THE NORLISS TAPES
US, 1973, 72 minutes, Colour.
Roy Thinnes, Angie Dickinson, Don Porter, Claude Akins, Vonetta Mc Gee, Hurd Hatfield, George di Cenzo.
Directed by Dan Curtis.
Dan Curtis was the originator of the Dark Shadow series and films. He directed a great number of films over several decades, more with action adventure or overtones of suspense and horror. However, his last film was a significant one, Our Fathers, a picture of Cardinal Law and the clerical scandals in the archdiocese of Boston.
This film was intended as a pilot for a series but was not taken up. The tapes of an investigator come to light and reveal a coven of contemporary witches and vampires, touches of voodoo and the Walking Dead. The film creates quite an atmosphere – with Angie Dickinson as the widow of a man, a sinister participant in these rituals. It is all entertaining hokum, very well done.
1. How entertaining a telemovie? A good adaptation of themes of the occult to the home audience? Thrills, suspense, scares? What is the entertainment value of this kind of film, probing of values?
2. The use of thriller techniques, the atmosphere of the occult and the visualizing of this, darkness and light, sounds, scares? Conventional use of the material, better than usual?
3. Colour photography, California locations, the city, the house, the countryside and the beach? Realistic atmosphere, the eerie use of realism and atmosphere? The special effects, especially the movements of the dead husband and the statue coming alive?
4. How enjoyable was the plot? Could such events possibly happen? Is this important for enjoyment of this kind of film? Audience willing suspension of disbelief for enjoyment?
5. The structure of the film with the mystery of the tapes, the technique of playing back the tapes and visualizing the flashbacks, the first person narrative by Norliss, gradually leading the audience on to explore the mysteries with him? The build-up to climax? The irony of his disappearance?
6. How important was the delineation of the character of Norliss? His scepticism, writing, gradual involvement, his meeting of the dead man's wife and believing her story, investigation of the murders, discovery of the truth, involvement with the monstrous dead husband? Was he absorbed by the mystery?
7. The characterization of the wife, Angie Dickinson's style? Audiences sharing her terror because of the star? The moods in the workshop, the tears in the house, the road? Her wanting to understand the truth and being terrified?
8. The presentation of the dead husband, his threatening his wife, the savage murders? His sister-in-law? The revelation about his statue? The revelation of the deal that he did and the ring on his finger? (The atmosphere of the long tradition of mummies, cat creatures etc.? a suitable up-dating of these conventions?) The final dramatic confrontation with the statue coming alive and being destroyed?
9. How enjoyable were the melodramatics? Contrived situations? Use of flash filming for this kind of involvement?
10. Even if the plot was not realistic, how well did the film raise to consciousness questions of superstition, the occult, the visualising of our fears and trying to cope with the evil coming from outsiders and people being able to be beaten by evil?
