The Hand of Night

The Hand of Night, also released as *Beast of Morocco*, is a 1968 British horror film directed by Frederic Goode. The screenplay was written by Bruce Stewart, and the cast includes William Sylvester, Diane Clare, and Aliza Gur. The story centers on Paul Carver, an Englishman who has recently lost his wife and children in a car crash. After waking from a nightmare, he is shown on a plane to Morocco, where he tries to meet a doctor, only to learn the doctor has died. In his grief, Carver ends up at the home of a German archaeologist, Otto Gunther, whom he met on the flight. At a party there, Carver meets two women who will shape his fate: Gunther’s assistant, Chantal, and the enigmatic Marissa. Burdened by survivor’s guilt, Carver must choose between Chantal, who represents life, and Marissa, who represents death. The *Monthly Film Bulletin* criticized the film as a dull macabre exercise, noting its reliance on Hammer-style tricks and portentous dialogue, despite effective makeup effects. The *Radio Times Guide to Films* gave it one star, calling it a tedious sub-Hammer horror that combines Dracula themes with Middle Eastern mummy motifs, undermined by bland performances.