Tag: 1971

Directed by John D. Hancock [Other horror films: N/A]

Though I’ve seen this cult classic before, it’s been quite some time, and truth be told, I didn’t recollect too much of it before going in. Let’s Scare Jessica to Death isn’t an easy movie to describe, and I’m not even sure if it’s fair to say I enjoy it, but I do think it’s a special little movie that may well be worth seeing.

In many ways, this movie really feels like a product of it’s time. It reminds me a bit of both Warlock Moon and Welcome to Arrow Beach, in that it just possesses the sensibilities of the early 1970’s. Now, true, I wasn’t born until 1993, so it’s quite possible I know little about the sensibilities of the early 70’s, but even so, this movie has it.

Honestly, though, this isn’t an easy film for me to write about. The story sort of feels free-form in some ways – the finale doesn’t explain much of what’s been going on – but in this case, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. In fact, I think it adds to the dreamy atmosphere of this one, and at times, I’m reminded a bit of Phantasm.

With that said, though, it’s more than that. This movie feels comforting, calming, relaxing. There are tense moments and uneasy scenes toward the finale, no doubt, but the overall aura of this one is almost soothing. Part of it has to do with the 70’s atmosphere of the film, some of it has to do with the way they approached the story, and some of it has to do with the soft, peaceful music that plays throughout; whatever combination of parts that makes this work, though, I just know it does, and I’ve rarely described a horror film as ‘peaceful,’ but I certainly am now.

And on that note, I’d argue it’s more the atmosphere and feeling of Let’s Scare Jessica to Death that causes it to stand out, as opposed to the story. The story is decently haunting at times (a few moments bring to mind Ghost Story), but it’s also true that it almost feels aimless, and it’s certainly slow. It doesn’t harm the film any, because it just adds to what ends up a rather soothing, captivating movie, but it is slow, and I sort of doubt those who are really into modern horror would fully understand the charm of this one.

In fact, I don’t fully understand the charm of this one. I just know I was engaged throughout the movie, and it had little to do with the performances, which I found somewhat average, or the story, which is never fully expanded on, or the first-person narration style the film’s presented in.

Zohra Lampert’s performance was okay. To be honest, it felt a bit shaky at times, but I think that has more to do with the fact I didn’t really get these characters rather than Lampert’s performance itself. Oh, and the fact her character was recently released from a psychiatric hospital may too play a part. Honestly, none of the other performances, be it Mariclare Costello, Barton Heyman, or Kevin O’Connor, did a lot for me, but again, I think it’s more the characters than anything else.

Another aspect that shouldn’t go overlooked is how Lampert’s character was dealing with some undefined mental illness, a fact that she thought about quite a lot during her narration. It’s possible that much of what we see and experience in the film isn’t actually what’s going on, and certainly her reaction at times does lend some potential credence to that idea, but it’s an ambiguous film, so if you’re expecting a clear-cut answer, you may want to look elsewhere.

This may be easy to tell, but this movie just sort of hits different. It’s vibe is something that I’ve rarely seen, and though I can’t say that I necessarily enjoyed the movie, I can say that it’s calming, soothing atmosphere was quite a balm in these trying days. Oh, and we got a little bit of blood toward the end, which was nice too.

Let’s Scare Jessica to Death isn’t an easy movie for me to write about, which may well be evidenced in my ramblings above. Like I said, I’ve seen it before, but it’s been a long while, so much of it felt new, and I definitely didn’t remember how unique the film felt. It’s not a movie that will work for everyone – aside from the story, it can be a bit slow and perhaps muddled – but I’ve not seen many movies that felt like this one, so that has to mean something.

7.5/10

Directed by Michel Levesque [Other horror films: N/A]

Werewolves on Wheels? Sounds like a fun time. Instead, this is an ultimately dull and really forgettable experience with very little going for it.

