A Thief in the Night (film)

A Thief in the Night
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDonald W. Thompson
Written byJim Grant
Produced byDonald W. Thompson
Starring
  • Patty Dunning
  • Mike Niday
  • Colleen Niday
  • Maryann Rachford
  • Thom Rachford
  • Duane Coller
  • Russell S. Doughten Jr.
  • Clarence Balmer
CinematographyJohn P. Leiendecker Jr.
Edited byWes Phillippi
Production
company
Mark IV Pictures
Distributed byMark IV Pictures
Release date
  • March 22, 1973 (1973-03-22)
Running time
69 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$68,000

A Thief in the Night is a 1973 American evangelical Christian horror film written by Jim Grant, and directed and produced by Donald W. Thompson. The film stars Patty Dunning, with Thom Rachford, Colleen Niday and Mike Niday in supporting roles. The first installment in the Thief in the Night series about the Rapture and the Tribulation, the plot is set during the near future, focusing on a young woman who, after being left behind, struggles to decide what to do in the face of the Tribulation.

Three sequels were produced: A Distant Thunder (1978), Image of the Beast (1981), and The Prodigal Planet (1983). An additional three follow-ups were planned but ultimately unproduced.

The film became one of the decade's most widely distributed films and has been highly influential in the evangelical film industry and American evangelical youth culture.