Cry of the Banshee (1970) in the PNW

Details: Written by: Mortado; Category: The 1970s in Northwest Cinemas

This is a collection of media from the initial runs of "Cry of the Banshee" (1970) in the Pacific Northwest. "Scream and Scream Again" was the second feature.

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Cry of the Banshee (1970)
"Cry of the Banshee" is a grubby, theatrical bit of Gothic nonsense that mistakes swagger for substance and atmosphere for argument. It parades a handful of familiar tropes through a fog machine and expects the audience to be impressed by mood alone. Vincent Price prowls through the proceedings like a man who knows how to make every line sound like a verdict and who is having a good time doing it. He is the film's ballast and its most reliable source of entertainment, which is faint praise when the rest of the movie seems unsure whether it wants to be a morality play, a shocker or a period melodrama.

The plot is a thin thread stretched between scenes designed to look ominous. Director Michael Reeves leans hard on visual texture the way a drunk leans on a lamppost, and sometimes the effect is oddly compelling. There are moments when the film's rough edges catch light and feel almost intentional, but more often those edges are just the seams of a production that never quite figured out how to make its ideas cohere. The villagers, the accused, and the accusers are sketched in broad strokes so the film can get on with its business of staging punishments and staging scares. The scares themselves are a mixed bag, some genuinely unsettling and others that land with the comic thud of cheap trickery.

Technically, the movie is a product of its time, which means the special effects and makeup wobble between effective and laughable. The score and sound design do a lot of heavy lifting and at times rescue scenes that would otherwise be inert. The pacing is stubbornly uneven with long stretches that simmer and then sudden bursts that try to force catharsis. When the film aims for social commentary about power and superstition, it mostly ends up sounding like a sermon delivered from a pulpit that has seen better days.

If you want subtlety or a tight script, look elsewhere. If you enjoy a film that wallows in its own gloom and lets a charismatic lead chew the scenery while the rest of the cast flounders, there is a guilty pleasure to be had. "Cry of the Banshee" is not a classic. It is a mood piece with jagged edges and a temperament that favors tone over coherence. Watch it for Price and for the occasional moment when the film's roughness feels less like incompetence and more like character.

Director: Gordon Hessler
Writers: Tim Kelly, Christopher Wicking
Stars: Vincent Price, Elisabeth Bergner, Essy Persson
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August 11, 1970 ad (Portland)