Take One Giant Step into a Nightmare with the "Night Walker"-Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- put on your walking shoes ( and maybe your pajamas) when William Castle invites you on a stroll into a terrifying world which Barbara Stanwyck isn’t sure is simply a dream- or a frightening reality! Out of the darkness comes a mysterious unknown dream lover – the “Night Walker"!

Irene (played by Barbara, in what was her last actual movie role before her career segued to the realm of TV and “The Big Valley”) feels tortured by her jealous husband, the aging, blind Howard. This wealthy eccentric enjoys secretly recording things- like his wife talking in her sleep in such a provocative way that he becomes suspicious! He reveals to his lawyer Barry his theory that she has a secret lover- playing the recordings for him, and even suggesting that, since the lawyer is basically the only person who comes to the house regularly, that HE might be the mysterious lover!

Barry, insulted by this inference, is leaving the premises-when Irene stops him, and explains that she does talk in her sleep to a lover – but that it’s a Romeo who only exists in the world of her dreams! After Barry departs, Howard confronts Irene, flat out accusing her of being unfaithful. She angrily storms out of the house, and- once alone- Howard finds himself drawn to his upstairs laboratory- where a strange disaster takes him out of the picture!

But, does it? After his demise, Irene begins to experience odd and terrifying events every night. Unable to tell if they are really happening- or just dreams- she feels that 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 being in different surroundings will help her break free of the constant, and all-too-realistic nightmares.

That’s a big “no”- because soon, 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 one particularly horrible experience, Irene enlists lawyer Barry's help to prove that these nightmares are actually happening- or that she is truly out of her mind!

This 1964 chiller is one of those William Castle offerings that, though using some similar techniques as his other productions, relies less on in-theatre gimmickry than his films like "House on Haunted Hill" and "The Tingler". Undoubtedly, part of the reason is his managing to enlist the services of major Hollywood stars like Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor. You’ll also possibly recognize Irene’s husband 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 visit from some members of our Sven Squad-a chat with a stunt man who has worn the mask of Jason Voorhees, along with other featured guests from a past Flashback Weekend convention-plus revisiting a memorable past event in Sven history!

"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) . Viewers can again live-tweet on Twitter during the show, using the hashtag #svengoolie. In the Chicago viewing area, we have a second round of the battle between magicians Boris Karloff and Vincent Price in “The Raven” at 11 am on our sister station CW26.

Meanwhile, limber up to walk with Barbara Stanwyck tonight -when things get dreamy and screamy on MeTV!