The Hearse (1980)

Jane Hardy decides to stay the summer in the house her aunt left her when she died, to try and recoup from a bad divorce. Little does she know, her aunt practiced witchcraft and is still ... See full summary »

Director:

George Bowers

Writers:

William Bleich, Mark Tenser (idea)

Stars:

Trish Van Devere, Joseph Cotten, David Gautreaux

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Trish Van Devere	...	Jane Hardy
Joseph Cotten	...	Walter Prichard
David Gautreaux	...	Tom Sullivan
Donald Hotton	...	Reverend Winston
Med Flory	...	Sheriff Denton
Donald Petrie	...	Luke
Christopher McDonald	...	Pete
Perry Lang	...	Paul Gordon
Fred Franklyn	...	Mr. Gordon (as Frederic Franklyn)
Olive Dunbar	...	Mrs. Gordon
Al Hansen	...	Bo Rehnquist
Dominic Barto	...	The Driver
Nicholas Shields	...	Dr. Greenwalt
Chuck Mitchell	...	Counterman
Allison Balson	...	Alice

Storyline

Jane Hardy decides to stay the summer in the house her aunt left her when she died, to try and recoup from a bad divorce. Little does she know, her aunt practiced witchcraft and is still thought of very badly by the town's citizens. As soon as she moves in, she is haunted by a old black hearse and it's creepy driver. Is she going insane or is she truly being menaced? She meets a friendly young man and becomes involved with him, but is he and the creepy driver one and the same?

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Plot Keywords:

hearse | antique | insanity | living dead | religion | 

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Taglines:

There is a door between life and death and now, that door is open!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Crown International Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Biltur med de døde

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marimark Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Theatrical film debut of Christopher McDonald.

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Goofs

When Jane brushes the leaves from her aunt's grave it "bounces".

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Quotes

Jane Hardy: [startled by someone at her back door] Oh!
Reverend Winston: Miss Hardy, please.
Jane Hardy: [laughing, relieved] Oh! You scared the hell out of me!
Reverend Winston: I should probably take that as a compliment. *Ha ha ha ha ha!*

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Connections

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! Part 2 (2006)

User Reviews

Bill Bleich - a B-movie genius!

The Hearse is an almost-perfect specimen of B-movie horror writing. The writer, Bill Bleich, clearly possesses genius for the genre. The characters are superbly drawn, and the notion of history repeating itself is perfectly blended into the story. Definitely check out this smart, well-constructed supernatural thriller!