Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971)

Director:

John D. Hancock

Writers:

John D. Hancock (writer)
Lee Kalcheim (writer)

Release Date:

6 August 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Something is after Jessica. Something very cold, very wet... and very dead...

Plot:

A recently institutionalized woman has bizarre experiences after moving into a supposedly haunted country farmhouse and fears she may be losing her sanity once again.

Plot Keywords:

Seance | Cemetery | Mute | Wedding | Scars

Cast

Zohra Lampert	...	Jessica
Barton Heyman	...	Duncan
Kevin O'Connor	...	Woody
Gretchen Corbett	...	The Girl
Alan Manson	...	Sam Dorker
Mariclare Costello	...	Emily

Also Known As:

The Secret Beneath the Lake (Canada: English title) (promotional title)
What Killed Sam Dorker? (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for terror/violence and some sensuality.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:(Banned) (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

34 North Main Street, Essex, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The lake sequences were filmed during the fall, so the water was very cold for the actors.

Quotes:

Jessica: I was just, er, looking at the picture. It looks so much like you.
Emily: My lord, it does. Gee, how weird. What's the matter?
Jessica: Nothing. It's just, er, it does look so very much like you.
Emily: It's an old print. It could look like anybody.
Jessica: No, it's... it's the eyes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rate It X (1986)

One Of The Best American Chillers Of The 1970s

In this hauntingly beautiful chiller things are not the way they appear to be. It's a simple yet immensely complex work that I'm sure will satisfy many fans of horror. At first, I thought the film's title was giving away a key plot element. But in fact, I think the title of this chiller is as ambiguous and tricky as the film itself. I'm not saying anything about the plot because I do think it is best to approach the film knowing as little as possible (so please, avoid reading any in depth discussions of the movie). What I can do say is that the film toys with the imaginary line that separates reality and fantasy. I thought it was wonderfully enigmatic and fantastically cinematic. The great performance of Zohra Lampert, in the main starring role, is beyond doubt marvelous. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed. It was just released on DVD, so now people have an opportunity to discover this little treasure.