The City of the Dead (AKA “Horror Hotel”)
Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
Written by George Baxt; Story by Milton Subotsky
1960/UK
Vulcan Films
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Prof. Alan Driscoll: The basis of fairy tale is in reality. The basis of reality is fairy tales[/box]
This is a mixture of great cinematography and direction in the horror scenes and some fairly pedestrian 1960 teen drama.
As the film opens, we are in 17th century Whitewood, Massachusetts where a witch, Elizabeth Selwyn, is about to be burned at the stake. It is clear she really is a witch as her associate’s prayers to Lucifer are answered by a thunderstorm. This is short-lived however and as the flames climb higher, she puts a curse on the town.
Segue to the present day. Nan Barlow is fascinated by Professor Alan Driscoll’s (Christopher Lee) class in witchcraft and the occult. Her boyfriend thinks the whole thing is daft. Nan decides she needs to do some hands on research for her thesis and Driscoll recommends that she visit Whitewood. He even recommends an inn.
On arrival, Nan finds things are pretty darn weird in Whitewood. She is the only occupant of the creepy inn and the innkeeper looks at her with inappropriate interest. Her visits to the church and to a bookshop only add to her apprehension. All Nan’s fears are fully justified.
Her boyfriend and brother become concerned after two weeks when she still has not returned. They travel to Whitewood and more Satanic adventures ensue.
This film was recently restored and you can tell why the effort was made. The high-key lighting of the horror sequences is drop-dead gorgeous. The director also has a knack with faces and staging that makes everything in Whitewood pretty interesting. The modern sequences at college are oddly boring. The plot is predictable but there are some mild scares.
Restoration Trailer
