The Seventh Victim (1943)

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.

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Charles O'Neal, DeWitt Bodeen

Stars:

Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tom Conway	...	Dr. 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

Storyline

When her older sister Jacqueline disappears, Mary Gibson is forced to leave her private school and decides to travel to New York City to look for her. A bit naive and out of her depth, she is not quite sure how to go about finding her. Eventually she meets Gregory Ward, her sister's husband and a mysterious psychiatrist, Dr. Louis Judd who claims to know of Jacqueline's whereabouts. What she doesn't realize is that her sister became involved with devil worshipers who now want to eliminate her for having revealed their existence.

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Plot Keywords:

cult | new york city | satanic cult | devil worship | dead body | 

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Taglines:

ROBBED OF THE WILL TO LOVE! (original half-sheet poster-style A)

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

21 August 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 7th Victim

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Mimi, the dying prostitute, was intended as a macabre joke, a reference to the opera "La Bohème", which features a dying woman named Mimi. Such darkly humorous references are common in Val Lewton's films.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Nancy: Jacqueline, you've spoken so often of ending it all I can't understand why this should be so difficult for you. You have only to drink a little.
Esther Redi, Jacqueline's Partner: Yes, Jacqueline. You were always talking suicide; ending your life when you wanted to.
Jacqueline Gibson: Yes, when *I* wanted to.

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Connections

Referenced in Two Masters' Eyes (2003)

User Reviews

Offbeat and very creepy

Spooky film about a young woman getting involved with a group of devil worshippers in NYC.

In terms of subject matter this is ahead of its time--it was probably the first film to deal seriously with cults. The film also is the film debut of Kim Hunter (later to win an Oscar for "A Streetcar Named Desire") and has an early performance by Hugh Beaumont (later on "Father Knows Best"). Also Tom Conway was in this and two other top horror films of the 40s--"I Walked With A Zombie" and "Cat People".

This is one of the very low-budget horror films that producer Val Lewton made for RKO in the 1940s. He was given only "B" actors to work with and zero money, but he turned in some true classics. He used darkness and shadow very effectively making some of the creepiest-looking sets on film. Also he NEVER showed anything explicitly--he always kept the monsters or violence off screen and just suggested at it. It works beautifully.

This movie is the least known of all of them (probably because of the subject matter), but it's probably the best one. The plot and themes are handled matter-of-factly and the sets are truly eerie. The performances are all low-key perfectly fitting the script. Even the obligatory love story shoehorned in works. There's also a VERY bizarre shower sequence and a grim ending.

Definitely worth seeing...a must for horror fans. A 10 all the way!