The Hearse

A supernatural horror yarn from Crown International, mixing splashes of Satanism, a haunted house and a ghostly hearse from director George Bowers — his first attempt at a cinema release. The film suffers from too fast a pacing, as practically every scene overlaps the last by offering a new peril for female lead Trish Van Devere to face and overcome. Additionally, the bemusing ending leaves a rather parched feeling in the mouth and the excellent Joseph Cotton, who plays cantankerous lawyer Walter Pritchard, is under used.

Divorcee Jane Hardy (Van Devere) leaves the big smoke of San Francisco for a restful break at her dead Aunt Rebecca’s house, located in the small countryside town of Blackford. On the way there, her car is broadsided by a vintage black hearse, which simply drives off into the night. After arriving and moving into the house, a series of inexplicable events occur: slamming doors, a music box which moves and plays all by itself, faces appearing at windows. A couple of days later, the hearse makes a reappearance, first on the dark highway and then in the vicinity of the house — putting the already nervy Jane more on edge.

One evening whilst driving home, the sinister hearse appears out of nowhere, forcing her off the road. As soon as it vanishes from sight, help arrives in the form of the handsome Tom (David Gautreaux), who gives Jane a lift home. Jane is immediately taken by Tom and the two strike up a friendship which quickly blossoms into a relationship.

Simultaneously to these strange events, Jane has been nightly reading her Aunt Rebecca’s old diary; the Aunt describes meeting and falling for a mysterious stranger, a man — who after totally charming Rebecca — reveals that he is interested in Satanism and wants Rebecca to join him in a Satanic pact for eternal life! It’s not long before parallels are drawn to the charming Tom and, who really is the mysterious driver of the vintage hearse which terrorises Jane?