Night of the Tommyknockers-- My take on the movie with spoilers!

 

Plot: In the 1870s, the discovery of gold in a mine causes chaos in a small town.

Gold. That shiny yellow metal can make people do crazy things. It's valuable, of course which is why we have stories about thieves and pirates risking their lives and morality to get that chest of gold.

Imagine the lengths people will go to protect their gold.

Night of the Tommyknockers is one such tale.

It is essentially a fun, adventure/ action movie that you should watch.

Yes, the monsters don't look all that threatening. Their costumes and makeup look shabby more than scary but then again the focus is hardly them but the threat they pose to the people in Deer Creek.

The acting is effective and while there are plenty of characters to fill the screen, the focus is on the story and the characters as they attempt to deal with the threat.

NIGHT OF THE TOMMYKNOCKERS Plot

The movie begins with a group of miners entering a mine and casually discussing creatures known as Tommyknockers.

One of the miners finds some gold but he is also found the creatures protecting the gold.

It is the Tommyknockers!

The miners are attacked and killed one by one.

After the opening credits that plays with western music, we meet a group of robbers.

The leader of the pack is Dirk who holds up a bank. He keeps telling his crew to focus on the money but they are more interested in killing people. One of them also slaps a woman who gets so shaken it looks like she'll collapse instantly.

Dirk has Betsy at gunpoint and she seems unfazed by the show of violence. Eventually the money is stolen and when the law officers arrive, Dirk takes Betsy hostage.

The robbers escape and we learn that Betsy is one of them. She was acting all along. Dirk complains about his crew not listening to him as he kept ordering them to not kill anyone. Clearly the others barely care what Dirk has to say. One of them calls himself Lucky because no matter how many times he is shot, he survives.

Betsy tells them about the gold found in a town called Deer Creek. She assures them stealing the gold will be easy peasy.

Turns out she was horribly wrong.

When the outlaws arrive in town they are mystified by the lack of people around.

Come night however, they hear sounds.

Now the light changes a lot during the movie. One minute it is bright, the next minute it is dusk and a second later night.

That is when the Tommyknockers come out and some people exit the Saloon just to tell the gang to come hide inside or risk being killed by the creatures.

They all take shelter in the Saloon where they meet Fred, Pearl, and Julia.

One of the gang members busies himself by engaging with the ladies of the evening.

The town could be under siege, they could all die anytime but why not flirt with some women, right?

Julia was trained to be a school teacher but found her vocation as a photographer.

The rest of the people in the Saloon are drunks who come up with ridiculous ideas to save the town. Dirk wants them all to stay sober but that idea is quickly shot down.

The Tommyknockers have a gang of their own and attack like vampires; they go straight for the neck.

The Tommyknockers do a lot of growling and grunting. Characters make an entry only to be dragged and killed.

Lucky is attacked and thrown into the grave.

Meanwhile, there are law officers searching for the gang. They arrive too.

Can Dirk and his crew survive the Tommyknockers and the law officers?

NIGHT OF THE TOMMYKNOCKERS  Ending Explained with Spoilers!

The Tommyknockers eventually enter the Saloon through doors and windows. The people inside come up with the idea to board up windows a little too late.

Dirk is hardly fazed as he uses gun tricks to get rid of the Tommyknockers.

When they finally find a moment, they wonder if the creatures have a weakness. Since they come out only at night, it is deduced that they are afraid of light.

Since the night is super long, Betsy asks Julia if she has ever photographed at night. She says she has been experimenting and can accomplish it by using chemicals to create a flash.

Meanwhile Dirk goes off to get some dynamite from a reluctant shopkeeper. Dirk reminds him about the town not surving the night. He pretty much thrusts a box of dynamite in Dirk's hands.

Blow up the town if you want to!

Betsy' true intentions are revealed and she forces Julia and Fred to help her find the gold. Julia reasons that the Tommyknockers are after the gold and that they need to return it to them and save themselves.

Dirk comes to say hello only to be attacked by the Tommyknockers.

Lucky climbs out of the grave, attacked by Tommyknockers only to survive it all and then be shot by a law officer. Right in the head. No surving that gunshot.

Betsy holds Julia and Fred at gunpoint and they trick her by using the flash.

Blinded, she doesn't see Julia and Fred run into the mine to seek the Tommyknockers and return the gold.

She follows them inside, and argues with them. Fed up of all this chaos, Julia tosses the bag of gold towards the Tommyknockers. The second she does, Betsy makes a dive for it and ends up being attacked by the Tommyknockers.

Julia and Fred exit the mine. Julia thinks it's a good idea to block the entrance. They throw the dynamite in and after the explosion, supposedly the mine collapses and the entrance is blocked.

They have a romantic moment, and Fred confesses his name is James and that Fred is his second name.

It is daytime now. The sun has risen quickly.

Even though the Tommyknockers had killed humans and horses, luck favors the two as they find two horses just grazing by.

They get on and ride into the...er...sunrise? But the sun has risen for a long time now. It's almost noon.

The movie ends.

Night of the Tommyknockers is an entertaining movie that deserves a view.

Scare Scale: 3/5