Principal photography began in november of that year in old saybrook. The lake sequences were filmed during the fall, so the water was very cold for the actors. Its not bloody or gory and builds to it scary moments at a very slow pace. The town scenes were filmed in chester, connecticut. Jessica zohra lampert, in an appropriately gangly performance that. Lets scare jessica to death 1971, is not only the far better film but probably unintentionally the more iconic 70s trope for what was so extraordinary about the special clutch of horror films that were birthed in the 70s epoch. So, if the title doesnt entice you, surely that will. Revisiting 1971s cult classic horror film lets scare. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 jessica zohra lampert has just been released from a mental hospital. No doubt a real casting coup for the low budget 1971 production let s scare jessica to death, and her character, still recovering from a nervous breakdown, comes off as the sanest one in the whole picture. The locations in lets scare jessica to death 45 years later. The street signs can be seen in the film, located at the intersection of main st and maple st. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 movies, tv, celebs, and more. Lets scare jessica to death is a very different sort of horror flick.
Lets scare jessica to death film location duration. Jul 14, 2015 let s scare jessica to death, ghosts and vampires in connecticut as norman bates reminds us, we all go a little mad sometimes. Let s scare jessica to death is criminally underrated, and will grab your interest with its amazing location, haunting atmosphere, enticing characters and everthickening plot. Imdb lets scare jessica to death 1971 was filmed in connecticut.
There they find a young woman by the name of emily living in the house and they invite her to stay. The crux of lets scare jessica to death is finding out the scare. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 the house of stuff. The diary of ellen rimbauer 2003, the haunting of julia 1977, house on haunted hill 1999, jessabelle 2014, the stranger from afar 2004. Is emily a vampire, or is jessicas own mind corroding and turning against her. Revisiting 1971s cult classic horror film lets scare jessica to death. When jessica goes for a swim in the lake, she sees a body just below the water s surface.
Scenes featuring jessica in a boat, on a cove, basked in golden sunlight provide a context that make the disturbing elements even more unsettling. I traveled with my family to old saybrook, connecticut to the following filming locations for lets scare jessica to death. Allegedly, lets scare jessica to death is highlyregarded by stephen king. The pain in spain a newly filmed interview with special effects and makeup artist colin arthur. Hancock, its the story of a woman, recently released from an institution, who moves into an old farmhouse with her husband and a friend. It has a bit of a film school feel to it, at times lingering a bit too long on a pretty shot or a scene that doesnt really advance the story at all. The 1971 horror film lets scare jessica to death is the story of a woman recently released from a mental ward, who buys a house out in the country with her husband and friend to start a farm. Let s scare jessica to death is one movie that always gets under my skin. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 i watched this on youtube last night, thinking it would be a cheesy slasher movie and instead thought it was a wonderfully creepy indie horror film. Filming locations 10 filming dates 1 filming locations. Chester, connecticut chester, connecticut the town sce.
Jun 08, 2009 steve senski on let s scare jessica to death duration. Its scary comfort food for hordes of horror fans who first encountered it on creature features, and enjoys a fan following larger than its soso. Released from an institution after suffering a nervous breakdown. The scariest films, to me, are ones where the horror lies within your bodys ability to turn on you, and while thats not developed nearly as well as it should be, it is evident within the. Oct 28, 2018 lets scare jessica to deaths eventual status as a cult film grew out of these weesmallhoursofthemorning broadcasts, but as far as i was concerned, if there was ever a film one should not be introduced to via the accompaniment of frequent commercial interruptions. Steve senski on lets scare jessica to death youtube. I first saw this one tv back in the late 70s, while my mom and dad were out in the living room playing cards with friends.
Orville stoebers unnerving score is one of the main highlights of the film. Though not quite a lost classic, lets scare jessica to death 1971 is an impressively creepy little horror film, quite good for such a modestly budgeted work with no stars. Poor jessica, she just got released from a four month stay at a mental institution and she aint feeling so great. Its hard for a film called lets scare jessica to death to live up to its title, and john hancocks 1971 horrorthriller seems to sense this. While writing this i found a fan site entirely dedicated to this movie, so i know im not the only one moved by it.
