MovieChat Forums > Dead of Night (1974) Discussion > Something that doesn't make sense...

Something that doesn't make sense...

posted 11 years ago by MozartsMuse
5 replies | jump to latest

In the scene before Andy kills the doctor, he says:
"I want you to know, doc, that I'm in perfect health--not a living soul in better health than I am. I don't have to worry about getting sick or old or tired or hungry...or anything."

.....Huh? Why would Andy say this when, a couple scenes earlier, he went out to the cemetery and dug his own grave? And in order to stay "healthy", he has to drink blood....so he is not invincible like he makes himself out to be in his statement. But, then again, he prepared his grave way before the end of the film....so, I guess he DID know that he was going to physically decay eventually, despite drinking blood? He seemed to decompose very quickly in the last 15 minutes or so of the movie....

Welcome to Fright Night....for real.

[–] mattropolis 10 years ago

While I do think its important not to over think it, I believe Andy was just messing with the doctor. He showed he was capable of such when he joked that he did indeed die (when the mailman was around). It's possible that he did not know he would decay so quickly but also knew he should be dead (the graveyard visiting)

[–] wegottableeder 9 years ago

"I want you to know, doc, that I'm in perfect health--not a living soul in better health than I am. I don't have to worry about getting sick or old or tired or hungry...or anything."

Doesn't that line end with him saying, "Except..." and then trailing off, shortly before he attacks the doctor? I just saw the movie for the first time last night, but I may be misremembering that scene.

I do agree that that is a strange line in the context of the story, but it's possible that it was intended to refer only to the conventional problems that normal (living) people have. Also, it's possible that he (mistakenly) thought that infusing himself with other people's blood would keep him from decaying indefinitely, but that obviously turned out to be not the case.

Also, remember that this movie was intended as a social/political commentary on the Vietnam war, so the notion that Andy needs to inject himself with something in order to stay "healthy" is almost certainly an allusion to those war veterans who developed addictions to drugs like heroin/morphine in order to relieve their physical and/or emotional pain.

[–] MozartsMuse 9 years ago

I just re-watched the scene again, and you were right. After he says he doesn't have to worry about getting sick, old, tired, hungry, or anything, he pauses for a bit and says "or maybe one thing," and then asks the doctor to check for his pulse. So I'm assuming that the "one thing" is his need for blood (or the fact that he's undead).

I think you're right that he was probably just referring to the typical problems associated with being alive, and how he may have over-estimated the effects that injecting blood would have on him.

And like the previous poster said, Andy could have also been intentionally messing with the doctor (probably just to scare him even more before he attacked him).

Welcome to Fright Night....for real. 

[–] oldschoolhero2006 9 years ago

that's just it. there's not a ''living'' soul in better health. Andy is ''not'' living, but a member of the undead. that's the irony of the comment & he could quite frankly say anything he pleased at that point. he was going to kill the Dr. regardless.

THE OLDSCHOOL HERO!

[–] SilverGameDog 8 years ago

People can praise this movie all they want but you're right, there are LOTS of problems with it.
Inconsistencies and errors.
Not to mention nothing makes sense or is explained.
It's really dopey but had the potential to be great.