Ruby (1977)

Sixteen years after Ruby Claire's gangster boyfriend was shot and killed by four associates, a series of gruesome murders takes place at the drive-in movie theatre she now owns. Meanwhile, ... See full summary »

Director:

Curtis Harrington

Writers:

George Edwards (screenplay), Steve Krantz (story)

Stars:

Piper Laurie, Stuart Whitman, Roger Davis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Piper Laurie	...	Ruby Claire
Stuart Whitman	...	Vince Kemper
Roger Davis	...	Dr. Paul Keller
Janit Baldwin	...	Leslie Claire
Crystin Sinclaire	...	Lila June
Paul Kent	...	Louie
Len Lesser	...	Barney
Jack Perkins	...	Avery
Eddy Donno	...	Jess (as Edward Donno)
Sal Vecchio	...	Nicky Rocco
Fred Kohler Jr.	...	Jake Miller (as Fred Kohler)
Rory Stevens	...	Donny
Raymond Kark	...	First Man
Jan Burrell	...	First Woman
Kip Gillespie	...	Herbie

Storyline

Sixteen years after Ruby Claire's gangster boyfriend was shot and killed by four associates, a series of gruesome murders takes place at the drive-in movie theatre she now owns. Meanwhile, the behaviour of her mute daughter Leslie is becoming increasingly strange and a visiting psychic claims that forces from beyond are out for revenge.

---

Plot Keywords:

year 1951 | year 1935 | 1930s | 1950s | character name as title | 

---

Taglines:

Christened in blood, raised in sin, she's sweet sixteen, let the PARTY begin!

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Re-released to theaters in Baltimore, MD in 1981 under its original production title "Blood Ruby".

---

Goofs

Set in 1951, the drive-in shows Attack of the 50 Foot Woman seven years too early.

---

Alternate Versions

Scenes added to the TV version:

• Deputy Len tells Sheriff Rich that he was investigating a report of a hanging and spotted Mae Belle, the sheriff's wife, with another man.
• Rich questions Mae Belle about her whereabouts the previous night.
• Kenny asks Barney about the old days at the drive-in.
• Lila June talks on the phone and defends her actions to her mother.
• The sheriff comes to the drive-in and question Barney.
• Dr. Keller goes searching for an answer to what happened on the night Nicky died. He visits newspaper editor George Whitehouse, the sheriff, and an unseen third man who greets him with gunfire.

---

Connections

References Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

---

Soundtracks

Love's So Easy
Written by Sally Stevens
Performed by Piper Laurie

User Reviews

A complete anomaly

"Ruby" follows an ex-gun moll in 1951 Florida who employs a bunch of her former mobster peers to run a drive-in theater adjacent to her house. Unfortunately for Ruby, the spirit of her deceased husband has come back to haunt her, the drive-in, and her mute daughter.

This is a film that has been on my radar for years, but I've never caught it until recently; and boy, what a strange cocktail it is. At times, "Ruby" is a quasi-mob flick; at others, it's a supernatural horror film riffing (rather sloppily) on "The Exorcist." In some moments, it's a chamber drama. The end result is truly baffling and the tone inconsistent. But is it all bad? Not really.

The glue that holds it together is star Piper Laurie, fresh off her critical acclaim from "Carrie" (it's a mystery why she agreed to do this low-rent grindhouse flick). Even though her role is much less exciting than that of Margaret White, she plays the oddly amoral Ruby in a way that evokes Norma Desmond from "Sunset Boulevard." Her gun moll past is at times overshadowed by her failed "career" as a singer and actress, and she spends a fair amount of the film lamenting her nascent glory days, strutting around her house in extravagant costumes and playing her sole record on a jukebox in a makeshift dance hall. It's all very bizarre, and director Curtis Harrington never even attempts to elucidate the context.

It's probably this utter weirdness and lack of clarity that left me mildly amused by "Ruby," because there is more that doesn't make sense about it than there is that does. As the film ramps up to its finale, featuring full-blown poltergeist madness and Linda Blair-esque contortions, it serves up a ridiculous conclusion that is oddly befitting. Given how silly and utterly strange it all is, the "Scooby Doo" ending makes sense.

Overall, I found myself consistently entertained by "Ruby," though it is not a good film, nor is it a film for everyone. As a horror film, it is rather dull and apes snippets of its contemporaries--but as an utter anomaly, "Ruby" deserves some street credit. There truly isn't much out there that is quite like it. A haunted gun moll running a haunted drive-in? The people who will enjoy this know who they are. 6/10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 June 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood Ruby

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 96 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1