Is the Horror Reality- a Dream- or a Nightmare? William Castle Presents Barbara Stanwyck in "Night Walker"!

Tonight on MeTV- William Castle takes us on stroll somewhat different from his “Mr. Sardonicus”- but just as unnerving- as he presents esteemed actress Barbara Stanwyck plunged into a terrifying world where she isn’t sure what may be simply dreams and what is reality! Who is the mysterious unknown dream lover who comes calling – in the chilling " Night Walker"?!

We meet Irene ( played by Barbara, in what was her last actual movie role before her career segued to the realm of TV ) – and her jealous husband ,the aging ,blind Howard. He’s a very wealthy eccentric, who enjoys secretly recording things- like his wife talking in her sleep in such a provocative way that he becomes suspicious. He reveals his theory that she has a secret lover  to his lawyer Barry- playing the recordings for him, and even suggesting that, since the lawyer is basically the only person who comes to the house regularly, that her mysterious lover just might be him! Barry is insulted by this inference, and is leaving the premises-when Irene stops him, and explains that she does talk in her sleep to a lover – but it’s a Romeo who only exists in the world of her dreams! After  Barry departs, Howard has a face-off with Irene, flat out accusing her of being unfaithful. She storms out of the house, and- left alone- Howard finds himself drawn to his  upstairs laboratory- where a strange disaster takes him out of the picture!

Or- does it? Irene begins to experience odd and terrifying events every night .Unable to tell if they are really happening- or just dreams- she can no longer stay in the house. She opts to reside in the back room apartment of a beauty parlor she owns, hoping that different surroundings help her break free of the constant all-too-realistic nightmares.  Wrong again, Irene- the dream lover begins making nightly visits, seeming very real- and taking her out to various places, while sharing his plans for their future- and into a bizarre sector of what can only be the Twilight Zone-with nightmarish inhabitants! Upon her return from  a particularly horrible experience, Irene enlists lawyer Barry's help to prove that these nightmares are actually happening in the world of reality- or to reveal that she is truly out of her mind!

This 1964 chiller is one of the William Castle offerings that, though using similar techniques as his other films, relies less on in-theatre gimmickry  than, say, his "House on Haunted Hill" and "The Tingler".Undoubtedly, part of the reason is his procuring  major  Hollywood stars like  Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor. You’ll also possibly recognize Howard as an actor known best as a supporting player in a sitcom, along with other familiar TV faces in the cast. We support it all with the usual dosage of Sven shtick- including a chat with a stunt man who has worn the mask of Jason Voorhees!

"Night Walker" strolls onto the airwaves of  MeTV tonight at 8pm eastern/pacific, 7 central- and if you’re unsure at what time and  where to find us in your area, check your local listings (or  at www.metv.com) . Again last week, we were trending high nationally on Twitter, thanks to all of you viewers who live-tweet along during the show, using the hashtag  #svengoolie. In the Chicago viewing area, we have a second round of “Man Made Monster”, featuring the fun appearances of Mick Foley,” at 11 am on our sister station, WCIU, the U.  

Make sure you check out our store here on this site- where the new long sleeved version of the Sven shirt has now been added- and be watching for more new merchandise down the line.

Meanwhile,walk with us tonight when things get dreamy and screamy with Barbara Stanwyck !