LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971)
Label: Imprint Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Duration: 88 Minutes
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: John D. Hancock
Cast: Zohra Lampert, Barton Heyman, Kevin O'Connor, Gretchen Corbett, Alan Manson, Mariclare Costello
The John D. Hancock (Bang A Drum Slowly) directed cult-classic Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971) is a strange and eerie atmospheric chiller from the early 70's, a film I first experienced on TV as a kid still in the single-digits, and like many of the TV terrors I caught on the tube as a kid it's become something of a landmark film for me, informing my young horror heart with an appreciation for eerie slow-burn chills that shaped my taste in cinema for decades to come. A nightmarish tale of three hippies friends who leave hustle and bustle of The Big Apple and for a more back-to-nature farmhouse in rural upstate New York, with dreams of opening an apple orchard. The trio consists of the mentally fragile Jessica (Zohra Lampert, The Exorcist III) and her musician husband Duncan (Barton Heyman), plus their friend Woody (Kevin O'Connor, Special Effects), who arrive at their new small town digs driving a black hearse, only to find that hippies are not greeted with open arms by the local folk. A group of old men gathered on the porch of a business on main street give them a hard time, calling them freaks, and it's hard not to note that for some strange reason the men are all wearing bandages that cover what appear to be recent wounds, an item which figures into the eerie film later on.
The peace-loving trio eventually make it to their fog-shrouded farmhouse and discover an attractive fiery-haired squatter named Emily (Mariclare Costello, Nightmares) taking up residence. She gives them quite a startle at first, but after an initial round of introductions and a bit of awkwardness they invite her to stay on at their new home.
It's established early on that Jessica has been recently released from an asylum after a six-month stint following a nervous breakdown of some sort. She's deems a bit preoccupied by death, for starters they arrive in town in a hearse, and she enjoys visiting cemeteries and making rubbings of the gravestones. Throughout the film her inner thoughts provide a running narration that gives voice to her innermost thoughts, revealing that she is plagued by disembodied voices that beg the question, is this creeping insanity or is there something more ghostly and supernatural happening here?
The voices continue to taunt her, chipping way at the happiness she seeks, as do sporadic sightings of a mute blonde woman around the farm (Gretchen Corbett, Jaws of Satan) that no one else seems to notice, with her companions thinking she's losing her grip on reality. Not helping matters is that the ginger-haired Emily seems to have eyes for her husband, and he for her, creating even more tension among the group. Later on while trying to sell some of the antiques they've found around the farm house the couple hear a story from a shopkeeper of the properties former occupants, whose daughter Abigail drowned in a lake near the property on her wedding day a century ago. Her body was never recovered and the locals tell ghostly tales of how she still wanders the property to this day, as a bloodsucking vampire. Of course this further fuels Jessica's agitated state, especially when she notices that Emily bares an uncanny resemblance to a portrait of the dead woman kept in the attic.
I can understand how this one might be bit a bit of a slog for some viewers who aren't down with a slow-burn 70's cinema. I remember recommending to a now defunct podcast I listened to years ago, and their reviews of it were unfavorable to say the least, but I have always enjoyed the regional feel of this creepy folk-horror chiller, a meandering and ambiguous slow-burn nightmare with a cool psychotronic score that layers on the dread and further fuels the languid nightmare pace of the film.
Zohra Lampert is fantastic as the vulnerable wife, she's fragile but she's also a strong character, that and the hauntingly scenic rural backdrop, plus the cool psychotronic and tension-filled string score, make this a delightful slice of slow-burn dread. It's no bloodbath but it is drenched in eerie atmosphere and a nightmare surrealness that I think should appeal to fans of creepy cult-classics that don't necessarily spill a lot of blood but offer oodles of 70's strangeness.
