THE DUNWICH HORROR
US, 1970, 80 minutes, Colour.
Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe.
Directed by Daniel Haller.
The Dunwich Horror is quite a good and stylish horror film from American International with Roger Corman (the maker of a number of horror films, especially those from Edgar Allen Poe stories) as executive producer. Daniel Heller, the director, worked with Corman as Set Designer. Heller directed several films including Pieces of Dreams and Buck Rogers in the 20th Century. The cast is a mixed group - each with rather different style and not exactly blending persuasively for a horror film. Of interest, Talia Coppola, later Talia Shire from such films as Rocky, makes a brief appearance.
1. The appeal of the horror film? Scare, fright, atmosphere, suspense, imagination and fantasy, nightmare? Symbol of good versus evil?
2. The work of H.P. Lovecraft? the Edgar Allen Poe tradition? American Gothic? The tradition of English horror and its being transplanted to the United States? How persuasive an American horror atmosphere?
3. The English tradition of witches and their power? Secret books and rituals? The New England tradition of witchcraft with Salem, etc.? This film as an updating of New England witchcraft? The credibility of these stories, audience superstition and belief in the Devil and witchcraft?
4. The atmosphere of the late sixties? American universities, modern style, youth? The psychedelic colours? Special effects? The credits? The musical score? The importance of atmosphere, menace, fright and nightmare? The sound effects of the monster twin? The final rituals?
5. The necronomicon, the tradition of books about witchcraft and their mystery, kept secret, theses being written? The atmosphere of Wilbur trying to get the book, Dr Armitage and his knowledge? The background of the New England villages, the people, their attitudes towards witches? The book and the power of sacrifice, destruction?
6. Nancy as heroine and audience identification with her? Lavinia as the wholesome American type? her work, study, guidance of Dr Armitage? The encounters with Wilbur and her fascination with him? Growing involvement, staying, being drugged, prepared for sacrifice? The innocent girl as victim of witchcraft?
7. Ed Begley's style as Dr Armitage? the country scholar, the knowledge about the occult, the hostility towards Wilbur, friendliness towards Nancy? The final confrontation and its melodramatics with Dr Armitage against Wilbur?
8. The supporting characters and their contribution: Elizabeth and her friendship with Nancy, help, investigations in the household, her fears, unleashing the twin, death? Cora and her death?
9. The mysterious character of Wilbur - mystery and pleasantness, persuasiveness with Nancy, her falling in love with him, the purposes of his getting her to the house, drugging her, the preparation for the sacrifice, the finale and the confrontation with Dr Armitage and his destruction? The mystery of the twin, his being unleashed, the rampage of destruction?
10. The build-up to the confrontation and the editing with the sacrifice, the violence and death? The twin?
11. Nancy and her future - giving birth to another Wilbur?
12. The appeal of the horror film? The conventions and the direct presentation of these and audience response? How satisfying horror entertainment?
