The Norliss Tapes (1973)

An investigative reporter stumbles onto an artist that has made a pact to come back after his death to sculpt a statue of a demon using human blood and clay. Once the demon is awakened he will be granted immortality.

Director:

Dan Curtis

Writers:

William F. Nolan (teleplay), Fred Mustard Stewart (story)

Stars:

Roy Thinnes, Don Porter, Angie Dickinson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roy Thinnes	...	David Norliss
Don Porter	...	Sanford T. Evans
Angie Dickinson	...	Ellen Sterns Cort
Claude Akins	...	Sheriff Tom Hartley
Michele Carey	...	Marsha Sterns
Vonetta McGee	...	Mme. Jeckiel
Hurd Hatfield	...	Charles Langdon
Bryan O'Byrne	...	Mr. Dobkins
Robert Mandan	...	George Rosen
Ed Gilbert	...	Sid Phelps (as Edmund Gilbert)
Jane Dulo	...	Sarah Dobkins
Stanley Adams	...	Truck Driver
Bob Schott	...	Sargoth
George DiCenzo	...	Man in Langdon Gallery
Patrick Wright	...	Larry Mather

Storyline

A newspaper publisher listens to the personal tapes of investigative reporter David Norliss, who has disappeared during an investigation. The tapes tell the story of that investigation, involving a recent widow whose late husband has been seen working in his private studio. As Norliss and the widow investigate, they unravel a plot involving Voodoo and the walking dead.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to the egyptian god osiris | summoning a demon | murder of a woman | murder | murder of sister | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'anello del mistero

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dan Curtis Productions, Metromedia Producers Corporation (MPC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was intended as a pilot for a TV series of the same name. It was not picked up by NBC.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

David Norliss: As I headed for the Cort estate along the seventeen mile drive, acres of lush cyprus and tall pine loomed over me. The ocean below bellowed and roared, smashing into the coastline spilling white foam along the sand. There's no doubt this rugged peninsular country could give the French Riviera tough competition. But on this afternoon, my mind really wasn't on the scenery. I kept thinking about the girl who had been murdered the night before, trying to tie what I knew about her into the story ...

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Connections

Referenced in Svengoolie: Murders in the Zoo (2016)

User Reviews

Rare but is it worth tracking down a copy?

This film is a made-for-TV pilot movie. Sadly, the show never went into production; I think it would have made for decent horror fare. As it stands, The Norliss Tapes is an interesting enough story about an author who is writing a book to disprove the supernatural. His research, however, proves otherwise. The movie seems to have sort of a minor cult following but I honestly didn't think it was anything special at all (it was average at best), or even all that scary (despite the claims). Really, I believe it's one of those shows that linger in someone's mind if they had watched it at a younger age, nostalgia and all that.