moonspinner55 Review of Let's Scare Jessica to Death

Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971)

Low-keyed thriller...not the cheap screamer as advertised

[7/10 · 1 October 2006]

Zohra Lampert stars as an emotionally fragile young woman, just released from an institution after a six-month stay, who relocates from New York City to an old manor in Connecticut with her husband and a family friend; soon, a series of odd occurrences and visions cause her to start questioning her sanity. "Jessica", co-written and directed by the talented John Hancock (who appeared to be a name to watch), is strange and murky but eminently memorable. The film's title is catchy and sensational but almost arbitrary in this low-keyed context: the chills come at us in dreamy waves and in whispers. Lampert, probably best remembered for her supporting bit in "Splendor In The Grass" as Warren Beatty's wife, gives a marvelous, sympathetic performance as Jessica; she works from next to nothing, really, but manages to connect with the audience almost immediately. This eerie ghost story/vampire movie is too disconnected from reality (and from the horror genre in general) to make big headway with slasher fans. It feels half-formed, with scenes underlined by Jessica's slightly-paranoid thoughts in voiceover. Most critics in 1971 dismissed the film as minor, but it isn't mediocre. Lampert alone makes it worth-seeing, and the quiet, circular ending has a way of settling itself into one's bones. *** from ****