Customer Reviews

The Woman Who Came Back

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderfully atmospheric "horror" movie. All the supernatural stuff is explained away at the end, but there is a great deal of over-the-top acting, shadowy backgrounds and enough tension generated by mere suggestion to make it a fun movie. (You just gotta love that maid!)

I purchased this DVD sight unseen, merely because of the other great reviews. I was not disappointed! The Woman Who Came Back is just the kind of film that held me mesmerized as a kid when ALL the movies on TV were B&W and really, really old!

Saw this for the first time recently. Not bad, but not a Lewton. I became interested in the work of Lewton after the recent TCM festival of his work. Thought this film lacks the serious talent of Lewton, but it can be said to be "Lewtonesque." And this may have been deliberate by the film maker. As far as the plausibility of the story...well, in fact, the very thing happened to me recently when I visited my old hometown in California. Only I was not possessed by the spirit of a witch but it turned out to be my kindergarten teacher...who was probably a witch.

This film has the misfortune of being constantly likened to a Val Lewton film and, as such, ends up disappointing first-time viewers. It's not a Lewton film. It doesn't have the literate tone of a Lewton production, nor does it have the subtlety of a Lewton film. What it is is an imaginative "B" movie that generates a few supernatural frissons enroute to being explained away in a thouroughly rationalistic finale. It's also a pretty good study of small-town prejudices and mass hysteria at work. "The Woman Who Came Back" works best as a sociological document whereasthe Lewton's work best as "filmed literature."

RE: DVD by "Image Entertainment" only. I own this dvd and it has great Sound Quality and Sharp/Clear Black & White Video. I highly recommend purchasing dvds by Image Entertainment.

Very neat little Republic picture about witchcraft. Released by Image, the print used is not that great, but is quite acceptable. It looks mostly quite good, but there are a few rough spots although nothing is lost. The print used is a television re-release as evidenced by the replaced main title card.

After a two-year absence Lorna Webster (Nancy Kelly) is returning to her hometown. Beside her on the bus is a crone looking woman, Jezebel Trister (Elspeth Dudgeon,) who is also traveling to the town to get revenge on the descendent of the Webster that burned her as a witch 300 years ago. The bus veers off the road in crashes into the lake. Only Lorna survives and the body of the old lady is not found.

Was there really an old lady? or was it an imaginary figment? This and other strange coincidences are convincing Lorna that she is being possessed with whtchyness and the town is going along with her.?

Will she and her little dog too, dispatch the town's people one by one or will they have the courage to do unto her first?

As a psychological thriller, some may want to compare this film to Val Lewton. I think more in the line of "She-Wolf of London" (1946) with June Lockhart.

When I was a kid they showed old horror movies after midnight on one of the local TV stations. This movie scared the h#ll out of me (I was 17 at the time) and I had to turn it off. It really captured my imagination, blurring the line between natural and supernatural. I was so glad to have the opportuinity to finally watch the movie end-to-end this years. As a adult, I still found it excellent entertainment.

A contrived B-movie chiller about a woman who returns to her small New England hometown, and becomes convinced that she is possessed by the spirit of a witch who was burned 300 years before. The implausible coincidences of the storyline are almost made acceptable by the earnest performances of a fine cast (including Nancy Kelly, who would leave Hollywood the year after this film was released and return a decade later to win an Oscar nomination for recreating her Tony-award winning role in "The Bad Seed"), as well as some occasionally interesting cinematography and set decorations.

The Image Entertainment film-to-DVD transfer is unacceptably poor compared to the Fox Lorber-Sony VHS edition released in the early 1990's. The DVD source print is severely speckled (particularly in the first reels), has a couple of distracting jumps, and even freezes at one point (no, it's not dual-layered); none of these defects were present on the VHS edition. The movie itself might be a minor "guilty pleasure" that you would enjoy, but Image's substandard DVD transfer should not be supported with your money.

