LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971) d. John D. Hancock (USA)
Tonight we're talking about director John Hancock's brilliant low-budget psychological chiller, Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971), which combines elements of ghosts, vampires, and zombies, yet manages to find its own uniquely eerie voice.
Shot independently in and around Connecticut, over the course of 25 chilly Autumn days on a budget of only $250,000, Jessica ultimately brought in $20 million during its theatrical release after being acquired by Paramount. It was later discovered by many more viewers (including this one) over the years via television screenings and VHS rentals, building a small but dedicated fan base along the way.
Following her release from a sanitarium, emotionally sensitive Jessica (played by Zohra Lampert) leaves NYC with her classical musician husband Duncan and their like-minded hippie friend Woody to find peace and quiet working a New England apple orchard. But when they encounter a strange, beautiful squatter residing in the farmhouse, Jessica's unstable world begins to crumble. And, like our heroine, we are never quite sure what is reality or nightmare, madness or sanity….
While the original script was envisioned as a parody of scary movies, Hancock approached the material with a serious bent, allowing us to enter Jessica's fragile mind through effective use of self-doubting voice-over as well as an ongoing chorus of entreating, berating, and haunting inner voices. The evocative score by Orville Stoeber (aided immeasurably by Walter Sear's electronic synthesizer) remains one of the best of the early '70s, augmenting Hancock's haunting unsettling atmosphere.
An underrated gem deserving of multiple viewings, Jessica insinuates on a deeper level than mere shocks and jump scares, creating a spell that lingers without flashy effects or gore, boasting a wealth of subtle, memorable sequences and surprises around every corner.
Join AC and his incredible panel of guests (Jess Ader, Darren Callahan, John McDevitt, Vanessa Morgan, Michael Orlando Yaccarino) as we celebrate 55 years of LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH!
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JESS ADER is a fellow appreciator of movies and deep synth soundtracks. Former radio-TV-film student making money elsewhere but never giving up the love of all "moving" forms of media and art. He likes peanut butter.
DARREN CALLAHAN is an award-winning writer, director, and composer who has written drama, fiction, and non-fiction for many major outlets, mostly focused on the horror genre. He has also released nearly 100 records, from pop to noise to ambient to film soundtracks. His website is darrencallahan.com and his IMDB is http://www.imdb.me/darrencallahan.
JOHN MCDEVITT is a lifelong cinephile who programs two recurring film events in Chicago: SUPER-HORROR-RAMA! and Fetish Film Forum, a monthly screening series about fetish, kink, leather, and BDSM at the Leather Archives & Museum. John is fascinated by all genres of cinema and appreciates horror most of all for its willingness to explore what makes us uncomfortable and for the compassion it often extends to its characters and the viewer.
VANESSA MORGAN is the author of several movie reference guides (When Animals Attack, Strange blood, Evil Seeds & Meow!), all available from Amazon https://amzn.to/3Hzm0wN. She's also the creator of the websites https://cat-movies.com and https://traveling-cats.com.
MICHAEL ORLANDO YACCARINO's critical writings and interviews have championed world fringe cinema for more than three decades. He is an award-winning biographer and author on unconventional historical figures and the occult. https://www.dorianavilla.com/
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