Let s scare jessica to death is on my list of one of the greatest films of all time. With zohra lampert, barton heyman, kevin oconnor, gretchen corbett. Director john hancocks debut feature stars the mercurial zohra lampert as a former mental patient terrified shes losing her mind when she sees apparitions at a connecticut farmhouseor does she. Its origins are unclear, but it looks like an independent production acquired for release through paramount. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 leave your insanity at the door. Filming location of the lets scare jessica to death. Lets scare jessica to death is a 1971 horror film starring zohra lampert also in splendor in the grass. The house from the movie is still standing, but in a state of disrepair. Let s scare jessica to death is a movie you cant look away from. Log in or sign up to leave a comment log in sign up. Lets scare jessica to death scream factory, bluray released from an institution after suffering a nervous breakdown, jessica zohra lampert, the exorcist iii seeks the tranquility of a. Lets scare jessica to death is a movie you cant look away from.
Lets scare jessica to death macabre movie mavericks llc. The first scene in the movie has the trio arriving in town in an old hearse because theyre just like that and stopping at a graveyard. Oct 29, 2017 lets scare jessica to death came out in 1971. Halloween prank goes wrong in lets scare julie images. Though not quite a lost classic, let s scare jessica to death 1971 is an impressively creepy little horror film, quite good for such a modestly budgeted work with no stars. The film depicts the nightmarish experiences of a psychologically fragile woman in an old farmhouse on a connecticut island.
Both films feature female protagonists fighting evil within themselves, and both women ultimately fail to conquer. On the off chance that you are in the state of mind for a massage, you might need to investigate getting an incredible male massage. There may be no greater magic in cinema than achieving the intangible out of the tangible. After a stint in a psychiatric facility jessica, her husband and a friend move to remote farm they have recently purchased. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 was filmed in connecticut. House used in the 1971 horror film lets scare jessica to death. Find release information for lets scare jessica to death 1971 john d. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 page 3 classic horror. The entire movie was filmed in east haddam, chester, and old saybrook, neighboring towns near or at the southern edge of connecticut on the long island sound. When jessica goes for a swim in the lake, she sees a body just below the waters surface. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it. No one knows this better than the protagonist in todays film from 1971, lets scare jessica to death. Sep 01, 2012 i traveled with my family to old saybrook, connecticut to the following filming locations for lets scare jessica to death.
Lets scare jessica to death is another undiscovered gem from the 70s thats been on my radar for a while, and im so sorry i didnt check it out sooner. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 the last drive in. When they go into the village to sell some old furniture, they learn that a woman. Let s scare jessica to death dreamlike gets tossed around a lot describing horror movies, but it s rare for the description to fit one as well as it does let s scare jessica to death. Lets scare jessica to death, ghosts and vampires in connecticut as norman bates reminds us, we all go a little mad sometimes. Nov 09, 2017 stream these spooky haunted house movies. Connecticut horror on the big screen hartford courant.
Lets scare jessica to death 1971 zohra lampert in lets scare jessica to. Brian greene revisits the divisive 1971 cult classic horror film lets scare jessica to death, soon to be released in bluray by shout. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 official trailer youtube. Rod serling has been quoted as stating it was one of the. There, her mind either starts breaking down again or is fine and its all the vampires in town who are the problem. A recently institutionalized woman has bizarre experiences after moving into a supposedly haunted country farmhouse and fears she may be losing her sanity once again. Best movies like lets scare jessica to death bestsimilar. Lets scare jessica to death 1971 directed by john d. L ets scare jessica to death and honeymoon make for a great double feature about the interior lives of two women affected by the supernatural. Lets scare jessica to death is a 1971 american psychological horror film, directed by john d. Lets scare jessica to death is a 1971 american horror film cowritten and directed by john hancock in his directorial debut, and starring. An unstable young woman just released from a mental institution starts seeing things after relocating from new york city to the country, a move that was intended by her husband to help her recovery. Dickinson mansion in essex, connecticut was the house used for the interior scenes shown in the film.
Lets scare jessica to death 1971 journeys in classic film. Scream factory continues to release another film from their paramount studios deal, in this case a superb psychological horror film filmed in connecticut from. Visited the house where the film lets scare jessica to. Let s scare jessica to death is a 1971 american psychological horror film, directed by john d. An unstable young woman just released from a mental institution starts seeing things after relocating from new york city to the country, a move that was intended by. When visuals, sound, pace, and dialogue are working together in unison, as they are in john hancocks 1971 film, lets scare jessica to death. Nov 16, 2015 although filmed almost exclusively in the daylight hours lets scare jessica to death creates a decidedly creepy atmosphere with half glimpsed figures and a feeling of isolation as even a visit to a brightly lite attic crates a feeling of unease. No one knows this better than the protagonist in today s film from 1971, let s scare jessica to death.
