Dublin Nightmare **½ (1958, William Sylvester, Marla Landi, Richard Leech)– Classic Movie Review 13,426

The 1958 British black and white second feature Irish-set thriller film Dublin Nightmare stars William Sylvester, Marla Landi and Richard Leech.

Director John Pomeroy’s 1958 British black and white second feature thriller film Dublin Nightmare stars William Sylvester, Marla Landi and Richard Leech. The screenplay is by John Tully based on the 1951 novel by British author Robin Estridge (writing as Philip Loraine).

Dublin Nightmare is an intelligently constructed Irish-set thriller about a photographer called John Kevin (William Sylvester) who finds out the buddy he thinks was killed is actually an Irish nationalist boss.

Irish nationalists (The ‘Movement’) plan a security van raid to boost their funds. All does not go to plan of course, when one double-crossing man decides to take the money for himself, prompting the gang members to action, and one of John Kevin’s friends is murdered during the raid, prompting him to investigate.

Dublin Nightmare is a low-budget production, but it is a well made film with considerable Dublin location filming. There is an interesting tale to tell, and a credible star turn from Sylvester, resolute American-in-residence in a host of British 1950s and 1960s featurettes, plus a co-starring turn from alluring continental actress Maria Landi as Anna Monti. And also there is some okay action, including a car chase, and a typical final thriller twist.

It is released on a triple-film DVD with Deadly Nightshade (1953) and Delayed Action (1954).

Marla Landi, Lady Dashwood (born Marcella Teresa Scarafia).

Marla Landi

Italian-born British film actress and TV presenter Marla Landi was born Marcella Teresa Scarafia on 16 April 1933, in Turin, Italy. In 1977, she married Sir Francis Dashwood, 11th Baronet (7 August 1925 – 9 March 2000), and became Lady Dashwood. They lived at West Wycombe House in Buckinghamshire.

Her films include Across the Bridge (1957), Dublin Nightmare (1958), First Man into Space (1959), The Murder Game (1965), and the Hammer films The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) and The Pirates of Blood River (1962). She was a BBC TV Play School presenter from 1964 to 1970.

The cast

The cast are William Sylvester as John Kevin, Marla Landi as Anna Monti, Richard Leech as Steve Lawlor, Harry Hutchinson as Finian, William Sherwood as Edward Dillon, Jack Cunningham as O’Connor, Gerald Lawson as tramp, Helen Lindsay as Mary O’Callaghan, Pat O’Sullivan as Danny O’Callaghan, John McCarthy as Morgan, and Dermot Kelly.

Dublin Nightmare is directed by John Pomeroy, runs 62 minutes, is made by Penington-Eady Productions, is released by J Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK), is written by John Tully, is shot by Eric Gross, and is produced by Jon Penington and David Eady.

Release date: October 1958.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,426

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