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:

Kim Hunter, Tom Conway, Jean Brooks

3 nominations.

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
Ben Bard	...	Mr. Brun
Hugh Beaumont	...	Gregory Ward
Chef Milani	...	Mr. Giacomo 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:

satanic cult | fear | lesbian | lgbtq | homoerotic subtext | 

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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

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The staircase seen at the beginning of the film is the same one used in Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons (1942).

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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

Gregory Ward: I love your sister, Mary. I love her very much. It's easy to understand now, isn't it? A man would look for her anywhere, Mary. There's something... exciting and unforgettable about Jacqueline. Something you never... quite get hold of. Something that keeps a man following after her.
Mary Gibson: Because I loved Jacqueline I thought I knew her. Today I found out such strange things, frightening things. I saw a hangman's noose that Jacqueline had hanging... waiting.
Gregory Ward: Well, at least I can explain about that. Your...

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Crazy Credits

[title after starting credits] I runne to death, and death meets me as fast, and all my pleasures are like yesterday. Holy sonnet #VII Jonne Donne

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Alternate Versions

Exists in a computer-colorized version

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Connections

Featured in TJ and the All Night Theatre: The Seventh Victim (1979)

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Soundtracks

Oranges and Lemons
(uncredited)
Traditional English nursery rhyme
Performed by Kim Hunter and children's chorus
[Mary sings the song with her students]

User Reviews

Have a drink

Schoolgirl Kim Hunter (Mary) is called to the office of the Headmistress Ottola Nesmith and told that she can no longer stay on as a pupil as her sister Jean Brooks (Jacqueline) has stopped paying her fees. More than that, Brooks seems to have gone missing. So, Hunter goes off to find her. But Brooks isn't so easy to locate.

This film leaves you with scenes stuck in your mind, so it's good from that perspective. It is also well shot with an eerie atmosphere. Scenes that stand out include the sequence with Hunter and a detective exploring an office at night and the subsequent spooky train ride, a shower scene that will make you think of "Psycho" (1960) and pretty much every scene with Brooks. Fancy a drink? – no thanks but the pressure is on. And how about that ending? Wow, pretty bleak stuff. Especially coming after what had me cringing as we watched God and the Bible being used as a tool to counter Satan and his ways in an extremely simplistic way.

Amo, Amas, Amat, Amamus, Amatis, Amant – remember your Latin from school? The 'ablative absolute' and the 'ut' clause (use the subjunctive). Quamquam. This film also throws in some Latin and I'm glad to hear it. It takes the viewer back to a time sadly long gone as we hear schoolgirls reciting the verb 'Amo' – to love. The day will come when a generation will watch this film and not understand what language it is.

The cast are OK with Jean Brooks standing out. Her look suggests she is leader of the occult movement rather than a victim of it. And all of her scenes are quality – some genuinely scary, and all unworldly because of her appearance. That ending with the neighbour comes as a shock and leaves an eerie memory that will have you thinking about how we view life. It's an interesting film…and sad.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian Latin French

Release Date:

21 August 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 7th Victim

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

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