''When Darkness Falls'' (Swedish: ''När mörkret faller'') is a 1960 Swedish

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by

Arne Mattsson Arne Mattsson (2 December 1919 – 28 June 1995) was a Swedish film director. Biography Born in Uppsala, the early films of Mattsson were mostly comedies. His biggest success was '' Hon dansade en sommar'' (1951, aka. ''One Summer of Happine ...

. The film is based on Maria Langs 1954 novel ''Tragedi på en lantkyrkogård''. The film stars

Nils Asther Nils Anton Alfhild Asther (17 January 1897 – 19 October 1981)Swedi ...

Karl-Arne Holmsten Karl-Arne Holmsten (14 August 1911 – 22 February 1995) was a Swedish film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1938 and 1968. He was born in Uppsala, Sweden and died in Lidingö, Sweden. Selected filmography * '' Emilie Högq ...

, Birgitta Pettersson, Elsa Prawitz,

Adolf Jahr Johan Adolf Reinhold Jahr , born ''Johansson'' (23 June 1893 – 19 April 1964) was a Swedish film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1925 and 1962. Selected filmography * '' Mother-in-Law's Coming'' (1932) * '' False Greta'' ...

Mimi Nelson Mimi Nelson (25 October 1922 – 3 July 1999) was a Swedish film actress. She appeared in Ingmar Bergman's films '' Port of Call'' (1948) and ''Thirst'' (1949). Selected filmography * '' Life and Death'' (1943) * '' The Sixth Shot'' (1943) ...

and

George Fant George Fant (born Georg Fredrik Mikael Fant; 11 July 1916 – 21 February 1998) was a Swedish actor, director and theater manager. He appeared in 50 films between 1936 and 1995. Fant was the son of Captain Tore Fant and Stina Fant (née Gu ...

. It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna Studios in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

Barbro Lindström. It was followed by a sequel ''

Lovely Is the Summer Night ''Lovely Is the Summer Night'' (Swedish: ''Ljuvlig är sommarnatten'') is a 1961 Swedish mystery thriller film directed by Arne Mattsson. The film stars Karl-Arne Holmsten, Christina Carlwind, Per Oscarsson and Folke Sundquist.Qvist & Von Bagh p ...

'' in 1961.

Plot summary

The young orphan girl Elisabeth from Stockholm is going to celebrate Christmas with relatives in Västlinge vicarage. When she arrives the day before Christmas the local shopkeeper is meant to pick her up at the station, but because of a misconception, Elisabeth is left to walk alone in the dark, in the deep snow all the way to the house. There she is warmly welcomed by the vicar Tord Ekstedt and his daughter Lotta, but the Christmas stillness ends abruptly when they on

Christmas eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

finds out that the shopkeeper has been found brutally murdered in his shop.

Cast

Nils Asther Nils Anton Alfhild Asther (17 January 1897 – 19 October 1981)Swedi ...

as Tord Ekstedt *

as Christer Wijk * Birgitta Pettersson as Elisabeth Rydén * Elsa Prawitz as Barbara Sandell *

as Connie Lundgren *

as Hjördis Holm *

as Arne Sandell *

Sif Ruud Sif Einarsdotter Ruud Fallde born Sif Einarsdotter Ruud (6 May 1916 – 15 August 2011), best known as Sif Ruud, was a Swedish film actress. Born in Stockholm to Einar Ruud and Inez Engström, she began her career in 1938, and appeared in 14 ...

as Frideborg Jansson * Hjördis Petterson as Tekla Motander * Anna-Maria Giertz as Lotta Ekstedt * Bengt Brunskog as Mårten Gustavsson * Eva Sjöström as Susanne Motander, Tekla's daughter * Sigge Fürst as docent Ahlgren, doctor *

Maritta Marke Maritta Marke (1905–1983) was a Swedish film and stage actress.Quirk p.44 She also sang in operettas. She was married to the actor Leif Amble-Næss in 1938 with whom she had a son Lars Amble. She had previously been married to the conductor Hå ...

as Alice Broman, Connie Lundgren's sister * Sven-Erik Jacobsson as Carl Sixten

References

External links

* * Swedish thriller films 1960s thriller films 1960s Swedish-language films 1960 films Films based on Swedish novels Films directed by Arne Mattsson 1960s Swedish films {{1960s-Sweden-film-stub