Only the exteriors were used, the interiors were filmed about a mile away in the e. The lurid title could easily sidetrack you from what is essentially an extremely frightening exploration of a womans descent into madness. Old bishop house old saybrook, connecticut atlas obscura. Lets scare jessica to death is available from amazon and other streaming services. For some reason, although ive seen the title listed on netflix for years, ive never seen this movie. Made just two years after the charles manson murders, lets scare jessica to death has a weird hippy vibe to it, eerie with its elements of communalism and counterculture ostracization. Lets scare jessica to death is a 1971 american psychological horror film, directed by. This atmospheric, eerie horror is commonly regarded as a cerebral hippie vampire film. A woman and a group of friends go to a remote coastal town to relax after mental problems. Upon her release she retreats to her newlypurchased county house, with her husband duncan and their close friend woody, to recover in peace and silence. For jessica, the filmmakers chose a cluster of towns in southeastern connecticut, partly out of the quality of the locations but also due to films producer bill badalatos familiarity with them. Filmed without a distributor and produced independently under the jessica company, lets scare jessica to death was sold to paramount pictures in early 1971. Lets scare jessica to death has been listed as one of the media and drama good articles under the good article criteria.
Visited the house where the film lets scare jessica to death. The independently made homegrown sleeper horror flick from 1971, the one and only lets scare jessica to death, gets a much welcomed and often requested bluray courtesy of scream factory. Stephen king has hailed at as quite simply, one of the best ghost stories ever filmed. Here is a short list of scary movies that are either set in connecticut, or were filmed here. Lets scare jessica to death looks, sounds and feels like a made for tv movie but it was actually released to. The thinking mans vampire movie, probably a secret dream for at least half the worlds young filmmakers, tries to rise again in john hancocks lets scare jessica to death, which opened. Last nights feature was the 70s cult classic lets scare jessica to death.
So in it a group of hippies move to a isolated farm house up in the conneticut countryside, from new york, were jessica lost her mind and was sent to a mental institute. Oct 10, 2009 she had a kind of vulnerability that brought out the protectiveness in men, similar to what marilyn monroe projected. Lets scare jessica to death was filmed over a period of 26 days in the fall of 1970, in various towns in connecticut. Taking place in the beautiful connecticut countryside, jessica and friends take some free time after jessica has been released from a. The gravestone and summary of venture smith that jessica quotes and does a rubbing of in the film is, in fact, a true grave. This is a fantastic 70s thriller, with just the right amount of chills. Lets scare jessica to death is a story about a woman named jessica zohra lampert who is released from a mental institution after a sixmonth stay following a mental breakdown. Its small cast of mainly theater types and relative neophyte filmmakers were almost all in their early30s, and. Taking place in the beautiful connecticut countryside, jessica and friends take some free time after jessica has been released from a mental hospital. The titular jessica, played by zohra lampert, is recovering after a stint in a mental health care facility.
Lets scare jessica to death is criminally underrated, and will grab your interest with its amazing location, haunting atmosphere, enticing characters and everthickening plot. The location scout a virtual tour of filming locations. I guess riding around in a hearse and making crafty tombstone rubbings on. The house for the exterior shots, main street where the rotary was with. A halloween prank goes terribly wrong in lets scare julie previously titled lets scare julie to death, an indie thriller written and directed by jud cremata. Aug 23, 2016 the story of lets scare jessica to death focuses on a married couple who have moved out of new york city and relocated to a rural town in nearby connecticut. Hancock and starring zohra lampert, barton heyman, gretchen corbett, and mariclare costello. Shot on an obviously limited budget, it uses little more than an overcast lake house, a small town with creepy locals, an overbearing score recorded on.
Oct 21, 20 let s scare jessica to death is a 1971 horror film starring zohra lampert also in splendor in the grass. The store used in the film now houses the maple and main gallery of fine art. Located in old saybrook, the house is vacant and pretty rundown. The 1971 horror film lets scare jessica to death is the story of a woman. You can read it, of course, in a material sense as the title suggests. The low budget, cult classic 1971 horror film lets scare jessica to death is a prime example of a cinematic title about which experts have just never been able to come to a critical consensus. Visited the house where the film lets scare jessica to death was filmed. There are a wide range of organizations and massage organizations that offer an extraordinary male massage administration that. An impressively creepy little horror film stuart galbraith iv. Lets scare jessica to death october 20th, 2007 by unkle lancifer 4 comments. Filming location of the let s scare jessica to death house. Of course, the fact that its from the 70s can also be a downfall of the film, as not everybody will be interested in something that seems tame compared to films now. Frank yablans, then an executive at paramount, devised the films title as they felt hancocks working title, which was simply jessica, was not commercially viable. Lets scare jessica to death filming locations youtube.