After Midnight (1989 film)
| After Midnight (film) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by |
Jim Wheat Ken Wheat |
| Produced by | Richard Arlook |
| Written by |
Jim Wheat Ken Wheat |
| Starring |
Marg Helgenberger Marc McClure Ramy Zada Jillian McWhirter Pamela Segall Tracy Wells |
| Cinematography | Phedon Papamichael Jr. |
| Distributed by |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM/UA Communications Co.) |
Release dates | 1989 (USA) |
Running time | 90 min. |
| Language | English |
After Midnight is an American horror anthology film released in 1989. Besides the three stories within the movie, there is a wraparound story with a deus ex machina at the end.
Plot
Allison and Cheryl are two college students in a new class, The Psychology of Fear. It is taught by a strange man named Edward Derek. One of Derek's in class experiments makes a jock wet himself in front of everyone, leading to the censuring of the class. Professor Derek invites his students to his home for a private lesson. There, he tells the students three tales centered on fear. In the meantime, the humiliated jock sneaks over to Derek's home to take revenge.
The Stories
The Old Dark House
A couple is on its way home when the car breaks down on a nightly scenic route. They seek shelter in a seemingly empty home with a murderous past. It turns into an evening neither of them will forget.
A Night on the Town
Four high school girls go downtown one night to have some fun. They cannot get into a club and look for entertainment elsewhere. They end up at a run-down gas station. There, the girls cross paths with a perverted gas attendant and his ferocious dogs. This story features Tracy Wells, best known as the daughter on the sitcom Mr. Belvedere.
All Night Messenger
Marg Helgenberger plays Alex, an employee at a telephone messaging service. Due to a broken leg, she returns from a ski trip early and takes a late night shift. A female client complains of a man who's been stalking her and leaving messages. Alex tries to help but only ends up becoming a player herself in a cat and mouse game.
The Wraparound Story/Ending
Professor Derek goes down to the basement and ends up falling into the jock's trap. He's hung upside down and dangled over the center of a ring of fire. The other students watch in frozen fear. The situation suddenly changes when Derek is released and his stories begin to mesh with reality. Allison finally wakes up, ready for her first day of The Psychology of Fear.
Cast
- Ramy Zada - Professor Edward Derek
- Marg Helgenberger - Alex
- Marc McClure - Kevin
- Jillian McWhirter - Allison
- Pamela Segall - Cheryl
- Tracy Wells - Amy
Production
Paul Chadwick, the production designer, is the artist and originator of the graphic comic character "Concrete".
Marg Helgenberger would later become the star of the hit television series CSI.
DVD release
On September 20, 2005, MGM released After Midnight on DVD.