Nightkill

Nightkill
Directed byTed Post
Screenplay byJoan Andre
Story byJohn Case
Produced by
  • David Gil
  • Richard Hellman
Starring
CinematographyAnthony B. Richmond
Edited by
  • Gary Griffin
  • Patrick McMahon
Music byGünther Fischer
Production
company
Cine Artists GmbH[1]
Distributed byAvco Embassy Pictures[2][3]
Release date
  • December 18, 1980 (1980-12-18) (U.S.)
Running time
97 minutes
Countries
  • United States[3]
  • West Germany[4]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4 million[1]

Nightkill is a 1980 psychological thriller film directed by Ted Post, and starring Jaclyn Smith, Mike Connors, James Franciscus, Robert Mitchum, Fritz Weaver, and Sybil Danning.[5] It follows the wife of a corrupt Phoenix, Arizona industrialist, who finds herself attempting to cover up his murder after her lover poisons him to death.

The film was produced by the German production company Cine Artists GmbH, in association with American distributor Avco Embassy Pictures. It was filmed on location in Arizona in the spring of 1980, with additional shooting taking place in Berlin. The film marked Jaclyn Smith's first major film role following her lead on the popular television series Charlie's Angels. Mitchum's role is touted in Nightkill's promotion and credits, though his role in the film is minor with minimal screentime.[6]

Avco Embassy intended to release Nightkill theatrically in the United States in the fall of 1980, but its theatrical release never materialized. Instead, it aired on television as an NBC Movie of the Week in December 1980 before it was released on video, marketed as a slasher film. Smith, who met the film's cinematographer, Anthony B. Richmond, while shooting the project, married him the following year. Some critics have cited the film as an example of the neo-noir genre.[7]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference cast was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference nbc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Nightkill (1980)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023.
  4. ^ Rose, Peter (April 20, 1980). "Jaclyn Smith: Heads turn as actress films in the Valley". The Arizona Republic. p. G1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Nightkill". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 21, 2013.
  6. ^ "Nightkill". AllMovie. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference pop was invoked but never defined (see the help page).