Catacombs (U.S. title: The Woman Who Wouldn't Die) is a 1965 British horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Gary Merrill, Georgina Cookson and Jane Merrow.[1][2] The film was based on the 1959 novel of the same title by Jay Bennett.
| Catacombs | |
|---|---|
.jpg) DVD Cover | |
| Directed by | Gordon Hessler |
| Screenplay by | Daniel Mainwaring |
| Based on | Catacombs (1959 novel) by Jay Bennett |
| Produced by | Jack Parsons Neil McCallum |
| Starring | Gary Merrill Georgina Cookson Jane Merrow |
| Cinematography | Arthur Lavis |
| Edited by | Robert Winter |
| Music by | Carlo Martelli |
Production companies | Parroch-McCallum Associated Producers International British Lion |
| Distributed by | British Lion Films (United Kingdom) Warner Bros. Pictures (United States) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editAn astute business woman is murdered by her husband who intends to carry on with his affair with her niece after her death. However, he soon finds himself haunted by his late wife.
Cast
edit- Gary Merrill as Raymond Garth
- Georgina Cookson as Ellen Garth
- Jane Merrow as Alice Taylor
- Neil McCallum as Richard 'Dick' Corbett
- Rachel Thomas as Christine
- Jack Train as Solicitor
- Frederick Piper as Inspector Murcott
Production
editFilming
editThe film was shot at Shepperton Studios with sets designed by the art director George Provis.
Distribution
editWarner Brothers picked it up for distribution in the US.[3]
Critical reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "One would have thought that the days of the murder story with the corpse buried in the potting-shed were long over, but the situation is revived here not entirely without effect. The preliminaries setting the domestic scene are much too long, but after the murder things perk up considerably, with one or two nice macabre effects. The acting is sound enough in general, with a striking performance by Georgina Cookson as the bitchy wife."[4]
References
edit- ^ "Catacombs". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ BFI.org
- ^ "British film to be shown here". New York Times. 15 June 1964. ProQuest 115838142.
- ^ "Catacombs". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 34 (396): 9. 1 January 1967 – via ProQuest.
External links
edit- Catacombs at IMDb
- Catacombs at BFI
- Review of film at The New York Times
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