Review: 'Night Terror' a Must if Just to See Valerie Harper and Richard Romanus Go Head to Head

In February of 1977, Valerie Harper was starring in the third season of CBS's "Rhoda," the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" spinoff that became a popular Emmy-winning draw, although the series had begun to decline in the ratings (and would be canceled after season 5).

She had not appeared in any film since the 1974 theatrical release "Freebie and the Bean," so her decision to do a TV movie is not surprising.

The result, "Night Terror" (aka "Night Drive"), is a fairly-standard tension thriller that owes a great deal to Steven Spielberg's 1971 action pic, "Duel," in which Dennis Weaver found himself terrorized by a mysterious lunatic on the road.

Harper plays Carol Turner, a nervous mother who isn't thrilled with having to move from Phoenix to Denver (because of her husband's business). Her two kids have flown out with Carol's sister (who looks more like her mother) so that Carol and her husband (Michael Tolan) can enjoy a second honeymoon before the long drive. Alas, hubby is stuck at work and Carol is left alone in a hotel, where she receives a call that her son is ailing in the hospital. Of course, the Denver airport is closed due to inclement weather, and a frenzied Carol must hit the road. Fast.

While all the above is happening, we are introduced to a good-looking man (Richard Romanus) on some nefarious assignment. In his second scene, in a diner, he proves to be a creepy psycho whack job, tormenting a poor waitress.

The madman and Carol come together when she sees him kill a cop (it's sort/not really/maybe her fault), and the rest of the narrative is a cat-and-mouse flee-for-all as she tries her best to outwit the crazy killer and get to her son – proving most resourceful when the merely-adequate teleplay will allow her to be.

There are certain things that make no sense, like Carol breaking into a closed gas station and frantically looking for change for a pay phone when all she needs do is dial the operator (which she never does figure out). But Harper gives it her all and, in the end, the message is one of triumph: An anxiety-ridden woman surprising herself by just how much of a survivor she is.

It helps to have a horrifically good villain, thanks to Romanus. The character has no backstory or arc or lines – since he can't speak – he's just a sociopath. But Romanus dives in with such relish, it's hard not to appreciate the nervy performance. Romanus guested on so many TV shows in the '70s, his IMDB reads like a top Nielsen list, with notables including "Rhoda," "Charlies Angels," and "Starsky and Hutch."

And speaking of those last two crime dramas, the look sound and feel of "Night Terror" resembles those shows. The movie is nicely restored by Kino Lorber, considering the video and audio quality of TV movies from the '70s is usually subpar.

Future Oscar-nominee (for "The Goodbye Girl") Quinn Cummings has a small role, and Dinah Manoff ("Soap") appears in a blink-and-you-miss-her turn as an annoying teen.

The movie was directed by television vet E.W. Swackhamer ("The Dain Curse") and contains a handful of terrifying moments, but the real reason to watch is the see Valerie Harper and Richard Romanus go head to head.

The Blu-ray contains a very informative audio commentary by film historian/author Amanda Reyes and author/podcaster Daniel Budnik.

"Night Terror" is on Blu-ray and DVD on June 29, 2021.