THE CRY OF THE BANSHEE
US, 1970, 91 minutes, Colour.
Vincent Price, Hilary Dwyer, Carl Rigg, Patrick Mower, Essie Persson, Elizabeth Bergner, Sally Geeson, Hugh Griffith, Robert Hutton.
Directed by Gordon Hessler.
Cry of the Banshee is a rather repellent horror film. It features regular Vincent Price, this time as an English lord who had a murderous character. His wife is played by Hilary Dwyer. Veteran actress Elizabeth Bergner has a supporting role.
The film was directed by Gordon Hessler who directed a great number of television series and television movies. However, between 1969 and 1971 he directed several horror films including a number with Vincent Price: The Oblong Box, De Sade, Scream and Scream Again and Murders in the Rue Morgue. This is not one of the best Vincent Price horror films. It resembles in some ways Witchfinder General, but that was a far superior film about the killing of a coven of witches.
1. The impact of horror films, audience expectations of violence, the atmosphere of the supernatural? Audience interest in films about witchcraft? historical presentation of witchcraft and religion? How appropriate was this film in fulfilling expectations?
2. The significance of the title? The initial reference to Edgar Alan Poe and the explanation of the title, the indication of themes, of witchcraft, religion and superstition? Violence?
3. How well done was the historical recreation of 16th century England? Forests, castles, banquets, witchcraft? The use of colour? The presentation of violence within this world? The film's use of gore, did it exploit its subject?
4. Audience response to Oona and her associates, the initial presentation of the old religion and the styles and rituals of superstition? The vengeance against Christianity and its persecution of the old religion? The attraction of people to the old religion and its superstitions? The characters in Lord Whitman's household who belonged to it?
5. Roderick as the incarnation of vengeance? His charm, his work in the household, becoming the lover of Maureen? An ambiguous instrument of love and death? His being an instrument of Oona, his lacking free will? The violence of his murdering? The violence of his own death and yet his being one of the undead? The sinister presence as driving the coach away at the end? The theme of the ever presence of evil?
6. Lord Whitman as a Vincent Price character? His ruthlessness, arrogance? His standing for Christian values and yet his double standards? His home, his sadistic attitude towards people, his persecution of the old religion and his relishing it, his dominance of his children, his dominance of his wife? His background and other wives? The lasciviousness of his banquet and murder being done at such a banquet? His relish in hunting people down? As an embodiment of establishment evil? A criticism of this kind of Christianity?
7. How well drawn were Lady Patricia, Lord Whitman's children? In this kind of society, in the Lord Whitman's household, moulds, religion? The delineation of Lord Whitman’s advisers, the fact that they were caught up in the frenzy fanaticism of persecution?
8. The contrast with the portrayal of people in the village, at the inns, entanglement with witchcraft, the reality of superstition in the ordinary people, their fear?
9. The visual presentation of Oona’s death? Audience response to her in the incantations and rituals and her using the doll with pins for her vengeance? her own death and its violence? Her attendants and their death?
10. The atmosphere of revenge and the immersion of the audience in questions of revenge?
11. The horror treatment of the film, horror and history? This kind of popular look at history, superstition and religion? Does it tall us something about the past? It relevance for the present?
