The Dead Talk Back (1993)

A psychic researcher attempts to solve a murder by using a radio that enables him to speak with the dead.

Director:

Merle S. Gould

Writer:

Merle S. Gould

Stars:

Aldo Farnese, Scott Douglas, Laura Brock

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aldo Farnese	...	Henry Krasker
Scott Douglas	...	Lieutenant Lewis
Laura Brock	...	Renee Coliveil
Earl Sands	...	Harry
Myron Natwick	...	Raymond Milburn
Kyle Stanton	...	Christy Mattling
Sammy Ray	...	Tony Pettini
Curtis Roberts	...	Frits Kreuger
Don Parker	...	Don Harris
Janeanna Pritchard	...	Hope Byington
Rose Gorman	...	Alice Corman
Betty Ruth	...	Sarah Sthoil
Mat Maracco	...	Harold Yonger
Lyn Douglas	...	First Photo Receptionist
Eileen Leavitt	...	Second Photo Receptionist

Storyline

Eccentric scientist/metaphysician Henry Krasker (Aldo Farnese) is asked to assist in solving the murder of one of his housemates by attempting to contact her spirit beyond the grave.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | psychic | radio | landlady | police detective | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1957 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Headliner Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in 1957, the film was never seen outside of an editing machine until 1993, when it was discovered by Sinister Cinema at the old offices of Headliner Productions. Sinister bought the rights to sell it on video in 1993. It gained the most attention when it was shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

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Goofs

The name "Frits Kreuger" is misspelled, and badly at that. It should read "Fritz Krueger"; as it stands, it would be pronounced "frits KROY-ger".

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Quotes

Henry Krasker: [demonstrating his invention] The razor blade is attached to the speaker by wires and is then placed in the wine glass. If there is an entity or spirit present in the room, it would be possible thourgh a method known as telekenis, or the moving of objects by thought, to move the vibrator contained in the speaker.
Hope Byington: Oh, I remember something like that in school. A student, during a demonstration, moved a salt shaker across a table by merely concentrating on it.
Henry Krasker: That's precisely the same theory that ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Dead Talk Back (1994)

User Reviews

The actors were bad, but there was an interesting crime story buried beneath the bad line reads.

Granted it was not the best movie ever or anything, in the end it was rather bad, but it still had its interesting points. I like some of the interrogation methods displayed and they also showed some good ways to get a confession out of someone without resorting to telephone books or rubber hoses as it were. Still the acting was very bad and the characters pretty darn annoying at times. Even more annoying is this voice over literally telling us how long the murder victim had to live...lets just say her murder is very anti-climatic as they just about count down her death to the second. The physic researcher is a bit of a hammy actor, but I found him kind of amusing...more annoying characters include all the idiot suspects. Everyone of them are played badly, but not so badly as to be amusing as the researcher is. The cops are probably the best actors on the screen and that, I am afraid, is not a good thing. The plot, someone gets murdered and the police try to track down the killer...this movie plays out more like an episode of a television show rather than a movie and I can see why it was never released. Still, I saw "Monster A Go Go" a day later and it makes this movie look Oscar worthy.