RUBY
US, 1977, 95 minutes, Colour.
Piper Laurie, Stuart Whitman, Roger Davis, Janet Balwin.
Directed by Curtis Harrington.
Piper Laurie made such a successful comeback in Carrie as Carrie's mother that producers have found this vehicle for some more of the same. It is a mixture of gangster thriller and the occult trend (overtones of The Exorcist) where a murdered racketeer takes over his daughter's personality to wreak revenge. Director is Curtis Harrington who made such effective thrillers as Games and What's the Matter with Helen? However, the production looks as if it was low budget and quickly made with short running time and the accent is on blunt horror rather than subtlety. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable variation on the old violent melodrama formula.
1. An enjoyable horror film? Production qualities? Budget, re-creation of atmosphere, the stars?
2. The film seen within the 70s interest in ESP, parapsychology, horror? A good example of this genre?
3. How well did it introduce traditional gangster themes and blend them with parapsychology? The overall interest, audience involvement, plausibility of such supranatural intervention?
4. How appropriate were the visuals with the violent deaths, the suggestions of madness? Appropriate, exploitive?
5. The significance and tone of the opening: the lighting, the atmosphere? Gangsters, romance, violence, death? The importance of this being reprised throughout the film? As a kind of chorus, suggestion for understanding the strange happenings? The effect on Ruby, on Vince, the birth of Leslie? Micky's death and his avenging presence? The link of Micky with Leslie and the plausibility of his possessing her? Comment on the gangsters cinematic styles but their leading in an unusual direction?
6. How did Micky become central to the film? Audience response to his death, Roby's responsibility, Jake and the other members of the gang killing him? Ruby's explanation of his story and background, her love for him? The motives for his death? His wanting to be present at and avenge? The growing sinister presence? His speech? His taking over Leslie in behaviour, speech, appearance? His wreaking vengeance on the members of the gang? How frightening?
7. Ruby within this context? Piper Laurie’s style, appearance, her red clothing and jewellery? Her involvement in the initial set-up, the birth of Leslie? Her support of the gang over the years? Her running of the drive-in and her living with her memories of the club, advertisements, her ability for acting, singing? The dashed dreams? Her love for Leslie and her protection of her? Jake's presence, her dependence on Vince and the other members of the gang? Her erratic behaviour, her drinking, her sensuality? The importance of her singing, her songs? And the background of songs about her? How interesting a character? The plausibility of her career, her being confronted by Micky and the effect it had had on her? Her confession about gouging Jakes eyes out? Micky's ultimately taking her to himself in death? At the same spot?
8. The atmosphere of realism created by the drive-in? The irony of the horror film being shown and the people going into it, their reactions? Vince and his management of the drive-in? The assistant? The girl going in with various men? The location of the drive-in? The in-jokes about films?
9. Audience response to the first death and the man choked with the film? The reaction to this? The anticipation of the other deaths and the strange happenings surrounding them? At the drive-in? The visuals? The man dead in the swamps after taking the girl out there?
10. How did Leslie fit into this atmosphere? Her age, her devotion to her mother, to Vince? Seeming retarded? The importance of her seeing the dead man in the tree? The doctor and his reaction? His investigation of her parapsychological behaviour? Her gradually being possessed and the effect that this had? The erratic behaviour? The suffering? The physical appearance and her speaking with Micky's voice? Her contorsions etc.? How convincingly and visually did the film present her as a medium?
11. The importance of the introduction of the doctor, his background from the prison? His skills and his uncovering so much of the truth?
12. Vince as the hero of the film? His relationship to Ruby and love for her, his devotion to Leslie? Calling in the doctor? His management of the drive-in? Micky's spirit threatening him with violence? The fact that he was saved?
13. The ominous presence of Jake, his blindness? His death? The revelation that Ruby had destroyed his eyes for love of Micky? The appropriateness of the flashback and its horror?
14. The effect of all these happenings on Ruby? Her going back into the past, her singing? The significance of her life? Her gradually being drawn to Micky to prove herself? The return to the scene of his death and the culmination in her dying to be with him?
15. How appropriate the ending - a culmination to these events? What is the value of this kind of story? Realism, horror fantasy? Audience interest and enjoyment? A parable of conscience and the effect of crime, responsibility, punishment?
