Woman Who Came Back

Nancy Kelly stars as Lorna Webster, an attractive woman who returns to her home town of Eben Rock, Massachusetts. She is riding on a bus when an old cackling woman boards it, the vehicle crashes over a cliff (cheap effect) and into a lake, Lorna is the sole survivor. She is a descendant of a 17th Century witch finder and believes that she has become possessed by the spirit of a witch, burnt at the stake 300 years ago. This old supernatural horror movie was produced by poverty row studio Republic Pictures but do not be put off by this, I found it to be a reasonably enjoyable 68 minutes. It starts off at Halloween, we see children dressed up in delightful costumes. The movie does pack in several spooky scenes, my favourite being a very atmospheric night time thunderstorm. There are some day for night shots but hey, Hammer were infamous for doing this. The acting quality is generally good although I was not very impressed with Lorna's fiance (Jon Loder). Several reviewers deride the ending, it did perhaps feel a little rushed however I was satisfied with it. I have been watching horror movies for some 45 years now, until very recently I had not come across this one so I'd like to thank Talking Pictures TV for screening it, I would certainly watch it again in the future.

"Woman Who Came Back" is an okay film made by one of the best 'poverty row' studios, Republic. It's a little better than average for one of their films but the ending just left me very cold and unsatisfied.

The film begins with a weird old lady and her dog stopping a bus. The lady climbs aboard and begins regaling a young lady (Nancy Kelly) with stories about how she is the spirit of a centuries-old witch! Soon, the bus plunges over an embankment and everyone aboard, aside from the young lady, is killed. Soon, strange thing happen around town (such as the dog appearing to the lady and refusing to leave her side) and slowly the idiots in the town and the lady begin to wonder if she is the reincarnation of the witch who was burned so long ago.

So far, the film is a bit silly but well done and entertaining. But the studio insisted on explaining away everything at the end--so much so that I felt it undermined the story. Still, it was mildly enjoyable and I always like seeing Otto Kruger in any film. Not great but a decent time-passer.

THE WOMAN WHO CAME BACK is a 1940s-era spook fest with much in line with the Val Lewton horrors of the era. It's a low-key, atmospheric production about a woman who arrives at a small town in Massachusetts and is the only survivor of a bus crash (shades of UNBREAKABLE). Once she settles down in the town, the superstitious locals begin to suspect that she's possessed by the spirit of a vengeful witch.

It's fair to say that not much really happens in this movie, and nor does it need to. THE WOMAN WHO CAME BACK is a short, thinly-plotted story that's more about building a sense of mood and place than anything else. It's quite expressionistic in style, with lots of shadowy scenes and spooky, half-explained moments. The cast are certainly adroit and the only thing that really lets it down is the ending, but until that point? Lewton himself would be proud.

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 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 Die Werwölfin von London (1946) with June Lockhart.

Nancy Kelly (Lorna) returns to her small town after a 2 year absence. She is on the bus into town when cackling hag Elspeth Dudgeon (Jezebel) gets on and sits next to her. This old lady seems to know Nancy and claims to be 300 years old. The next thing that happens is the bus crashes into a lake and there are no survivors. Except Nancy. What is eerier is that there is no body of the old woman, she has just disappeared and no-one believes Nancy that she even ever existed. Well, she did exist. And Nancy seems to now possess some kind of evil spirit and be in tune with the darker forces of nature. There is a reason as foretold by a curse that tells of the revenge of an innocent woman burnt at the stake after being accused of a witch - she will return after a 300 year period and take over the body of a young woman to exact revenge. Uh-oh, guess who Nancy has just had an encounter with…..

This film has great potential and a good beginning but just sort of meanders until a real let-down of an ending that doesn't make sense. Shame. And why is John Loder (Matt) topping the bill in this film? It's Nancy Kelly's film – she's even in the goddam title, folks! There are some nice touches and spooky sequences but the film lacks that "kerpow!" factor, especially with the let-down of an ending. Could have been a strong, spooky witch film. As it is, it's OK as something different to watch.