Unspeakable Horror!

I'm starting a new series here on Unspeakable Horror called "My Favorite Vampire Movies."  It will be a ten-part series, and it will feature my ten favorite vampire films with arguments about why they are important films in the overall vampire genre (and why they are important to me).  It's like a top-ten list, but the films are not ranked.

My first selection is Let's Scare Jessica to Death, a wonderful, freaky vampire film from 1971 with a strong undercurrent of themes about gender.  It contains a set of classic gothic elements: a creepy old house with a past, local legends about a bride who drowned on her wedding day, and suspicious locals who hate outsiders.  It is a vampire story that follows in the tradition of "The Yellow Wallpaper," which also uses traditional gothic elements in innovative, psychological ways with a feminist theme.  It also follows in the tradition of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting. 

Like "The Yellow Wallpaper," the story centers around a female protagonist, Jessica, who has recently been institutionalized.  Also like "The Yellow Wallpaper," the film takes place in a first-person narrative subjectivity.  The viewer hears Jessica's inner monologue, which frequently takes the form of schizophrenic-like, nightmarish voices.  The Robert Wise version of The Haunting also features an inner monologue from an unreliable female protagonist.  This creates the classic gothic scenario: is the protagonist encountering the supernatural, or simply losing her mind?

There are several things that make this an innovative horror film: almost all of the truly frightening scenes take place in broad daylight in an idyllic setting, the blending of realistic and hallucinatory imagery (which is greatly enhanced by the sound of the film), and the punctuated, shocking use of blood in the film.

I am really impressed with the performances in the film, especially the female leads: Jessica, played by Zohra Lampert with an amazing desperate nervousness, especially the scenes when she is attempting to appear like she is happy; and Emily, played by Mariclare Costello, who doubles as a contemporary woman and the vampire bride.  The use of Emily's character, which occupies both contemporary space and the supernatural, ghostly space beneath the waters of the cove, is another brilliant innovation of this film, also adding another layer to the blurring between schizophrenic hallucination and reality.  Costello portrays both poles of this character brilliantly.

The image above demonstrates some key themes from the film: the vampire bride, Emily, comes up from the waters of the cove to threaten Jessica's sanity and domestic tranquility.  I read the film as a reflection of societal anxieties about gender roles, which was as important in 1971 as it is today.  Clearly, Jessica is profoundly insecure about herself and her role in her marriage.  Emily, strangely represents both the new feminist ideology of the "hippies," and traditional patriarchy, represented by the wedding gown. 

Emily emerges from the depth of the cove, and deep water is a profound symbol of the unconscious mind, so in a way Emily represents the shadow-figure, or "double" of Jessica.  In that sense, Emily represents everything that is threatening to Jessica.  There is also a wonderful homoerotic moment on the dock when Emily is aggressively trying to seduce Jessica by putting on Jessica's sunscreen.  Jessica is unnerved and totally uncomfortable with this (another brilliant moment of her performance).

I also love the scars in the film.  I think what makes them so unnerving is how long they are and where they are located on the body.

The ending of the film is a shocking and fascinating continuation of these themes, but I'm not going to reveal them here.

Here's a great website dedicated to the film: click here.

Thanks to Best-Horror-Movies for the image!

Follow the growing list of My Favorite Vampire Movies!