The City of the Dead (film)
The City of the Dead | |
---|---|
Directed by | John Llewellyn Moxey (as John Moxey) |
Produced by |
Seymour S. Dorner Max Rosenberg (uncredited) Milton Subotsky Donald Taylor |
Screenplay by | George Baxt |
Story by | Milton Subotsky |
Starring |
Christopher Lee Venetia Stevenson Betta St. John Dennis Lotis Betta St. John Valentine Dyall Patricia Jessel |
Music by |
Douglas Gamley Ken Jones (jazz) |
Cinematography | Desmond Dickinson |
Edited by | John Pomeroy |
Production company |
Vulcan |
Distributed by | British Lion |
Release date |
September 1960 (UK) 1963 (US) |
Running time | 76 min. |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | ₤45,000[1][2] |
The City of the Dead (U.S. title: Horror Hotel) is a 1960 horror film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey and starring Christopher Lee, Venetia Stevenson, Betta St. John, Patricia Jessel and Valentine Dyall. Produced in England but set in America, the British actors were required to speak with American accents throughout.
Plot
On the recommendation of her professor (Christopher Lee), a young female student (Venetia Stevenson) travels to the fictional Massachusetts town of Whitewood to do some research into witchcraft. She finds the town occupied by the reincarnation of an infamous witch (Patricia Jessel) who was burned at the stake in the 17th century. To sustain her immortality, virgins must be sacrificed to the witch every year – and this year, the student is the chosen victim.
Cast
- Christopher Lee as Alan Driscoll
- Dennis Lotis as Richard Barlow
- Patricia Jessel as Elizabeth Selwyn / Mrs. Newless
- Tom Naylor as Bill Maitland
- Betta St. John as Patricia Russell
- Venetia Stevenson as Nan Barlow
- Valentine Dyall as Jethrow Keane
- Ann Beach as Lottie
- Norman Macowan as Reverend Russell
- Fred Johnson as The Elder
- James Dyrenforth as Garage Attendant
- Maxine Holden as Sue
- William Abney as Policeman
Production
The script was originally written by George Baxt as a pilot for a TV series starring Boris Karloff. The producer Milton Subotsky rewrote it to be longer, including a romantic subplot about the boyfriend who goes looking for Nan after she goes missing. Finance was obtained from TV producer Hannah Weinstein along with money from the Nottingham Forest Football Club.
Production began on 12 October 1959 at Shepperton Studios with a budget of £45,000. Milton Subotsky was credited as the film's executive producer. The film was produced by Vulcan Productions, although because it was made by Subotsky and producing partner Max Rosenberg it has been considered the first of their Amicus Productions.[2]
Censored lines
In the American version, a few minutes of dialogue were removed, including these lines near the beginning, which fit in with and clarify the plot of the movie:
- "I have made my pact with thee O Lucifer! Hear me, hear me! I will do thy bidding for all eternity. For all eternity shall I practice the ritual of Black Mass. For all eternity shall I sacrifice unto thee. I give thee my soul, take me into thy service."
- "O Lucifer, listen to thy servant, grant her this pact for all eternity and I with her, and if we fail thee but once, you may do with our souls what you will."
- "Make this city an example of thy vengeance. Curse it, curse it for all eternity! Let me be the instrument of thy curse. Hear me O Lucifer, hear me!"
Release
The City of the Dead was released in September 1960 in the United Kingdom.[3] It was a box office disappointment although it did make a small profit.[1] It was not released in the US until 1963 under the title Horror Hotel.
Legacy
Heavy metal band Iron Maiden use scenes from this film in the music video for their song "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter". King Diamond also uses clips in his "Sleepless Nights" video as do punk band UFX in the video to "Bitch", while Rob Zombie used Christopher Lee's opening words to similarly preface his track "Dragula" from Hellbilly Deluxe. In addition, the punk band Misfits wrote a song called "Horror Hotel" (the American release title).
See also
References
Bibliography
- Chibnall, Jonathan; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1844575748.
- Rigby, Jonathan (2000). English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. ISBN 1-903111-01-3.
External links
- The City of the Dead on IMDb
- The City of the Dead on YouTube
- The City of the Dead at AllMovie
- The City of the Dead at Rotten Tomatoes