The Night Visitor (1971) Plot Summary Explained

Salem escapes from the asylum during the dead of winter after two years of confinement. The inspector notes that escaping appears physically impossible due to the fortress-like security, yet Salem accomplishes it twice, once to carry out his revenge and again after killing the barrister. The film never explicitly explains the method, emphasizing instead the psychological determination behind his escape.

• salem escape
• asylum
• impossible escape
• max von sydow

Salem kills Emmie because she and her husband Anton were responsible for his wrongful conviction two years earlier. He targets his younger sister first as part of his revenge campaign against everyone he holds responsible for his confinement in the mental institution. He arranges her murder to appear as if Anton is the killer, beginning his scheme to frame his brother-in-law.

• emmie death
• salem revenge
• wrong conviction

Salem kills Britt because she was with him on the night of the original farmhand murder and could have provided his alibi, but she refused to do so. By eliminating her, Salem removes any potential witness who might contradict his version of events and strengthen the case against his accusers.

• britt murder
• alibi
• salem accused

After killing Ester in the barn, Salem wipes the blood-smeared axe on Anton's clothes, deliberately mimicking how Anton had pinned the farmhand's murder on Salem two years earlier. This act frames Anton for Ester's death, just as Anton had falsely accused Salem of the farmhand's murder. The staged evidence completes Salem's revenge against his brother-in-law.

Foreshadowing: The framing directly mirrors how Anton originally accused Salem of murder.

• frame anton
• evidence
• axe
• revenge

Anton confesses his crime to the inspector, admitting his role in the trial from two years earlier. He reveals his collusion with the corrupt barrister Mr Clemens during Salem's conviction. This confession confirms that Salem was indeed wrongly convicted and that Anton had framed him for the farmhand's murder.

• anton confession
• trial
• frame
• clemens

At the last moment, Salem's alibi is ruined in a completely unexpected way, though the film leaves this reveal ambiguous. He manages to return to his cell by the narrowest margin before the inspector arrives, but something overturns his otherwise perfect alibi, leaving the final outcome uncertain.

• alibi ruined
• ending
• twist
• inspector

Salem returns to the asylum to maintain his alibi and avoid detection. By slipping back into his cell unnoticed, he creates the illusion that he could not have committed the murders, since escape appears impossible. This deliberate pattern allows him to carry out his revenge while keeping the authorities focused on external suspects like Anton.

• return asylum
• alibi
• escape plan

Salem kills Mr Clemens by administering a lethal injection while the barrister sleeps. Anton had already visited Clemens and given him a harmless sedative after their confrontation about their collusion during Salem's trial. Once Anton leaves, Salem enters and carries out the murder, eliminating the corrupt lawyer who helped frame him.

• clemens death
• lawyer
• lethal injection

Salem kills Ester because she is his other sister who, along with Emmie and Anton, was involved in his wrongful conviction. After the inspector leaves the farmhouse, Salem corners Ester in the barn as she attempts to flee, hacking her to pieces with an axe. Her death completes his targeted revenge against everyone he holds responsible.

• ester death
• barn
• salem sister
• revenge

Salem was wrongly convicted of murdering a farmhand and forced to plead insanity. Anton had framed him for the crime, colluding with barrister Mr Clemens during the trial. Salem maintained his innocence for two years until he escaped to prove his innocence through revenge. Anton's later confession confirms this wrongful conviction.

• wrongful conviction
• farmhand murder
• trial
• innocence