Macabre (1958)

Early William Castle "horror" picture plays like an extended episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Producer/director Castle mortgaged his home to make this movie, and spiced up theatrical showings with an early gimmick, issuing each audience member a $1,000 dollar life insurance policy backed by Lloyds of London against their dying of fright in the theater. In all honesty this is not a scary movie, though there is one prop late in the film that's kind of freaky looking. This is really more a suspense film then a horror film, the plot revolving around a "race against time" to locate a young girl reportedly buried alive.

Set in the small town of Wetherby, presumably in California, William Prince plays Dr. Rodney Barrett. Dr. Barrett is a widower whose wife died five or so years ago giving birth to their daughter. Dr. Barrett wasn't there for his daughters birth because he was with his mistress, who now years later he plans to marry, much to the chagrin of his loyal nurse (Jacqueline Scott) who herself is in love with him. Shortly before the action of the film commences Dr. Barrett's blind sister-in-law has died, leaving his young daughter the sole heir to his Mr. Wetherby(as in the towns name) estate. Dr. Barrett however isn't much liked by the locals given the number of convenient deaths and his well known philandering, he is especially disliked by "local constable" Jim Tyloe (Jim Backus, likely the only person in the film you'll recognize). Shortly before late Nancy Wetherby's scheduled midnight funeral ("she lived her life in the darkness, its only fitting that she should be buried in it", says the father of his blind daughter), Dr. Barrett's loyal nurse receives a call from a stranger saying the Doctors daughter has been buried alive with only a few hours of air, so the frantic search begins.

Perhaps surprisingly there's really a lot going on in her, the action and back stories punctuated with flash back sequences. The best thing this movie has going for it is that you are aren't sure exactly what's going on an whose behind it, and there is a decent enough twist at the end. However the films lite on substance, it rushes around trying to make its self seem more important then it is, I think the gimmick was meant to put you in mind that what your seeing is freighting, though its really not very much. The movies watchable though and paved the way for more interesting and better Castle fair to come. **