I do like the exchange between monthly Criterion Channel programming and people I follow on Letterboxd tending to watch the same stuff, like a slowly crawling communal experience. I’d heard the title Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (1971) but didn’t really have any idea what it was like, assuming it was a tongue in cheek 1980s slasher like I’ve heard April Fool’s Day is supposed to be. A low budget independent horror film made at the end of the 1960s, Let’s Scare Jessica To Death is a melancholic dream/unfolding nightmare that seems to symbolise the death of the hippie dream. After time away at a mental health retreat after the death of her father and the pressures of living in New York, Jessica (Zohra Lampert, who I didn’t recognise from Opening Night as Ben Gazzara’s wife) is driven in a hearse to a new country house in a small New England town, purchased by her partner (Barton Heyman who’d later play a doctor in The Exorcist) along with their friend (Kevin O’Connor) who plans to help start the farm on their property. Even white flight from the city can’t escape the paranoia and sadness that grips Jessica, particular when most of townfolk seem about as welcoming as the guys at the end of Easy Rider. When Jessica starts to see things, a vision of a girl in white, whispers calling her name, we hear her voice-over hanging onto her sanity even as she hears voices. A mysterious squatter (Mariclare Costello) who becomes part of their group also starts to add to anxiety. Is there a threat? A conspiracy? A haunting? The film is a slow burn but very lyrical. With its mix of folk guitar, classical music and early synth drone, everything feels real and emotional through the excellent central performance by Lampert. Alongside the film sharing Jessica’s perspective, which feels so empathetic and melancholy even within the building sense of dread; you can’t help but care for Jessica and whatever misfortune might happen next. Directed and co-written by John Hancock, and scored by Orville Stoeber. Totally different film experience to what the title might imply. Screened on the Criterion Channel, but also available to rent on iTunes and GooglePlay. Recommended.
VHS Tracking 