  2. ↑ Bond, Nick (March 9, 2016). "Robert Englund and Lin Shaye Join Travis Zariwny's The Midnight Man". Dark Universe Horror. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  3. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (March 9, 2016). "Horror Icons Robert Englund, Lin Shaye to Star in The Midnight Man (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ Wallace, Misty (March 27, 2018). "Interview - Travis Zariwny". Cryptic Rock. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  5. ↑ Miska, Brad (December 21, 2017). "The Midnight Man Brings Fear Home In January". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  6. ↑ Squires, John (March 8, 2018). "New Robert Englund Film The Midnight Man Hitting Blu-ray in June". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  7. ↑ "The Midnight Man (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  8. ↑ Fetters, Sara (February 8, 2018). "The Midnight Man (2016) - MovieFreak". MovieFreak. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  9. ↑ Schenk, Frank (January 18, 2018). "The Midnight Man: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  10. ↑ Donato, Matt (January 23, 2018). "The Midnight Man Review – Don't Hate The Game, Hate The Players". Dread Central. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  11. ↑ Archer, Stephanie (February 20, 2018). "The Midnight Man: A Surprisingly Delightful Horror Film That Just Might Get You". FilmInquiry. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  12. ↑ Putman, Dustin (June 7, 2018). "Review - The Midnight Man (2018)". TheFrightFile. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
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