Out of the Night

OUT OF THE NIGHT

CAST

Julia Fawcett as Angela White
George Lindahl as Douglas Quincannon
Tanya Hitchcock as Jennifer Lancaster
Paula Bullock as Desdemona Blacke (second season)
Raymond Williams as Victor Hart (occasional)
Danielle Farmer as Janine White (occasional)

SUMMARY

College student Angela White was the reincarnation of Priscilla Orne, a witch in 17th Century Massachusetts. In the pilot episode, Priscilla's spirit possessed Angela's body and tried to kill the descendants of the judge who condemned her to death. (The "flashbacks" to Salem in the 1690s were actually scenes from the AIP film The Conqueror Worm.) Anthropologist and occult expert Douglas Quincannon helped Angela regain control of her body. Afterwards, Angela could see ghosts and could call on Priscilla's magical powers, although if she did so too often she risked letting Priscilla take over again. For most of the first season, Angela, Douglas, and Angela's best friend Jennifer (who just happened to be a black belt) travelled around the American southwest, where they encountered vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves and other monsters, typically dispatching them with a combination of Angela's magic, Douglas' encyclopediac knowledge, and Jennifer's kung fu. They also met and helped a few people who, like Angela, had been possessed by the spirit of an earlier incarnation. In the second season, the series gained a recurring villainess in the form of Desdemona Blacke, who was also apparently a reincarnated witch and who often displayed a disconcerting degree of knowledge about Angela. Occasionally seen were Angela's straight-laced younger sister Janine, who didn't believe in the supernatural and would always be conveniently distracted whenever anything "weird" happened, and bumbling detective Victor, who had a not-so-secret crush on Jennifer. Although the supernatural threats faced by the group were always played straight, the interplay between idealistic Angela, world-weary Douglas and cynical, sarcastic Jennifer was often a source of humor.

COMMENTARY

Although clearly inspired by earlier series like Friday the 13th and She-Wolf of London, Out of the Night was no pale imitator. The series quickly drew critical praise for its updates and adaptations of classic horror tales by authors like M.R. James, H.P. Lovecraft, and Algernon Blackwood. A persistent Hollywood rumor has it that legendary recluse novelist Dirk Allen contributed to several of the darker stories in the second season.

Despite all that, and despite the fact that it arguably paved the way for the success of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Out of the Night will probably always be overshadowed by the tragedy that surrounds it. During shooting for what was to be the final episode of the second season, a fire broke out and a propane tank near the set exploded, killing stars Fawcett, Bullock, and Lindahl as well as director and series creator Spencer Nichols and cameraman Philip Luna. Several others, including Hitchcock and Williams, were severely wounded. The cause of the fire was never determined.