About

As he finished shooting his feature The Young Racers 1963, Roger Corman found he still had $22,000 of budget left over. Never one to miss a good opportunity, he offered that film's sound man and second unit director — an aspiring filmmaker by the name of Francis Ford Coppola — the chance to direct his debut feature if he could make a Psycho-inspired thriller using the available funds. Coppola leapt at the chance, quickly putting together a draft story and secretly borrowing against the film's international sales to double his production budget. The result is an atmospheric tale of a woman who attempts to ingratiate herself with her late husband's family before they learn of his death and she loses her place in the family will. Upon arrival at their large estate, however, she finds herself enmeshed in a deadly mystery that threatens them all. Dripping with gothic atmosphere, Coppola announces his bona fides with a bravura opening sequence and a haunting sense of dread that recalls both Carnival of Souls 1962 and the works of Mario Bava.

M | Medium level violence