Known for "art deco" masterworks like THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES and THE FINAL PROGRAMME, Robert Fuest directed this comparatively sober thriller from accomplished writer Brian Clemens (who co-produced with partner Albert Fennell) and Terry Nation (creator of Dr. Who's "Daleks"). Their association had originated with the Clemens/Fennell-produced "The Avengers" TV series (employing Fuest as an art director and later as a director), which ended its original run in 1969, right before this was made.

Jane (Pamela Franklin, Hammer’s THE NANNY) and Cathy (Michele Dotrice, Hammer’s THE WITCHES and Tigon’s BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW), are two young, pretty British nurses on holiday, bicycling through the countryside of France. After unknowingly traveling down the wrong road, the two girls get into a spat over resting rather than moving on, and they go their separate ways. When brunette Jane goes back looking for blonde Cathy, she discovers her missing and enlists the help of a suspicious-looking character named Paul (Sandor Eles, Hammer's EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN and COUNTESS DRACULA) who claims to be a detective, but actually is a self-proclaimed sleuth hailing from Paris. Having a difficult time breaking the language barrier and trying to decipher who her friends are, Jane learns from a visiting English schoolmistress (Clare Kelly, GEORGY GIRL) and the non-English-speaking locals that the site where her friend vanished from is the same place where another girl was found murdered a few years earlier (and Paul just happened to be in the area at that time). Fearing that her missing friend has been abducted (or worse, murdered) she confides in a uniformed police officer (John Nettleton, BLACK BEAUTY) who lives with his deaf elderly father (John Franklyn, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES).

A bit of a slow burn which carefully leads up to a helluva an ending, AND SOON THE DARKNESS is a satisfying murder mystery with rural France providing a very gloomy and isolated atmosphere (much like the Manchester of THE LIVING DEAD AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE), and the fact that most of the red herrings (humorless local villagers) don’t speak a lick of English (with no subtitles provided) give an extreme sense of desolation for our heroine as well as the viewer. Most impressive is the cinematography by Ian Wilson (CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER), which allows for a number of clever camera set-ups and a significant feeling of claustrophobia, as our heroine has few places to hide despite the vast land (it was largely shot on location in France, with the exteriors mostly done back at Elstree). The script and direction aim for traditional Hitchcockian suspense (no blood is shed until the climax) rather than the prevailing titillation of the time, and Laurie Johnson's music redeems its catchy "Partridge Family"-esque theme (which is also heard as a current song played on the radio) by progressing into a tense score worthy of Bernard Herrmann. In the first major role of the adult phase of her career, Franklin is particularly good as a "nice girl" desperately searching for her more uninhibited friend. Franklin's expressive eyes and fine acting capabilities made her a 1970s terror queen in such films as John Hough’s THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, and she even got to work with Bert I. Gordon in NECROMANCY and later FOOD OF THE GODS before retiring from the business after being a fixture on American episodic television throughout the early 1980s. An American remake of the film came in 2010, but the majority of reports say it’s not nearly as good as the original.

Kino Lorber has licensed AND SOON THE DARKNESS from Studio Canal for this U.S. Blu-ray, and the transfer is quite the upgrade from the old Anchor Bay DVD. Boasting a brand new 4K master, the film arrives on Blu-ray looking as sharp as can be, gorgeous in fact. There’s nice detail all around (the film takes place entirely in the daytime) and colors are terrific, especially in the cafe crowd scene as well as the wide open greenery of the land. Black levels are deep, hues appear natural, skin tones are accurate, and grain is tight and filmic. The original elements show absolutely no flaws, so the image is clean and pleasant throughout the presentation. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English mono has clear dialogue and sound effects, and it compliments Johnson’s score well. Optional English subtitles are included.