Let's Scare Jessica to Death

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RANDY F By far one of the greatest horror films ever made. The definition of "eerie". It's a slow burn, with no massive gore, or even particularly violent scenes. But it's terrifically acted, especially by Zora Lampert, who plays Jessica. and It's a horror film about adults, not teenagers, which is always nice to see. There are true, real horrific themes, mix3d in with the creepiness, such as the disintegration of the mind and a marriage. A one of a kind film. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/21/24 Full Review Melissa L I guess one cannot expect too much with a low budget in the early '70s. It's a little eerie, but has no substance. I wouldn't recommend it. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/12/24 Full Review Patrick S More like "Let's Bore Jessica to Death." Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/11/23 Full Review dave s Sure, the title Let's Scare Jessica to Death is sort of fun and intriguing, but it isn't long before you start wondering who exactly is trying to scare Jessica to death or is anyone actually trying to scare Jessica to death. And then you stop caring. And then you're left hanging by a murky ending. It's all more than a bit frustrating. There are a couple of moments of lingering suspense, but they peter out pretty quickly. It's a low-budget B-movie and it feels as though the filmmakers were improvising along the way, leaving them hanging when the money ran out and desperate to wrap things up. Sadly, none of it makes much sense. Imagine a movie titled The Butler Did It, but there's no butler in the film. That's how Let's Scare Jessica to Death feels. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Jessica, her husband Duncan and their friend Woody arrive at a new house in the country that Jessica and Duncan have bought. When they arrive they are surprised to find someone squatting there. They ask this person, Emily to join them for their evening meal and then to sleep there for the night.  The next day Jessica asks Emily to stay at the house until she finds somewhere else to live. From here on in strange things start to happen to Jessica. She has already just been discharged from a psychiatric hospital into Duncan's care and so she doesn't share what is happening as she thinks Duncan and Woody will think these events aren't real and are merely down to her psychological state. In fact, the notion of gaslighting and the doubting of one's reality feature prominently within the film. Jessica starts to see a blonde girl who appears at chosen times but then runs away again. When she is out swimming, someone or something grabs her under the water. Jessica and her husband find items in the attic that belonged to the previous owners of the house and decide to sell them to the antiques dealer in the local town. He tells them the history of the family who used to live in there- they were called the Bishops and their daughter Abigail drowned just before her wedding. But he tells them that locals say that in fact she isn't dead and is in fact a vampire who is always on the hunt for fresh victims. To give away anymore plot points would be to ruin the film and so they will end there! Let's Scare Jessica To Death is a fantastic gem of a film. Made in 1971 by director John Hancock, it has an air and feel all of it's own. I love the fact that we are privy to Jessica's thoughts which add another layer to the film and a palpable paranoia to proceedings. There's also the subtext of the city folk vs the locals that feels fresh here rather than cliched. And the locals of the local town are very unwelcoming indeed. In fact, they're downright scary. And why are they all bandaged in some way? There are elements of Carnival of Souls within the film and Hancock's film feels like it had some kind of influence on Spielberg's Something Evil (which, by the way, STILL hasn't been issued on Blu Ray. Scream Factory are the perfect candidates for this. Just a thought). Let's Scare Jessica To Death is a forgotten gem that isn't forgotten anymore. In fact, it's reputation has deservedly snowballed since it's original release. Hancock went on to direct the early De Niro masterpiece Bang The Drum Slowly which is also highly recommended. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review marco b A woman is released from a mental institution and goes on holiday with her husband and friend. They meet a local woman who isn't all she appears to be. Some supernatural elements. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Let's Scare Jessica to Death

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