And I do mean little. Most of the movie is tedious bike-riding or just the bikers chilling, not doing much of anything aside from arguing about the validity of tarot cards. The werewolf attacks are fine, but there’s only two in the first hour and ten minutes, and the ending, which certainly increases the death toll, is virtually incomprehensible.

What hurts Werewolves on Wheels most is that none of the characters, and I mean none of them, are memorable in any way. I didn’t feel anything for any one of them, aside from Donna Anders, who had a nude scene with the Satanic monks (not as exciting as it sounds, I’m afraid to report).

I’m not saying that Werewolves on Wheels didn’t have potential, because, I mean, it’s called Werewolves on Wheels. But for most of the film the story dragged something awful, and there’s very little here that’s worth remembering or seeing the movie again for.

4/10

Directed by Ken Friedman [Other horror films: N/A]

Every Christmas season, you can find a Yule Log channel or video, with some solid crackling and dancing flames, to give you a feel of an authentic fireplace. I never really understood the appeal, but after seeing Death by Invitation, I think that’d easily be a more enjoyable alternative.

Could Death by Invitation have worked? It’s certainly possible, and I won’t take away from the potential the story had, if only the execution had been better. What we got here instead was just dull and tedious, with really boring conversations and not much else.

Well, in the movie’s defense, there was one solid scene, in which a character cuts off the head of another character and holds it up to a younger sister, appropriately startling her. But that was something like an hour into the movie, and that was the only scene to me that was worth seeing. Unless, of course, you like hearing a young woman talk about some Native American tribe where the women did the hunting and the men greased the women up, but they had to be on their knees, so the women… (This story is luckily only told once, which is good, as it was just six minutes of a woman talking slowly while a man watched her, expression either astonished, aroused, or afraid – I could never tell which – but it was threatened to be told again toward the end, and I legitimately groaned at the time).

The movie eventually connects the death of the witch at the beginning of the film to the events that befall an unfortunate family in present day, but it was never clear to me that it clicked to any of the characters, and while there were a bunch of three-second flashbacks to the judgment and execution of the suspected witch, I think that was more for the audience than the characters, which is ultimately a bad choice, as the audience didn’t really need nor want it.

Was Shelby Leverington attractive? Indeed she was. Was there ever any nudity, despite the fact her character seduced two men? Not once. And this is the 1970’s we’re talking about. ‘Tis shameful, as is the movie as a whole. Even worse, it’s just so damn dull.

3/10

Directed by Thomas Casey [Other horror films: N/A]

This is a somewhat interesting combination of crime and horror. Certainly there’s the occasional feel of a proto-slasher, but otherwise, it’s almost a crime-drama, dealing with a criminal disguising himself as an older woman to hide from the police. More than anything, it’s a mixed bag.

It’s a shame, really, because the idea is generally interesting and more so, the title of the film is just wild, but unfortunately what this movie has is usually tame. Oh, there was some okay nudity and tomfoolery, not to mention an early gay couple, but the kills weren’t anything to write home about, and while not dull, I wouldn’t exactly call much of the film engaging.

With few stand-out performances, I think the best has to go to Abe Zwick. This is his sole role, which is a bit of a shame, as he really comes across as a sadistic bastard at times in this movie, but he also possesses a decent emotional range. I liked many of his interactions with Crawford’s character, from the silly chasing-him-with-scissors scene to the somewhat sad ending. As such, Crawford’s character was hard to get into, but I appreciated his pastimes (hanging out with hippies, getting stoned, and engaging in, shall we say, activities most carnal).

Otherwise, there’s not much of a cast here to speak of. Certainly Robin Hughes was pretty cute, but it figures that she’s the one main young woman here not to get topless. Ah, well, not every day can be lucky.

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things is an evocative title that the film doesn’t really live up to. It’s a somewhat unique little movie, but I didn’t love some of the characters or a few aspects of the story (such as Don Craig’s character), and I’d give this one a below average rating. It’s not really worth looking out for.

6/10