BACK FROM THE DEAD. Twentieth Century Fox, 1957. Peggie Castle, Arthur Franz, Marsha Hunt, Don Haggerty. Director: Charles Marquis Warren.

   Don’t let the title of this Gothic misfire fool you. Back from the Dead is, despite its title, an altogether lifeless affair that plods along without much in the way of visceral horror or even suspense. Set in Carmel on the California coast (although filmed in Laguna) with a coterie of presumably Old Money types, the movie features Peggie Castle as a woman who becomes possessed with the spirit of her husband’s ex-wife, Felicia.

   The husband, Dick Anthony (Arthur Franz), doesn’t know what’s going on, so he enlists the help of his sister-in-law Kate (Marsha Hunt) to investigate. This leads them to Felicia’s parents who are, or were, part of some black magic cult. And apparently it was Felicia who got them into it. You see: there is a Satanic mystic guru living in the area who is able to get young women under his spell, and she at one point fell under his control.

   It was probably all very intriguing on paper. The problem is that the movie has such a lack of style that what could have worked, doesn’t. The movie isn’t scary or salacious; it’s overall rather dull, despite the cast taking the material seriously.

   There is one scene though – and it’s in the beginning of the movie – which is truly captivating. The viewer sees two people, a man and a woman in cloaks, throwing a body into the water. It’s chilling and reminded me of the Val Lewton horror films of the 1940s.

   Unfortunately, it’s all downhill from there. Overall, a disappointment. But there’s enough in the source material that it could work as a remake someday.