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 large painting in the "Dante" restaurant is an adaptation of Henry Holiday's 1883 canvas of Dante Alighieri meeting his muse Beatrice on the streets of Florence.

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Goofs

When Mary Gibson describes her sister to the Italian couple who own the restaurant she has just entered to inquire about her sister, she says she is tall with dark hair. However, when her sister is first seen a little later in the film, she is shorter than Mary (not tall herself). She therefore could never be described as being tall.

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Quotes

Mary Gibson: He was a kind little man in his way. I made him go down that hall into the darkness. I made him do it.

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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 Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy (2005)

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Soundtracks

Piano Sonata, No. 14 in C-sharp Minor - 'Moonlight'
(uncredited)
First movement "Adagio sostenuto"
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
[It is the second piece played by the pianist after Jason, Mary and Gregory arrive at the party]

User Reviews

Moody, atmospheric and unsettling

No surprise that Val Lewton was involved with The Seventh Victim, his fingerprints can be seen on every frame. Like Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie, the atmosphere oozes from the screen, although Tournier was not involved here. Young Kim Hunter tries to find her sister, only to find she has fallen into the clutches of a group of Satanists. Oddly, the Satanists are presented as a gentile bunch, no raving lunatics here, they all seem disturbingly sane. There are some magnificent images here. Hunter breaking into her sisters room to find nothing but a chair and a noose, a creepy shower scene that pre-dates Psycho and the extraordinary downbeat ending. A grim little chiller that remains unsettlingly plausible throughout.

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