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Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971)

La Notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba
The Night She Arose from the Tomb
The Night That Evelyn Left the Tomb


Cast:

Antonio De Teffè is Lord Alan Cunningham
Marina Malfatti is Gladys Cunningham
Erika Blanc is Susie
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart is Dr. Richard Timberlane
Enzo Tarascio is George Harriman
Umberto Raho is Farley


What the box says:

Wealthy nobleman Alan Cunningham has a breakdown after the death of his beautiful, unfaithful red-haired wife, Evelyn. Eventually, he remarries, his relatives start dying, and his new wife sees a red-haired woman in their castle.


Plot:

Some guy in his PJs escapes from an asylum. The nurses chase and finally catch him.

Alan picks up Polly, a woman of loose morals, and offers her 500 pounds to be nice to him. This doesn’t bode well especially when he switches license plates. He drives up to his castle. They go to the dungeon. Apparently whips and chains excite him. Alan grabs a branding iron and hears a voice and begs for Evelyn’s forgiveness.

The infamous “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” music plays as a flashback shows Evelyn is with some guy. Alan stabs Polly. He disposes of the clothes and burns the body.


I did not to pardon the vernacular melt itbecause I dealt...

Richard, the psychiatrist, stops by to visit Alan the next day. He tries to get Alan to follow directions. Alan gets the bright idea to have a séance to contact Evelyn. The family agrees such as Cousin George, Albert (Evelyn’s brother), and wheelchair lady. None of them are terrified by the power of a rear film projection of Evelyn which thoroughly terrifies Alan.

Later, before Alan heads to London, George lends Alan his little black book maybe so he can get some hasty pudding.

Cut to the gentlemen’s club, let the spastic dancing ensue. Alan offers an indecent proposal. Next at Alan’s dungeon, Suzy’s dancing before Alan wields the whip. Suzy realizes an attempted strangulation isn’t foreplay and runs from the castle. Alan chases after her and finally catches her.

The next morning, the fox keeper knows something strange is happening. Richard convinces Alan to get back in the saddle and get remarried. Alan orders the castle to be remodeled.

At a party, Alan finds Gladys. He immediately proposes and the lovin’ doth ensue. They go to the castle, and she is welcomed warmly into the family.

Evelyn’s brother, Albert, is not happy with the newly remarried Alan. Apparently, Evelyn died in childbirth.

Let the strange things begin. Alan is told about a red-haired maid from Gladys. That revelation thoroughly freaks Alan out. The next day, they learn there is no red-haired maid.


It'll be tough to win Fox series: Britain's Got Maids.
Late that night, Alan hears Evelyn’s voice and wanders out.

Richard tells Gladys about Evelyn’s death, etc…Gladys checks Evelyn’s tomb by bribing the groundskeeper and discovers the coffin is empty.

Some guy uses a snake to bite Albert’s neck and disposes of his body.

The family thinks the red-haired maid was a thief who snuck in and stole the silverware. Alan doesn’t want the police involved in a family matter.


You ever feel a squadron of French maids are watching you?

The wheelchair lady follows Gladys and is knocked out. More family tomb exploring ensues.

Alan slaps Gladys around until somebody explains that Albert was murdered. George explains that the crypt was open which calm Alan down. But, who did it?

Agatha, the wheelchair girl, who’s an aunt, is eaten by caged foxes.

That night, Alan wigs out and starts to choke Gladys but stops. Suddenly, Gladys sees Evelyn floating outside the bedroom window, and she promptly wigs out.


They're making a Leonard Part 7?
Alan heads outside in the rainstorm. Evelyn calls to Alan who promptly toupees out (been using “wigs out” too often).

The next morning, Richard the psychiatrist takes Alan to the clinic as Gladys smiles evilly.

The family gathers to read Alan’s wishes should he become incapacitated. Richard is to take care of Alan; George gets the family portion since Agatha and Albert are dead.

Later, Gladys and George are basking in a bit of afternoon delight and talk about their plot to drive Alan insane. Gladys realizes she’s just been poisoned when Suzy walks into the room. She also impersonated the floating Evelyn. The dying Gladys stabs Suzy as the dying catfight ensues. George basks in the glory of his victory of the perfect crime. He wipes the fingerprints off the surfaces…

Richard walks in and claims he has George. Richard faked the attack that drove Alan insane to catch George. Alan and George fight until the police come to arrest George.


What I say:

The early 1970s, European horror movies were desperately trying to be edgy by being R-rated. We saw what Hammer Studios was doing at this time. While they were good with the combination of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, They were running out of steam by the 1970s. At the same time, for example, Italy started their giallo sub-genre. While some of the most memorable ones had yet to be released like Suspiria, the groundworks were laid down by this point.

With a title like the Night Evelyn Came out of the Grave, what is there to expect? Evelyn and grave. That's not asking for too much, is i? Instead, we get dancing that almost make the dancers from Brain That Wouldn't Die and Wild Wild World of Batwoman seem like Fred and Ginger...We also

There is never any real explanation why the anguished guy is light years from sanity. A husband who is crazy and kills his wife which sounds like Bluebeard. Why do I get the idea that this is what an Italian giallo version of crossing the 1950s movies: Screaming Skull and House on Haunted Hilland with a pinch of the torturer of by way of the swinging 1970s?

Keeping track of the family and who they are is hard enough. They all are introdiuced a few times before being given names. However, if that's not enough to keep straight. We also have other bizarre questions. How did Suzy, the woman who escaped but was choked manage to survive and help with George's plan to get the money? Well, I read that maybe my version was partially cut. A version that had Lord Alan passed out after strangling Susan, so he might not have actually killed her. That almost makes some sense except if you wake up from strangling somebody, don't you expect a little thing called a corpse?

One of the worst things to run across in the "creepy horror ghost movies" is the fact of the writers doing everything to not actually explain things. Alan killed several women early in the movie and then his cousin tricks him into falling for a woman who helped to Gaslight him. Still not sure how Suzy was killed but managed to survive and participate in the scheme to Gaslight. But at the end, apparently, the psychiatrist faked Alan's breakdown to catch the killer. The plot seems like a chain of dominoes that has already fallen down... If that's not enough, no one seems to mention the fact that Alan killed several people.

This copy of the movie which is on one of those multuiple movie on DVD collections is a pretty atrociously dubbed version. How badly? This is an Italian movie set in England. It may not be as bad as some of Japan's Godzilla dubbed into English movies. If it were dubbed any worse, I'd be looking at the screen to see Godzilla emerge from the ocean to destroy Tokyo. However, it is still hard to believe England and Italy are in the same continent.



2 1/2 NINJAS

Quotable Dialogue

"You're exciting with boots on."
"A different girl, at least once a month."
"Are you sure Evelyn is dead?"


Morals of the Story

Handicapped women are the best servants.
Ghosts knock on doors.
Thigh high boots are classy in dungeons.
Crying aloud is very quiet.
Foxes can dispose of a human body.
Men should wear giant hoop earrings.
Snakes love briefcases.


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