Only a handful of "B" movies were made from Cornell Woolrich novels, primarily because the care that they needed in evoking atmosphere and the often necessary dream sequences called for budgets usually above the normal "B" level. Fear in the Night was made by Paramount's Pine-Thomas unit, which normally provided straightforward action films. It was one of the best and least typical of the unit's films, but because of its quality got far better playing time (and reviews) than most of their output. It was later remade on a decidedly bigger scale as Nightmare, but the original, relatively starless (though the presence of DeForest Kelley gives it added interest today) film has a lean, genuinely nightmarish quality denied to the good but glossier second version. William K. Everson