The City of the Dead (1960)

A young college student arrives in a sleepy Massachusetts town to research witchcraft; during her stay at an eerie inn, she discovers a startling secret about the town and its inhabitants.

Director:

John Llewellyn Moxey (as John Moxey)

Writers:

George Baxt (screenplay), Milton Subotsky (story)

Stars:

Patricia Jessel, Dennis Lotis, Christopher Lee

Cast

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

Storyline

A young coed (Nan Barlow) uses her winter vacation to research a paper on witchcraft in New England. Her professor recommends that she spend time in a small village named Whitewood. He originally came from the village , he also recommends she stay at the "Raven's Inn," run by a Mrs. Newlis. When she arrives at Whitewood, she notices macabre happenings, Soon, things begin to happen in earnest, and she finds herself "marked" for sacrifice by the undead coven of witches. It seems that the innkeeper is actually the undead spirit of Elizabeth Selwyn, and the "guests" at the inn are the other witches who have come to celebrate the sacrifice on Candalmas Eve. As one of them said when Nan walked away, "HE will be PLEASED."

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Plot Keywords:

sacrifice | witch | new england | inn | coven | 

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Taglines:

300 years old! Human blood keeps them alive forever!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

City of the Dead

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£45,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vulcan Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sections from the witch-burning scene at the beginning of the movie were used in the mockumentary Curse of the Blair Witch (1999).

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Goofs

The character played by Tom Naylor is called "Bill Maitland" in the dialogue but shown as "Tom Maitland" in the end credits.

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Quotes

Elizabeth Selwyn: I am Elizabeth Selwyn.

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Alternate Versions

The original U.S print (titled "Horror Hotel") is around 2 minutes shorter than the "City Of The Dead" version, and is missing most of the cursing made by Elizabeth Selwyn to the villagers during the opening burning and some of the conversation between Driscoll and Barlow as they discuss belief in the supernatural.

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Connections

Referenced in The Andrew Klavan Show: Blaming Harvey's Victims (2017)

User Reviews

Surprisingly good! Atmospheric and imaginative witchcraft chiller.

'Horror Hotel' (sadly the copy I bought has this tacky title, which is the only thing I can fault about it) really surprised me at just how creepy and atmospheric it was. I was expecting some camp fun, but it is actually a very effective and inventive movie for such a cheap effort. The story sucks you in, and the acting for the most part is above average. Christopher Lee is billed as the star, which isn't exactly true, but he is excellent in his scenes, and Patricia Jessel is even better in a very enjoyable duel role. I also admire how director John Moxey (his movie debut. He also went on to make 'Circus Of Fear') was able to conjure up a spooky New England town with basically just a few sets and some fog. A great example of imaginative low budget horror movie making at its best! Highly recommended to fans of 'Carnival Of Souls', and 'Black Sunday'. 'Horror Hotel' isn't a great an achievement as either, but it shares some similarities in style and feel. This is one extremely underrated movie!