There are a lot of familiar faces in this one; not surprising, as the (replacement) director was William Asher. The result, then, is a competently filmed slasher-style entry, even if the film tends to use television-style resolutions throughout. (And, yes, Bo Svenson's bigoted cop character is a bit too arch; and the same can be said for Tyrell's increasingly unhinged Baby Jane-like "Cheryl." But the cast is solid and the same can be said for the directing.)
That said, this would be a forgettable entry but for the fact that it is almost singularly unique for the time-period in using two complementary narratives dealing with sexuality: In the first, Svenson's Joe Carlson is a man obsessed with weeding out "deviants" in "his" community, even if it means framing the innocent. In the second, Tyrell's Cheryl is obsessed with possessing those she sees as her great loves, even if it means destroying those people.
Now, the two narratives don't always sync, and the writing is a bit "TV-friendly" in both style and content; particularly toward the end (gore notwithstanding). But props to the producers for greenlighting something really different during the hey-day of the American slasher. Thematically, Night Warning (or BBNM) looks as much to "Don't Torture a Duckling" (Italian) and "Cannibal Man" (Spanish) for its inspiration as to "Psycho" and "Friday the 13th."
That said, this would be a forgettable entry but for the fact that it is almost singularly unique for the time-period in using two complementary narratives dealing with sexuality: In the first, Svenson's Joe Carlson is a man obsessed with weeding out "deviants" in "his" community, even if it means framing the innocent. In the second, Tyrell's Cheryl is obsessed with possessing those she sees as her great loves, even if it means destroying those people.
Now, the two narratives don't always sync, and the writing is a bit "TV-friendly" in both style and content; particularly toward the end (gore notwithstanding). But props to the producers for greenlighting something really different during the hey-day of the American slasher. Thematically, Night Warning (or BBNM) looks as much to "Don't Torture a Duckling" (Italian) and "Cannibal Man" (Spanish) for its inspiration as to "Psycho" and "Friday the 13th."