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

Jason Hoag, Poet: I'm under orders to make you laugh. In Mrs. Romari's mind, poetry and humor has some strange affinity, which they don't have in fact. She wants me to play the fool for you but... suddenly Miss Gibson, I feel as sad as you do.
Mary Gibson: Well, then, I've spoiled your dinner. Your food won't digest and your wine will sour.

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Connections

Featured in Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film (2009)

User Reviews

spooky subways, showers, satanists.....

THE SEVENTH VICTIM is one of the best films produced by Val Lewton, famous for his wartime series of low budgeted, but brillantly spooky thrillers. A young girl (Kim Hunter) tries to locate her missing sister in Manhattan. In doing so, she uncovers a witch coven. There are so many masterful moments in this classic. In one scene, she is stalked by top-hatted cultists in a deserted subway, in another scene, as she showers, a female cultist confronts her (Shades of PSYCHO?) and there are terrific shocks as an exiled cultist tries to escape the coven. A must for horror fans!