Review of Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) by Michael F — 16 Mar 2008

Let's Scare Jessica to Death is a leading exemplar of understated, low-budget horror from the 1970s. Gritty, brooding, atmospheric, and cerebral, the film's true assets are its earnest performances, isolated farmhouse location, and unsettling, eclectic score composed by Orville Stoeber. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

The film succeeds for the same reason Stanley Kubrick's The Shining succeeds: it uproots the viewer's sense of a conventional narrative. By forcing us to see things through the eyes of the disturbed Jessica (played fantastically by sweet-faced Lampert with just the right amount of poignancy and tragic mental instability), we aren't given an objective viewpoint. Thus, security is thrown out the window and a general uneasiness runs rampant throughout. The rug is all but completely pulled out from under us by the time the credits roll. Are the things we see through Jessica's perspective even happening at all?

Let's Scare Jessica to Death is likely too ponderous and subtle for today's horror audiences. It substitutes action and gore with style and mood. However, the film is a must-see for anyone with an interest in '70s film, and indeed with an interest in '70s history in general. Like the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the principle characters in Let's Scare Jessica to Death are disillusioned hippies overcome by the horrors of rural America -- the decline of the "love generation.".