Let's Scare Jessica to Death

"Something is after Jessica. Something very cold, very wet...and very dead."

1971 1h 29m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

42%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 199🥫42%Rotten Tomatoes●58Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 9,632

HorrorMysteryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Newly released from a mental ward, Jessica hopes to return to life the way it was before her nervous breakdown. But when Jessica moves to a country house with her husband and a close friend, she finds a mysterious girl living in there. Jessica's terror and paranoia resurface as evil forces surround her.

“Something is after Jessica. Something very cold, very wet...and very dead.”

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Cast

Zohra Lampert
Jessica
Barton Heyman
Duncan
Kevin O'Connor
Woody
Gretchen Corbett
The Girl
Alan Manson
Sam Dorker
Mariclare Costello
Emily

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John D. Hancock
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John D. Hancock, shot by Robert M. Baldwin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Orville Stoeber. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Murray Solomon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Zohra Lampert and Barton Heyman and Kevin O'Connor carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John D. Hancock directs. Robert M. Baldwin behind the camera. Orville Stoeber scores. Murray Solomon cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
355 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by John D. Hancock, shot by Robert M. Baldwin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Orville Stoeber. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Murray Solomon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Zohra Lampert and Barton Heyman and Kevin O'Connor carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Something is after Jessica. Something very cold, very wet...and very dead.".
10IMDB entry: tt0067341 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "drowning", "isolation", "paranoia", "country house".
12Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert M. Baldwin
Original score: Orville Stoeber
Editing: Murray Solomon
Costume design: Mariette Pinchart
Makeup / hair: Irvin Carlton
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $180,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971)
Rotten Tomatoes: 42% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 58/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 9,632 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Also by

John D. Hancock

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522020-01-02
★ 6/10
Eerie little 1970s supernatural horror film has a few creepy moments and although it is on the slow side at times, still liked the performance from Zohra Lampert and it does have a charm to it. Won't make my list of great horror films or anything, but certainly work seeking out. 3.0/5
Wuchak2020-11-02
★ 7/10
Haunting mystery/horror on coastal Connecticut Released in 1971, "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" chronicles events after the title character (Zohra Lampert) gets out of a mental institution and moves into an old house on coastal Connecticut with her husband (Barton Heyman) and a friend (Kevin O'Connor). There they discover a hippie-like squatter named Emily (Mariclare Costello) whom they eventually invite to stay because they all get along. Jessica starts to hear voices as they catch wind of rumors of a drowning victim from 90 years earlier who's now a ghost or maybe even a vampire. Are the increasingly crazy happenings real or all in Jessica's mind? This is a realistic mystery/horror movie in the mold of 1967's "The Shuttered Room" and 1962's "Carnival of Souls." I mean 'realistic' in the sense that the tone is believable. It's a low-key, haunting slow-burner, so if you want over-the-top, cartoony horror, look elsewhere. Zohra Lampert is effective as the mentally unstable protagonist. The way the movie constantly looks into her thought-life and the uncertainties thereof is reminiscent of 1968's "Rachel, Rachel." The theme is the hypnotic power of a woman. Reflect on Jessica's situation at the end. If she dares to speak out, who would believe her story? The drowning victim from the 19th century was named Abigail. I bet this was where KD got the name for his notable 1987 horror-metal concept album. The movie runs 98 minutes and was in Connecticut, USA (Essex, Chester, East Haddam & Old Saybrook). GRADE: B