Every morning they find another shredded body. A few frightened townsfolk know what's out there and how to kill it - but someone must sacrifice themself. Would you?  (DHPA)

It's 2:00 AM and Ben Hartman stands outside his Mead Point home, gazing worringly into the late night air. His granddaughter, Ellen, is at a loss to explain the dark, brooding mood that has suddenly come over him. He talks of death and of evil things, and stares intently into her eyes, as if looking for something he hopes is not there. A visit to the Sherrif's Office reveals to Ellen that something evil has indeed happened: a local boy has been found dead, his body ripped apart by … something. When Madge Courtland (an old friend from Ben's much younger days) shows up on their doorstep, talking of the same things as her grandfather, Ellen demands an explanation.

Fifty years ago, Jimmy Pearson went on a killing spree. Nine people died before the seemingly innocent mail boy was discovered and cornered in a field by Ben and three of his friends. Eleven bullets failed to bring him down, though, and only the blade of an axe saved them from a gruesome fate. The sound that erupted from Jimmy's throat, as his body crumpled to the ground, shook the earth and was all his executioners needed to confirm that there was more to the story than just a young boy gone crazy. There had been something truly evil inside of him.

After a local drunk is killed, Madge and Ben bring their story to Sherrif George Cole, who is reluctant to believe them. Then, after a blood-soaked Doc Fraser is shot and killed by one of Cole's deputies – Harvey – while fleeing the scene of another grisly slaying, everything seems to be cleared up. Madge and Ben, however, don't buy it: a single bullet wouldn't have destroyed the creature they once faced. It's being very clever, this thing, trying to shift suspicion onto the dead doctor, but Madge thinks she knows who it really is and she has a plan to lure the beast into a trap.

Ben, Ellen, Father Stone, Sherrif Cole and all his men are spread out, searching the grounds outside Ben's home. Inside the house, Madge sits, alone, waiting. Only she knows whose body has been possessed by this evil creature, and that it can't afford to let her live with that knowledge. She isn't alone for long. Within a few minutes she is joined by someone. Someone she recognizes. Madge's suspicions are confirmed. After sharing a glass of wine with Madge, Deputy Harvey begins to talk about how much he's going to enjoy killing her, killing Sherrif Cole, killing … everything. He rants on until he realizes, suddenly, that he can't move his legs anymore. They've become paralyzed. So have Madge's.

She poisoned the wine.

Ben returns with the sherrif, Father Stone and Ellen. They carry out the rest of Madge's carefully-researched ceremony by binding Harvey's arms and legs to a chair with steel spikes, to trap the evil spirit within his dying body, then pounding a final one through his heart, to destroy the beast. Madge sits, unmoving, as they carry Harvey away, to be walled up in the town church, forever.

Only when Ben and the others return will they know the sacrifice Madge Courtland has made, of the life she has given to avenge the boy she loved – Jimmy Pearson.   (Neil Marsh)

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Probably the most intense scene in this production is the killing of Sam Collins, the town drunk. As the attack begins, a high-pitched whine kicks in to create tension. The effect this has is reminiscent of Bernard Hermann's high marcato strings in the Psycho shower scene. Add Blair Haines' frantic screams on top of very disturbing sounds of dismemberment, and you're not likely to sleep for several days.  (Neil Marsh)

Brian Taylor (writer): I've acted in over forty radio plays, one hundred stage plays, forty TV episodes, half a dozen TV movies, but this was my first – and so far only – script. Lawrie (Seligman) asked me if I'd ever written anything, then suggested I submit a script. I did, and after he and the executive producer (Don Kowalchuk) asked for some revisions, I ended up writing a completely different story. My then companion – a beautiful, talented woman – gave me the framework, and the shoves, I needed to finish it. Both Lawrie and the producer were surprised, but they liked it. Hardly any revisions at all were needed.

I probably unconsciously stole the story in bits and pieces from other writers I particularly liked. I tried to figure out what was most scary and came to the conclusion that it was a small town at the mercy of a mysterious evil. Then I took the idea from Conan Doyle that the succesful criminal is one noone pays any attention to. When a friend, who was typing it up for me, came across the villain and wrote "Harvey???!!!" on the page, I knew I'd picked the right character to be the monster's habitat.

I thought Lawrie did a terrific job on this production. The sound of spikes being driven into the monster's flesh and the vocalizations in that final scene were better than I had imagined. His casting choices were great, too, especially for the sherrif, Graham McPherson – sadly dead too soon. It was strange seeing my colleagues doing something I had written, but it was such a great experience.

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Content ©2006  The Nightfall-25 Project
Nightfall was created by Bill Howell and is property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Nightfall-25 Project is not affiliated with the CBC

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