– (1971) – Two men and an unstable woman move to a country house where haunts drive one of them nuts. Okay in a bland sort of way, but not a lot happens (even by suggestion). Hard to make sense of and even harder to fear.
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death
While not conventionally scary, this 1971 film is an example of what horror used to have the guts to try out. Visceral, inconsistently paced and confusingly plotted, the movie intentionally reflects Jessica’s state of mind, and brings you along for the ride. An unapologetically slow-burner, the entertainment comes in the claustrophobic style, stomach-knotting synth music, and a surprisingly convincing performance from Zohra Lampert, easily confused be plain bad acting. Echoes of Julie Harris in 1963s The Haunting. With the modern reliance on gimmicks and CGI, it is refreshing to enjoy an atmospheric film that relies on just the skin and bones of the genre. If not by entertainment, Let’s Scare Jessica to Death should at least be admired in a nostalgic sense.