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The City of the Dead (1960)

6.8
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Ratings: 6.8/10 from 2,491 users  
Reviews: 94 user | 68 critic

A young coed (Nan Barlow) uses her winter vacation to research a paper on witchcraft in New England. Her professor recommends that she spend her time in a small village called Whitewood. He... See full summary »

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Title: The City of the Dead (1960)

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dennis Lotis ...
...
Alan Driscoll
Patricia Jessel ...
Tom Naylor ...
Bill Maitland
Betta St. John ...
Venetia Stevenson ...
Valentine Dyall ...
Ann Beach ...
Norman Macowan ...
Fred Johnson ...
The Elder
James Dyrenforth ...
Garage Attendant (as Jimmy Dyrenforth)
Maxine Holden ...
Sue
William Abney ...
Policeman
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Storyline

A young coed (Nan Barlow) uses her winter vacation to research a paper on witchcraft in New England. Her professor recommends that she spend her time in a small village called Whitewood. He originally cam from that village so he also recommends she stay at the "Raven's Inn," run by a Mrs. Newlis. She gets to the village and notices some weird happenings, but things begin to happen in earnest when she finds herself "marked" for sacrifice by the undead coven of witches. It seems that the innkeeper is actually the undead spirit of Elizabeth Selwyn, and the "guests" at the inn are the other witches who have come to celebrate the sacrifice on Candalmas Eve. As one of them said when Nan walked away, "HE will be PLEASED." Written by John A Kostecki <jak@wbst207v.xerox.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

inn | sacrifice | witch | new england | coven | See more »

Taglines:

300 years old! Human blood keeps them alive forever! See more »

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

12 September 1961 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

City of the Dead  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

"City of the Dead" aka "Horror Hotel" was the first film made by Amicus Productions, one of Hammer's most successful rivals in the 60s and 70s. At the time of this film, however, the company was known as Vulcan Productions. See more »

Goofs

Venetia Stevenson's surname is spelled "Stephenson" in the opening credits. See more »

Quotes

Prof. Alan Driscoll: The basis of fairy tale is in reality. The basis of reality is fairy tales
See more »

Connections

Featured in Curse of the Blair Witch (1999) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Devil Worship in New England, Past and Present
18 February 2004 | by (brooklyn NY) – See all my reviews

******SPOILERS****** After listening to a lecture by Prof.Alan Driscoll, Christopher Lee, on the town of Whitewood Massachussetts back in 1692 where a local witch, Elizabeth Slwyn, was burned at the stake one of Prof. Driscoll's students Nan Barlow, Venetia Stevenson, decided to do a term paper on the subject. Nan drives to Whitewood to get whatever information she could get on the subject from whats available in the towns records dating back to the 17th Century about witchcraft in general and the Slwyn case in particular.

Getting instructions from a reluctant local living in the area Nan drives into the town of Whitewood and checks into the Raven Inn where she meets the owner Mrs. Newlis, Patricia Jessel, and her mute helper Lottie, Ann Beach. Nan, unknowing to her at the time, was to meet a fate reserved only for someone like her, an innocent girl, that was needed for the Witches Holiday of February 1, Candlemass Eve the Satanic mocking of the Church.

Early Witchcraft and devil movie that predated "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist" but despite it's small budget is as good as either of those movies and the dozens of imitations that followed them. Eerie and spooky film about Witchcraft in New England that covers some 300 years from the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 to the beginning of the Disco Swinging era of the 1960's.

The town of Whitewood is both in the dark and fog at all times in the movie with not a single ray of sunlight ever descending on it. This gives the town a really creepy look as well as unnerving everyone in the theater audience watching the film. It makes one feel that the movie was made in Northern Alaska during the time when it has six months of darkness instead of the state of Massachussetts.

Gripping as well as interesting movie with a great ending sequence where good overcomes evil despite the overwhelming odds against it.


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