BACK FROM THE DEAD (1957) *** ½

 

Mandy (Peggie Castle from Beginning of the End) has been hearing strange voices calling to her along the shoreline.  After a traumatic seizure, her husband Dick (Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man’s Arthur Franz) notices a change in her.  He slowly suspects that the ghost of his dead first wife, Felicia has now possessed Mandy.  It doesn’t take long before the jealous Felicia sets out to make Dick’s life a living Hell.

Back from the Dead was a real surprise.  It’s from 1957, but it deals with some rather shocking subject manner in a matter-of-fact way that gives it a lot of bite.  There’s even a scene where the possessed Mandy murders her pet that is legitimately eerie.  Director Charles Marquis Warren (who directed the classic Elvis western, Charro!) gives the whole film a dark and brooding atmosphere, which lend sequences like these an added chill.  The cool theremin score also helps to increase the tension throughout the picture. 

Thematically, the film is quite similar to Bert I. Gordon’s Tormented, right down to the beachfront setting.  While that film (which came out three years later) had a funhouse ride feel to it, this one is dark and grim.  What’s refreshing about the movie is the fact that Felicia so forcefully takes over Mandy’s body that it quickly evident to everyone around her that Felicia is in fact, back from the dead.  Heck, they even try to accept it and make the best of the situation!  Not only does that cut down on the number of scenes where Franz tries to convince people he’s not crazy, it adds to the overall doom and gloom feel of the picture.

If there’s a flaw, it’s that the third act fails to live up to the film’s early promise.  While it provides a satisfying conclusion, it’s predictable, and lacks the dread and atmosphere found elsewhere in the picture.  Still, there’s more than enough chills to be had in the first hour or so to keep you entertained.

I’ve always enjoyed Franz’s work and felt he should’ve had a bigger career.  This film is proof he had the chops necessary to be a name talent.  The flick really belongs to Castle though as her showstopping performance never fails to captivate you.  Their performances, coupled with Warren’s tight direction, make Back from the Dead a highly effective low budget chiller that’s not to be missed.