Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Hearse (1980)

Let’s Ride #6!

Hoping to get a break from traumatic events in her life, Jane Hardy decides to move to the quiet town of Blackford for the summer to live in a home given to her by her deceased aunt. When she arrives, she’s given the cold shoulder by the townspeople, attracts the attention of a handsome neighbor and a young handyman, is haunted by visions of her aunt, and is terrorized by a hearse and its driver. This all takes place in the 1980 film, The Hearse.

Trish Van Devere stars in the film as Jane. She is romanced by Tom Sullivan, portrayed by David Gautreaux. Perry Lang plays Paul, a young local who helps Jane around her home and is one of the few people that is actually friendly to her. He also has a crush on her. The rest of the cast includes Joseph Cotten as Walter Pritchard, a cranky attorney who thinks that he deserves Jane’s home more than she does, Donald Hotton as Reverend Winston, Med Flory as Sheriff Denton, and Donald Petrie as Luke. Also be on the lookout for Christopher McDonald as Pete, one of Paul’s friends, in his earliest credited role.

I personally found the film to be a bit boring. It relies heavily on standard ghost story tropes such as jump scares, visions in mirrors and windows, and dream sequences. The villain is actually very to easy to pick up on in the film, despite director George Bowers attempts to redirect the audience. The plot is interesting, but I feel like the movie missed tons of opportunities to make itself better than it actually is.

The cast is pretty good. I believe that Gautreaux gave the best performance of all, portraying both dashing courter and creepy dude that is a tad too interested in the new gal in town. Van Devere was sufficient, but never really convinced me that she was recovering from a nervous breakdown. I’m not sure if that is her fault or the fault of the director. The hearse itself is a thing of beauty, a 1952 Packard Funeral Coach, that looks great on the screen.

The Hearse is a decent horror film, especially if you like ghost stories in the vein of The Skeleton Key (2005). You’ll most likely figure out the plot for yourself before the credits roll, and for that reason, and the fact that the pacing is slow, I don’t necessarily recommend watching this film. It’s okay, but nothing special.

Thanks for checking out my review. See you tomorrow!