Late one night, a young man named Robert (Alain Duclos), who is out driving, picks up an attractive blonde, Elisabeth (Brigitte Lahaie), who's clad in a nightgown and who is clearly running from something. Soon, the people from whom she escaped come to collect her, and take her back to the high-rise building in which she and assorted troubled individuals are being looked after. They are all suffering some sort of malaise that plays havoc with their memories, and can affect other things like sense of balance.
"The Night of the Hunted" is much like other cinema from French filmmaker Jean Rollin: interesting, erotic, surreal, atmospheric. It's a good chiller that requires some patience on the part of the viewer, as its first half is actually rather dull. The dialogue quickly becomes redundant, and things are only spiced up here and there with the female nudity. The story just isn't that strong.
Then things kick into a higher gear once the film starts getting violent. We can see that these patients really are a danger to each other. And sometimes their memories return, but in bits and pieces. The characters who could be seen as "villains" have exposition in store for Robert, laying it out for the audience just in case we didn't already get it. The very urban setting is an effective change of pace for Rollin, as he gives us plenty of shots of towering skyscrapers and overhead shots of Paris. In the end, this helps to make a difference. The tale being told becomes more affecting as it becomes a study of treatment of the mentally ill.
The acting is variable, as some performers come off better than others. There's no moustache-twirling from the doctor in charge (Bernard Papineau), whose acting is quite low-key. The stunning Lahaie is appealing in the lead, and Dominique Journet is similarly engaging as her friend Veronique.
Overall, this is a sombre film combining horror, sci-fi, and exploitation, and ending in an oddly poignant way.
Seven out of 10.