The 1937 original of Night Must Fall (later remade by British director Karel Reisz with Albert Finney) is a masterfully terrifying tale of suspense and psychopathic murder. Set in a country cottage peopled by a host of eccentric characters, the film is both entertaining and curiously somber in its theme. Robert Montgomery made an effective change of “type” for the role of Danny, a seductive young man whose hypnotic effect on women has something to do with his desire to murder them.
“Against (Louis B.) Mayer's predictions of failure, Robert Montgomery, tiring of his debonair playboy image before his fans did, insisted on making Night Must Fall. It was anything but a failure; the psychotic killer of Emlyn Williams' sinister play became an equally nerve-tingling movie character and opened up a whole new field for the star. Dame May Witty, making her film debut at 72, was outstanding as his victim...while Rosalind Russell scored as the sensitive girl fascinated by the murderer.” --“The MGM Story” (JB)