Back from the Dead

Dick (Arthur Franz) is puzzled. While his first wife, Felicia, died long ago, suddenly after listening to a weird record, his second wife becomes possessed with the soul of the first wife! Oh, and the first wife just happens to be evil and will do ANYTHING to keep this new body. Can Dick or his nice sister-in-law (Marsha Hunt) manage to put things right and bring back the second wife once and for all? Or, is this simply a case where it's too late...and she's been repossesed?

In some ways, the plot to "Back from the Dead" is like taking Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca" and injecting it with EVIL and the supernatural...or perhaps a bit of LSD! Either way, it makes for a strange yet watchable horror/supernatural film...one worth seeing IF you like the genre and have a high tolerance for the silly.

This is an eerie movie about someone who comes back from the dead to take over the body of someone else.

This was accomplished by practitioners of the black arts who wanted to bring the original person back to life.

The entire movie has a rather strange atmosphere due to the subject matter.

This is an interesting subject because it is probably possible. Usually the cases I've heard about was where someone becomes possessed by non human entities (The Exorcist, The Amityville Horror, etc.).

Possibly more likely is the theory presented in the the movie 'Horror Hotel' where the satanic creatures are given many lifetimes by Satan.

Ultimately this is probably what satanism comes down to. A certain number of evil lifetimes in exchange for a soul.

It is thought provoking.

Jeff Marzano

Recommended further viewing:

Horror Hotel IT ! (The Terror From Beyond Space) Invasion Of The Saucer Men Not Of This Earth (original) The Blob (with Steve McQueen) The Brain That Wouldn't Die The Flesh Eaters The Fly / The Return Of The Fly / The Curse Of The Fly The Four Skulls Of Jonathan Drake The Hideous Sun Demon The Hypnotic Eye The Incredible Shrinking Man The Indestructible Man The Manster The Thing (from another world) The Thing That Couldn't Die The Twilight Zone Collections

I am clad, that i found out about this movie, surprised it not got many comment on it

A newly married young woman, is possessed by the evil spirit of her husband's deceased first wife.

I really enjoy this movie, it not scary or creepy but some how this movie dose have eerie moments in places.

I really enjoyed the plot of the movie, the dose not take to long to get going , the movie flows really well.

There was not one dull second in this movie, it kept intrude from start to the very end!

The acting was really good from the whole cast but there were some very wooden acting from some of the cast members

7 out of 10

Having lost his first wife, "Felicia" (Peggy Castle) in a tragic drowning accident 6 years earlier, "Dick Anthony" (Don Haggerty) has recently remarried. However, when his new wife, "Mandy Hazelton" (also played by Peggy Castle) suddenly becomes ill and endures a strange seizure, she subsequently becomes possessed by the soul of Felicia. We soon find out that, prior to her death, Felicia began practicing "the dark arts" and, the deeper she got, the more wicked she became. And because she is so evil, both Dick and Mandy's sister "Kate Hazelton" (Marsha Hunt) soon begin looking for a way to bring Mandy back. Unfortunately, it is soon revealed that there are other people who feel differently about this situation--and they will stop at nothing to keep Felicia here. At any rate, rather than disclose any more of the movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this was a decent horror movie which managed to maintain the suspense right up until the end. Likewise, having an actress as stunning as Peggy Castle certainly didn't hurt the film either. In short, don't let the fact that this little-known picture is 57 years old or that it was filmed in black-and-white discourage you from watching it. It's a "diamond in the rough" and I recommend this movie to all of those who might appreciate a film of this nature. Slightly above average.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Charles Marquis Warren; Produced by Robert Stabler for Regal Films; Released by 20th Century-Fox. Screenplay by Catherine Turney from her novel; Photography by Ernest Haller; Edited by Leslie Vidor; Music by Raoul Kraushaar. Starring Peggy Castle, Arthur Franz, Marsha Hunt, Evelyn Scott, Marianne Stewart and Don Haggerty.

Supernatural terror outing concerning a second wife who is haunted by the lingering presence of her predecessor. The film benefits from the extensive use of the "lady in a white nightgown" and the "waves pounding against the rocks" bits of Gothic schtick.