Audio/Video: Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Via Vision Entertainment's prestige sub-label Imprint Films in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen, advertised as being provided by Paramount Pictures, and it looks identical to the 2020 Scream Factory Blu-ray, which is fine, that was a great looking release. There's good depth and clarity to the film, grain looks natural throughout, and the blacks are solid, though there is a slight white patch that shows up in the middle of the frame from time to time, which I would attribute to limitations of the the original cinematography rather than an issue with the transfer. Overall though the image looks wonderfully crisp and vivid throughout, a very nice upgrade from the previous DVD.
Audio comes by way of English LPCM Mono with optional English subtitles, there's some age-related hiss and distortion present on the track but overall I had no issues with it at the end of the day, and the score from Orville Stoeber (Freddy's Nightmares) , with an electronic assist from Walter Sear (Midnight Cowboy), sounds great in the mix.
Onto the extras we get a mix of new and archival, Imprint carry-over all the extras from the 2020 Scream Factory release beginning with the Audio Commentary Co-Writer/Director John Hancock and producer Bill Badalato. This track has a bit of dead space throughout but the guys do offer some good insights into the making of the film, and I was excited to hear the story of why the "mole" in the film was really a field mouse.
We also get a 16-min Art Saved My Life – interview with composer Orville Stoeber who speaks about working for Hancock, how he was sort of cheated out of payment on the film, and addressing his own addiction issues. My favorite of the archival extras is the 24-min Scare Tactics: Reflections on a Seventies Horror Classic – interview with film historian Kim Newman, he's a big fan of it, even claiming it's one of his favorite horror films, and relaying his first time watching the film and talking-up the finer points of the regional film. The archival stuff is buttoned-up with the 11-min She Walks These Hills: Let’s Scare Jessica to Death Locations, Then and Now, a 3-min Theatrical Trailer, 1-min TV Spot and 1-min Radio Spots for the film, plus a Still Gallery of still images, print ads and movie posters from various territories.
Of course Imprint being the quality label that they are they went above and beyond and further stacked this release with new, exclusive extras, adding a pair of brand new commentary tracks. First up is the Audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine and then into Audio commentary by film critic Kim Newman and film director Prano Bailey-Bond, the director of Censor (2021)! Ellinger offers up a wonderful assessment of the film, it's female-centric and autumnal themes, how weird and off-center it is, the Turn of the Screw themes and more subtle vampire themes. Newman and Bailey-Bond also chime in with a tag-team keeper, talking about the themes of the film, how the films balances insanity versus supernatural, comparing it favorably to Stephanie Rothman's more sexual by comparison Velvet Vampire, and the water-ghost interpretation.
Imprint also up the ante with their packaging, the single-disc release arrives in an oversized clear keepcase with sleeve of artwork featuring an eerie scene from the film on the front and while not being reversible features another scene from the film on the reverse side. The first 2000 of which feature a handsome slipcover with striking artwork which is mirrored on the disc, and I love the red text on yellow/chartreuse background, very eye-catching and mirrors one of the original movie posters I've seen for it. .
Special Features:
- 1080p high-definition transfer by Paramount Pictures
- Audio commentary with director John Hancock and producer Bill Badalato (2020)
- NEW! Audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine (2021)
- NEW! Audio commentary by film critic Kim Newman and film director Prano Bailey-Bond (2021)
- Art Saved My Life – interview with composer Orville Stoeber (16 min)
- Scare Tactics: Reflections on a Seventies Horror Classic – interview with film historian Kim Newman (24 min)
- She Walks These Hills: Let’s Scare Jessica to Death Locations, Then and Now – featurette (11 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (3 min)
- TV Spot (1 min)
- Radio Spots (1 min)
- Photo Gallery
- Limited Edition slipcase on the first 2000 copies with unique artwork
- Photo Gallery
- Limited Edition slipcase on the first 2000 copies with unique artwork
Imprint offer-up the definitive edition of 70's chiller Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971) on Blu-ray; it's got a top-notch A/V presentation, a treasure trove of in-depth extras and it's handsome packaged with plenty of shelf appeal - this is the edition to own!
Screenshots from the Blu-ray:
