La vendetta di Lady Morgan

La vendetta di Lady Morgan, or Lady Morgan's Vengeance, is a gothic horror treat for fans of the genre. Directed by Massimo Pupillo, this 1965 film is a rare gem of Italian cinema, offering a twisted tale of gaslighting, deceit, and scoundrels preying on the innocent. While it has its flaws, this obscure movie will captivate those who embrace its unique blend of suspense and style.

Lady Morgan's Vengeance opens with a familiar setup: a young woman, Susan Blackwood, descends into madness as her lover mysteriously disappears, leaving her in an unhappy marriage. This initial act of gaslighting sets the tone for a story that, while engaging, doesn't offer many surprises. The plot twists are fairly predictable, and the audience can easily piece together the deception. However, the film shines in its visual allure and stylistic choices. The cinematography and costumes are exceptional, creating a visually stunning gothic atmosphere. Even with simpler special effects, the film achieves its dark and thrilling intent.

The cast of La vendetta di Lady Morgan delivers compelling performances that enhance the film's overall quality. Erika Blanc and Rosalba Neri, in particular, embody their characters with a captivating presence. Their talent adds depth to the story, ensuring that viewers remain invested despite the familiarity of the plot.

While the story is formulaic and predictable, the film excels in its visual presentation and strong performances. The unique setting of Scotland through an Italian lens adds an intriguing layer of cultural fusion. This hidden gem is worth seeking out for those who appreciate gothic aesthetics and a sinister tale.

La vendetta di Lady Morgan is a beautiful yet sinister journey into the heart of gothic horror. While it may not offer many surprises in terms of plot, it delights with its stylistic choices and committed performances. This film is a must-watch for enthusiasts eager to explore the darker corners of Italian cinema.

So, embrace the darkness and prepare for a vengeance-fueled journey into the realm of Lady Morgan. 🦇🇮🇹🔪

I first became aware of this rare example of Gothic Horror all' Italiana last Summer, via a late-night program dealing with Italian genre cinema in which Erika Blanc and Rosalba Neri were the guests of honor; in fact, the poor-quality copy I acquired was culled from a probably 30-year old TV broadcast on some obscure Sicilian channel! To be honest, I found the film's initial half to be merely average – but it was considerably redeemed by the latter stages (depicting the titular event), which were quite splendid. Interestingly, the premise of a group of schemers after an innocent young girl's legacy would see ample service within the giallo genre a few years on; with this in mind, the trio of villains (Paul Muller, Erika Blanc and Gordon Mitchell) are more interesting than the romantic leads (though, in all fairness, the male protagonist spends much of the running-time in a foreign country as a bed-ridden amnesiac!). In fact, not too long after he is pushed overboard during an ocean voyage, the heroine accepts the seemingly devoted Muller's proposal of marriage but, later still, is hypnotized(!) by sinister housekeeper Blanc into throwing herself off the family castle's walls; meanwhile, brawny groom Mitchell has imprisoned the girl's uncle in the dungeons below. Soon, however, the tables are turned as not only does the hero recover but, when he finally turns up at the estate, is met by the ghost of his loved one who brings him up to date. The couple then proceed to disrupt the villains' premature triumph – this is done via numerous tricks (a few of them supernatural) intended to bewilder but also cause dissent within the group. One unexpected touch towards the end sees the lot (who all turn up dead eventually) being able to materialize upon drinking the blood of the living i.e. the heroine's poor chained uncle! Despite the general low-key nature of THE VENGEANCE OF LADY MORGAN, it proves a surprisingly satisfactory entry within a prolific yet most popular genre.

What a shame! Long lost 1965 film from Massimo Pupillo turns up with wonderful print with stunning b/w cinematography and is such a let down. Starts well enough as the tale is set up but then seems to take forever to inform us of the terrible tale that will eventually unfold. As it happens, very average though the main bulk of the film is, when we finally get to the actual 'vengeance' it is another drawn out sequence but more akin to US TV's 'Bewitched' with puffs of smoke, comedic falling about and appearances and disappearances. All the more shame because Barbara Nelli and Erica Blanc are stunning throughout (if a little over dressed) and there are some decent scenes that really should have been developed. As it is we have a film with great potential, just thrown away because nobody could decide if it was to be a Gothic horror, a tale of revenge, high drama or a comedy.

Buxom beauty Barbara Nelli's ill-fated lady Susan is undeserving of her ghastly fate at the scheming hands of Vulpine vamp Erika Blank's hypnotically horrid governess, her evilly Gaslighting husband Harold (Paul Muller), and sizzlingly statuesque bad boy butler (George Mitchell). Massimo Pupillo's atmospheric, beautifully shot, crisply paced, seductively spooky melodrama has an especially tragic heroine, oodles of Machiavellian menace, and concludes bloodthirstily in a memorably macabre fashion! Ghostly Gothic terror treat La Vendetta Di Lady Morgan remains an absolute must for lovers of moody Italianate B-Movie baroque. With such a conspicuous flair for invention, it's a very great shame that maestro Pupillo never made another horror film. I must hereby happily confess that I had the greatest sympathy for lady Morgan's vengeance!

After marrying a complete stranger, a woman grows increasingly convinced that someone in the house is conspiring to drive her mad, and when it finally becomes apparent that they were trying to kill her off to save the family find her spirit comes back to haunt them in revenge.

This was a wholly effective and enjoyable Gothic Horror classic. Among the better elements within this one comes from the wholly dynamic and worthwhile storyline that allows the film to work incredibly well within the confines of the style. Using the initial setup of the first half to explore their relationship and why he would want to worry a person such as her comes together nicely enough so that when it does happen and they move to the house, the setup is rife with potential for exploring the kinds of Gothic sensibilities on display here. The cold treatment from the others and the generally ornate, elaborate house that everything takes place in provide the kind of location where the intricacies of the film come together, involving the whole thing being a ploy to use hypnosis and mind control against her. That all lets the film move into far more dangerous territory with the reveal about the hypnosis turning into more overtly obvious attempts to kill her as the instructions become more obvious and intent on doing away with her. This involves some fantastic moments of her being hypnotized and led across the castle grounds to her death while surrounded by the traditional swirling fog-bank around the different areas of the house in a wholly fantastic reveal that sets up the strong second half involving the revelations about what's been going on and the revenge plot kicking into high gear. With some fantastic ideas involving the ghost manipulating areas of the house against them to either alert them to its presence or turn everyone against each other as it launches into a series of double-crosses trying to keep their secrets intact, this is all fun enough for this genre and manages to bring together quite a lot to like overall. There aren't too many issues here holding this one down. The main aspect against this one is the film's final few minutes, where it seems to present several different storylines together as it wraps itself up, presenting several ideas that are never explained. The flashback structure of everything is brought up with how she recalls the story to her lover, which comes out of nowhere due to the early setup involving the death of her beloved that brought about allowing the marriage to go through in the first place. As well, several characters' interactions regarding blood-drinking and corporeal resurrection are carried out, which is rather hard to explain logically, simply for the sake of adding in some shock effects it doesn't really need in the moment, since it never explains anything. Combined with some rushed moments trying to get this to come together so it ends in something resembling a logical story, there are some factors here that bring it down.

Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence.