Ealing studios' output from the 1940s and 1950s helped define what was arguably the golden age for british cinema. It fostered great director's such as alexander mackendrick and robert hamer, while giving stars such as alec guinness and peter sellers the chance to shine.starring michael redgrave, googie withers and mervyn johns, dead of night represented a departure for ealing from the classic comedy mode and is instead a spooky psychological thriller made up of five chilling ghost stories. An architect visits a country house only to get trapped in a recurring nightmare involving tales of the occult told by fellow guests at the manor. A portmanteau work from four of ealing's best directors, dead of night preyed masterfully on the country's post war fears and paranoia.