The Seventh Victim (1943)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Charles O'Neal (written by) and
DeWitt Bodeen (written by)

Release Date:

21 August 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

SLAVE to SATAN!

Plot:

A woman in search of her missing sister uncovers a Satanic cult in New York's Greenwich Village, and finds that they may have something to do with her sibling's random disappearance.

Plot Keywords:

Cult | New York City | Satanic Cult | Switchblade | Number 7 In Title

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tom Conway	...	Doctor Louis Judd
Jean Brooks	...	Jacqueline Gibson
Isabel Jewell	...	Frances Fallon
Kim Hunter	...	Mary Gibson
Evelyn Brent	...	Natalie Cortez
Erford Gage	...	Jason Hoag, Poet
Ben Bard	...	Mr. Brun
Hugh Beaumont	...	Gregory Ward
Chef Milani	...	Mr. Jacob Romari
Marguerita Sylva	...	Mrs. Bella Romari

Also Known As:

The 7th Victim (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 (1986) | USA:Approved (PCA #9370)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The original story for the film (outlined by DeWitt Bodeen) was to be about an orphaned heroine caught in a web of murder against a background of the Signal Hills oil wells. If she didn't find out the killer's identity in time, she would become his seventh victim. Producer Val Lewton wanted the story to go in a different direction and called in a second writer to help reshape it.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jaqueline Gibson is running from a man who is following her, she backs against the wall in an alley near the Ivy Lane stage entrance and her nails are painted as she searches the wall beside her. In the next shot, when her hand suddenly finds the man's arm, her fingernails are unpainted.

Quotes:

Gregory Ward: No, that room made her happy in some strange way I couldn't understand. She lived in a world of her own fancy. She didn't always tell the truth. In fact, I'm afraid she didn't know what the truth was.

Movie Connections:

References Cat People (1942)

Seven is a Lonely Number

A bleakly beautiful film set in an impossibly lonely Manhattan. It looks uncannily like an Edward Hopper painting translated to film. And it's look is timeless rather than dated. Another incredible Val Lewton film, and an amazing poetic achievement for a B-movie.