Cliff Herlihy is stricken by horrific nightmares in which he murders a complete stranger. He wakes to find blood on his hands. Unable to shake the feeling that the dream might be reality, he turns to his brother-in-law, a detective. He begins to recall details of the crime as the two men unearth the brutal facts of the "murder." All of the evidence points to Cliff's guilt, despite his lack of motive or capability. Clinging to this final remnant of disbelief, the detective goes on an all-night manhunt, uncovering a web of violence and psychological manipulation.

Fear in the Night was the first starring role for DeForest Kelley who would go on to great acclaim as Dr. McCoy of TV's original "Star Trek." Director and writer Maxwell Shane maintains a frantic pace broken only by innovative, vertigo-inducing dream sequences.

A film noir-ish shocker in which average Joe Vince Grayson (De Forest Kelley) dreams he murders someone and wakes up to find it may not have been a dream. Based on the story Nightmare by Cornell Woorlich and refilmed under that title in 1956, this is worth it for the clever plot twists alone.