She Waits

A wealthy man, whose first wife died under mysterious circumstances, brings his perky but insecure new bride to his family home, which is dominated by a crazy old woman. Yep, it's deja vu all over again! But to avoid being sued by Alfred Hitchcock or Daphne du Maurier, the filmmakers give the second wife a name, make the old housekeeper sensible while assigning the husband's mother the eccentric-crone role, and hint at real supernatural involvement in all the strange goings-on. But all the cosmetic changes can't mask the basic structure of "Rebecca," although this is an above-average ripoff thanks to the presence of an Oscar-winning actress, Patty Duke, in the Mrs. De Winter role, and an Oscar-winning director, Delbert Mann ("Marty," "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs"), who wrings as much atmosphere as he can out of an over-orchestrated soundtrack, a wind machine and an oft-recycled set (I believe this particular house was reused in "The Devil's Daughter" and might have served as "The House That Would Night Die," appropriately enough). Throw in slumming Hollywood vets Beulah Bondi and Dorothy McGuire as the requisite old women, ever-earnest Lew Ayres as the requisite crusty old doctor, and aging pretty boy from U.N.C.L.E. David McCallum as the requisite moody, mysterious husband and you've got an adequate low-rent chiller, although most of the people involved deserved better.

As our film opens, kooky old McGuire is wandering her dark, empty house, calling out for a ghost named "Elaine" until older but stabler Bondi ushers her back to bed. Not long after, the newlywed McCallum and Duke show up unannounced. Omigosh, you wonder, is Patty going to start acting funny? Well, duh. But since Patty Duke could act, it's actually kind of compelling to watch, and the transitions imposed upon her character give her the chance to show off some range and depth. But while we buy Patty's transformation, we never buy McCallum's love for her since he lets his floppy hairstyle do most of the acting for him. The old folks are along for the ride and royalties and it's nice to see them getting some work. You know where it's going, but you don't mind the ride.

This small and weak TV movie I'd watched in 1980 and never got a chance to see it again as much I love to it simply disappears from the sight, then I have invoke Youtube on those old movie's channel whereof a decent copy with English subtitled that I watched last night, Patty Duke was peak of her career who knows why she accepted to do this awful movie, even had a good casting as David MacCallum, Dorothy McGuire, Lew Ayres and James T. Callaham.

The plot is quite ludicrous to start, the well-born Mark Wilson (David MacCallum) at Europe suddenly marry with Laura (Patty Duke) after three years of absence on America, he is back to home to introduce his newest wife for your sick old mother Mrs. Sara Wilson ( Dorothy McGuire) just arriving at large home Mark meets his mother at her bed and postponed Laura intro to next day, the worried Mrs. Sara demands that both of them must keep away from the house at once, actually in the past Mark was married with a possessive wife Elaine who went to die in obscure circumstance, the premise is that house is haunting by Elaine's ghost.

At night Laura going to Elaine room's door supposedly hearing some voices talking on the phone, entering inside figures out that the telephone line is dead, henceforth Laura stayed anxious, asking for Mark everything about Elaine and her ill-fated death which he often avoid to talk about, just saying that such death was a terrible accident, afterwards a sudden night Elaine's spirit embodies Laura and seek revenge for his death.

Frankly it didn't scare anyone, unharmful chills here and there only, the plot is silly and ambiguous due it has some mismatches on the screenplay for a viewer with sharp eyes is easily noticed for instance, the great actress Patty Duke certainly wasn't be proud of this flimsy feature.

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First watch: 1980 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 5.

It's a tragedy that this film is in circulation by paid subscription to Prime Video but looks like Grandma's cathode ray tube television set in the mid 1980s. She Waits is available in terrible condition and if it were remastered it would likely bring my rating up to a solid 5/10 just for the glorious antiques.

Otherwise the plot is common and slightly boring, the usual 1972 housewife recently married to a financially comfortable but narcissistic man telling her to mind her own business about how his last wife died, as if that's ever been a rude question to ask one's spouse.

Patty Duke performs fairly well in this mediocre mid-Century flick, also starring two music boxes because we all know how they're capable of murder - especially the ones who play "gay tunes."

Newlyweds, Laura Wilson (Patty Duke) and her husband, Mark (David McCallum) stay at Mark's family estate, in spite of his mother's (Dorothy McGuire) protests. Mark's first wife, Elaine had died there, and he's very touchy about the subject.

Then, Laura starts hearing a tune found on Elaine's music box, to the point of being haunted by it. She also hears voices, and screams like a banshee sitting on a porcupine! Laura becomes curious about how Elaine died. Mark doesn't want to discuss it, so Laura talks to his mother, who tries to get her to leave the house. She also tells her the truth about Elaine's death. This sends Laura into a mega-tizzy! She screams and screams.

The next thing we know, Laura's entire personality changes into a major meany pants. Has Elaine returned from the dead to possess her, or is Laura cracking up?

SHE WAITS is a tale of family secrets, murder, and possible vengeance from beyond the grave.

BONUS POINTS FOR: Ms. Duke's final scream, that could peel a bunch of bananas from 100 yards away!

EXTRA BONUS POINTS FOR: The music score, which is sort of Bernard Herrmann meets Bach...

Ghost stories were all the rage in the 1970s, but this isn't one of the better entries. Despite having perfectly good hotel reservations, newly-married David McCallum and bride Patty Duke come to stay at his family's manor in the middle of the night. Dorothy McGuire, as McCallum's mother, begs her son to leave, believing the house is haunted by his deceased first wife, but he chalks it up to her fragile mental state. Uninteresting TV-made chiller tries to create scares by having Duke hear a music-box theme that wife #1 was fond of, or feeling a presence in the bedroom when the curtains rustle. She attempts to talk it over with hubby McCallum--who's got a nasty, disgruntled disposition for a successful newlywed--and housekeeper Beulah Bondi, but nobody wants to admit to a belief in the supernatural. Long-faced, solemn scare-movie is too gloomy to be any fun.