The City of the Dead (1960)

Director:

John Llewellyn Moxey

Writers:

George Baxt (screenplay)
Milton Subotsky (story)

Release Date:

12 September 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

300 years old! Human blood keeps them alive forever!

Plot:

A young coed (Nan Barlow) uses her winter vacation to research a paper on witchcraft in New England...

Plot Keywords:

Inn | Sacrifice | Witch | Professor | Witchcraft

Cast

Dennis Lotis	...	Richard Barlow
Christopher Lee	...	Prof. Alan Driscoll
Patricia Jessel	...	Elizabeth Selwyn / Mrs. Newless
Tom Naylor	...	Bill Maitland
Betta St. John	...	Patricia Russell
Venetia Stevenson	...	Nan Barlow (as Venetia Stephenson)
Valentine Dyall	...	Jethrow Keane
Ann Beach	...	Lottie
Norman Macowan	...	Reverend Russell
Fred Johnson	...	The Elder
James Dyrenforth	...	Garage attendant (as Jimmy Dyrenforth)
Maxine Holden	...	Sue
William Abney	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

City of the Dead (USA) (working title)
Horror Hotel (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence.

Runtime:

Norway:75 min | USA:76 min | USA:78 min (uncut version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1990) | UK:15 | Finland:(Banned) (1961) | Norway:16 (1971) | Australia:M | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) | USA:Not Rated (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Nettlefold Studios, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Vulcan

Trivia:

Released in the U.S. on a double bill with the West German film Die Nackte und der Satan (1959) in June 1963.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Although it might be more cinematic, witches were never burned at the stake in New England. They were either hung or pressed (by large rocks being placed upon them by villagers). Burnings of witches happened in England.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

A movie to give you nightmares

This is the story of a college student who goes to do research in a small town and promptly runs into strange goings on. Its not giving anything away to say that the events involve witches of the not particularly friendly variety.

This movie creeps me out. Even if I hear the music in another room my skin crawls. I don't know what it is but there is something about it that does not sit well with me. Eerily filmed in suggestive black and white this film looks like a half remembered nightmare, perhaps a clearer version of Begotten.

I dread the prospect of ever seeing this again, despite owning several versions of it. (Hey, a good fright film has to be treasured)

10 out of 10.

Remember keep the lights on while you watch this.