Night Tide (1961)
A lonely sailor on shore leave falls for a beautiful young woman who works the pier as a sideshow mermaid. He learns that the men who loved her before him drowned, and that she half-believes she is a Siren, fated to doom everyone who gets close.
NIGHT TIDE (1961) was the first feature by Curtis Harrington, an experimental filmmaker who came up in the avant-garde underground alongside Kenneth Anger. This is a dreamy, black-and-white fever dream somewhere between a Val Lewton chiller and a beatnik poem.
The sailor is Dennis Hopper, baby-faced and gentle, in his very first leading role, years before he became the wild man of American film.
The score is by David Raksin, who wrote "Laura." Raskin loved Harrington's project so much that he scored it for a fraction of his usual fee.
About the Film
Temptress from the sea… loving… killing!
- Directed By
- Curtis Harrington
- Runtime
- 84 minutes
- Released
- July 1, 1961
- US Theatrical
- June 6, 1963
- Certification
- NR
- Country
- United States of America
- Starring
- Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir, Luana Anders, Marjorie Eaton
More Credits
- Genres
- Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Horror
- Language
- English
- Origin
- US
- Studios
- Phoenix Films, The Filmgroup, American International Pictures
- Written By
- Curtis Harrington
- Produced By
- Jules Schwartz, Aram Katarian
- Cinematography
- Vilis Lapenieks, Floyd Crosby
- Music
- David Raksin, Paul Horn
- Also Starring
- Tom Dillon, H.E. West, Marjorie Cameron, Chaino, Kirby Allan
Where to Watch
Stream
Source: JustWatch
Physical Media
Kino Lorber (Blu-ray, US). An HD restoration that cleans up the moody black-and-white photography while leaving its low-budget texture intact.
Powerhouse / Indicator (Blu-ray, UK, Region B). Carries a vintage commentary with Harrington and Hopper together, a second commentary by the critic Tony Rayns, archival career interviews with Harrington, and, best of all, a whole second disc of eight of Harrington's own avant-garde shorts, including the Poe pieces that bookended his life in film. It is essentially a portrait of the underground artist wrapped around the feature. Region B.
LOVED this movie! 🥰
I always recommend people watch this in a double-feature with Carnival of Souls
Kat Peach Now, Carnival of Souls freaks me right out. It’s one of those ‘you see it once, you never forget, and never need to see again because you remember every damn scene’ kinds of films, like Naked Lunch.
Maura Manning Truth!
Kat Peach Carnival of Souls is a movie i haven’t watched in years
As a Dennis Hopper fan I enjoyed this
I am sure I had the opportunity to watch this when I subscribed to Metrograph, but I didn’t. Or it might have been when I was on MUBI, which your link shows it is streaming now.
this was shot so well I was stunned
A beautiful film.
Lovely movie. I saw it the year it first showed on CPM Theater 1965 – I was 10 years old. I was rather moved by the story and by the music and it was another step in my fascination with the supernatural and speculative fiction.
WOuld always watch this on the late late show. Loved it. Everyone is soooo odd.
I love Curtis Harrington. I always compare this movie to Cat People, it has a very similar storyline. I tried to find his crypt in the big mausoleum at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, but I couldn’t locate it. I’ll definitely try again on my next visit out that way. I dressed up as the Queen of Blood for Halloween one year, that was a fun costume Whoever Slew Auntie Roo is a great one too, I like to watch it around Christmas.
I’ve never seen this film. Never even heard of it. Thank you!
I watched this a couple of years ago. Doesn’t Dennis Hopper live in a small room above the Carousel on the Santa Monica Pier?
This is a beautiful film visually, and such a sad film.
Yeah, but who was the ACTRESS?
Micco Mann Look it up.
I could, but I was hoping for a kind person who wouldn’t mind taking the time to do it for me. Guess I was wrong.
Dre Hund grow up, man
Carolyn Beck He’s right! Asking somebody something you could easily look up for yourself is sheer laziness … better to look smart rather than dumb, no :)?
Micco Mann https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Lawson_(actress)
Chris Fabiaschi Thank you, kind person! You are muy worthy.
Micco Mann You’re welcome! 🎞
Micco Mann Linda Lawson. Never heard of her but she was on tons of TV shows in that era and one movie: Apache Rifles. She looks terrific in this.
Scott Covell Thanks. Very kind of you to reply to this gentleman’s question..Bless you.
Carole Anne Berry Look it up is a lame response. Most of us just want to set up some sort of discourse.
Scott Covell Exactly.
The fantastic Luana Anders is in this little masterpiece.
Curtis Harrington would have been 100 yesterday.
Watching this, you can almost smell the salt water, and seaweed, great film.
Saw this film in a theater in early 1960s. Really impressive. There is one sequence were an old lady tells Hopper about Greek mythological sirens and mermaids but seems like the story is about Atlantis. The whole story feels real and creepy.
Sounds like the story was based on one by Jan de Hertog. I will have to check this out.
A truly brilliant film.
Thank you for telling us about this film. I can hardly wait to see it. I’m sad I missed it back then.
The stunning actress in this is Linda Lawson. Some reason not mentioned in the article. She appeared in dozens of TV shows in that era. Died in ‘22.
Scott Covell certainly deserves mention!
One of my alltime favorite films! Loved it and old Santa Monica and Venice Beach history.
I love this flick. I just watched it a few weeks ago. Part of what I love about it is that the viewer never really finds out the true story. Gain Muir’s character insists there’s no old lady in black and that the story about Mera’s character is just fiction. Yet we see the old gal in black talking some strange language to Mera and walking around the town. ?????
Marjorie Camaron. The mysterious women.
It’s no Carnival of Souls…but a solid watch. COS is unintentional perfection
Fabulous film. So hauntingly atmospheric.
Saw it recently on Nightmare theater on PBS was interesting….
Rewatched it a couple of days ago for Curtis Harrington’s centenary.
What a weird but wonderful film.
Good Movie
Like a lower budget Val Lewton film.
Great archival footage of Venice area
Saw it at the Chinese, with Dennis Hopper being interviewed afterwards. Priceless.