It goes without saying that horror films were aplenty in
first half of the 1940's. What with the war raging on two
fronts the general public, god bless 'em, needed that good old
commodity, Escapism! And boy oh boy, did Hollywood do its
best to deliver. Universal gave us its stock in trade with
the Frankenstein's, Mummy's, Invisible men, and even an
occasional Dracula. But respectability was not Universal's
forte and they liked to cut to the chase, something for which
we were all very grateful. Love stories were kept to a minimum
and the monsters prevailed, sending scores of youngsters under
their seats to the crashing cords of Hans Salter's thundering
symphonies. Other studios tried their hands, albeit awkwardly,
at frightening the masses but couldn't seem to find a formula
to call their own. The die had been cast. Universal's stamp
seemed irrevocable until RKO Studios threw a title to a former
Selznick man named Val Lewton. If the audiences would flock
to see a Wolfman... why not Cat People? One can only imagine
what went through Lewton's mind at the thought of producing
this "epic". And yet, it is sometimes the most adverse
elements that produce the most intriguing results. Thus it
was that a whole new body of work found its mark in horrordom.
The pychological, poetic terror that comprises Val Lewton's
efforts almost succeeded in giving the horror market a measure
of respectability, that up until that time, was unheard of.
Critics had tolerated the public's indulgence in "spook shows"
but now eyebrows were being raised. Gone were the boogey men,
the monsters, and the mad scientists. This was the real McCoy!
Deft performances,offbeat stories, and intelligent screenwriting
moved these efforts up a notch. One could actually watch these
films and not feel guilty. Though there were a number of
attempts to duplicate Universal's take on horror, the Val
Lewton approach seemed more elusive. Oddly enough, it was
Universal's WEIRD WOMAN that probably came closest to imitating
Lewton's stock in trade. Curiously, and quite late in the
cycle, Republic Pictures decided to jump on the merry-go-round
and churn out some Universal-style programmers. Again the
formula proved elusive and their oddball efforts like VALLEY
OF THE ZOMBIES and THE PHANTOM SPEAKS remain novelties at
best. But somehow, this poverty row wonder, know for its
riproaring serials and numerous oaters, achieved a much higher
rate of success with its Lewtonesque imitations. THE WOMAN WHO
CAME BACK, along with WHISPERING FOOTSTEPS and STRANGERS IN THE
NIGHT score high marks for attempting to do what other "more
respectable" studios dared not touch. After all, what did
Republic have to lose. They made shoot-em-ups, cornpone
comedies, and ersatz programmers, why not take a stab at
something different? Couldn't hurt? Perhaps that philosophy
allowed a free hand to weave this interesting tale. THE WOMAN
WHO CAME BACK spins an intriguing web. The opening is
exceptional and sets a tone that is never quite matched but
serves its story well. Witchcraft, reincarnation, curses
and mysterioso dominate this Salemesque tale. Nancy Kelley
is sometimes over-the-top but effective nonetheless, John
Loder's leading man seems as much a steal of Kent Smith's
character from CAT PEOPLE as should be expected, right down to
his stoic performance. By far, the most consistenly interesting
character is Otto Kruger, the cleric who serves as the voice
of reason. This production, though released by Republic, was
apparently an independently produced effort. What is odd, is
that Republic would choose to release such an uncharacteristic
item, especially so late in the horror cycle. As a guilty
pleasure, it ranks as a rather polished example of just how
good the poverty row fare could be. But alas, the ending is
a definite mishmash of how not to end a supernatural thriller.
Some things are best left unexplained, especially as in the case
of this minor gem. Unfortunately, no strings are left dangling
here, and every fantastic element is rationalized and refuted.
Still, for the most part, save for the ending, the story plays
fair and delivers what it promises, a stylish tale that merits
a sincere look. This film definitely deserves more attention
then it has received and makes one wish that Republic would have
pursued this type of chiller more often. If your tastes lean
toward atmospheric B-movies then this one is for you.