The Pyx (1973)

A detective investigating the death of a heroin-addicted prostitute uncovers evidence pointing to the existence of a murderous devil cult.

Director:

Harvey Hart

Writers:

Robert Schlitt (screenplay), John Buell (novel)

Stars:

Karen Black, Christopher Plummer, Donald Pilon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Karen Black	...	Elizabeth Lucy
Christopher Plummer	...	Dt. Sgt. Jim Henderson
Donald Pilon	...	Dt. Sgt. Pierre Paquette
Jean-Louis Roux	...	Keerson
Yvette Brind'amour	...	Meg
Jacques Godin	...	Superintendent
Lee Broker	...	Herbie Lefram
Terry Haig	...	Jimmy
Robin Gammell	...	Worther
Louise Rinfret	...	Sandra
Gerard Parkes
Francine Morand	...	(as Francine Moran)
Thérèse Morange
Henry Gamer
Jean Dubost

Storyline

Montréal Police Detective Sergeant Jim Henderson is the lead investigator into the death of a scantily-clad young woman found outside an apartment building, the initial belief being that she was pushed from the unoccupied twentieth floor penthouse balcony. Henderson's partner, Detective Sergeant Pierre Paquette, recognizes her as a prostitute, who they eventually will learn has the working name Elizabeth Lucy, a junkie and one of Meg Latimer's girls. In questioning Meg and another one of her girls, Laura, Henderson and Paquette will also learn that Elizabeth was a non-practicing Catholic, much like Henderson himself, despite the fact that a crucifix on a chain was around her neck and pyx tightly clutched in her hand when she was discovered. The story of Henderson and Paquette investigating the murder, which gets them and their associates into mortal danger the further they get into the investigation, is interwoven with the story of how Elizabeth ended up dead outside that apartment ...

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Plot Keywords:

bare breasts | death of a murderer | falling to one's death | murdered by a policeman | murdered by police | 

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Taglines:

Deep in the city lies an unmentionable horror.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller | Crime

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English French

Release Date:

October 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Hooker Cult Murders

Filming Locations:

Saint Lawrence River

Box Office

Budget:

CAD1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Host Productions Quebec

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Christopher Plummer"s first theatrical feature in over three years, and it only got a limited release.

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Alternate Versions

SPOILER: The international DVD release by Telefilm is missing a scene (probably lost by a damaged print of the movie), when Christopher Plummer's character (Henderson) goes back to the apartment and finds a reel-to-reel tape with a Gregorian chant on it. It plays out and he accidentally drops it just before he hides when he hears footsteps. This is a fairly crucial scene in this movie.

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Connections

Featured in Gore and More! (2005)

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Soundtracks

It All Turned Out The Way I Planned It
Written by Karen Black
Performed by Karen Black

User Reviews

Black is the whole show here

Prostitute Elizabeth Lucy (Karen Black) is found dead at the beginning--she fell (or was pushed) from the top of a building. Police sergeant Jim Henderson (Christopher Plummer) investigates and finds himself involved in satanic rites, ritual killings and more. Also there are flashbacks to the last few days of Lucy's life to see what happened to her.

Interesting but very confusing. It starts off pretty good with Black singing (and doing a credible job) over the opening credits and throughout the film. Then it gets very involved, the story gets muddled and murky and leads to an unsatisfying end. To be honest I'm STILL not sure what happened! Also there's bad overdubbing of voices, poor direction and a hysterically bad score at the end which sounds like a bunch of Munchkins signing! The acting is pretty good considering the material. Plummer (a great actor) looks miserable and gives a rare bad performance. Black however was just great. It's a very difficult role and she pulls it off. I kept watching solely for her. So--if you do want to see it see it for Black.

Be warned: The St. Clair DVD is in terrible shape. It (obviously) inserts a new title (calling it "The Hooker Cult Murders"!), has faded color and jumps VERY badly at the beginning. Also the sound quality is poor and the movie ends a full nine minutes before it's 111 min running time. That may have some reason for me not understanding it.