Cebalord Very best movie i ever watch

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Leofwine_draca A dark thriller from the popular '40s pairing of director Mark Robson and producer Val Lewton. This relies heavily on atmosphere to unsettle the viewer instead of any visual effects; in fact, there are no special effects at all in this film. There are no monsters, ghouls, ghosts, or spirits. In fact, only two people get killed in the entire thing. Therefore this film might be inaccessible to the latest crazed horror fiend who has been brought up on blood, guts, and more blood. Personally, I found this to be a creepy little low-key thriller.While the Satanic plot may be nothing new, in some ways this film is very different indeed. For instance, the Satanists are depicted as a genteel, tea-drinking group who hate violence, not the typical robed maniacs with huge sacrificial knives. Therefore, the baddies in this film are more chillingly realistic than you might imagine, they could be your fellow workers or neighbours. This was one element of the film I liked. The acting is all above average with the cast giving subtle performances, from a youngish Tom Conway who fits the role of a stern British doctor to a tee through to Isabel Jewell as the surprisingly likable female lead, who gets to be tough and assertive in some scenes, which makes a usual change from the usual role the girl was relegated to in this period - a screaming victim.It's also a plus to have Val Lewton on board, who once again includes much of his own unique visual style. Shadows are used heavily (the very best is made of the black and white) to suggest menace, and it works, making the viewer feeling disquiet and nervous, instead of having in-your-face shock horror, the sort with which we bombarded these days. The strong visual imagery - the horror of the swinging noose - plus the oodles of atmosphere help to lift the plodding plot, which has to be said doesn't really go anywhere. And check out the ending - surprisingly downbeat for the time. THE SEVENTH VICTIM may be difficult to watch for some because it has dated somewhat today, but nonetheless the use of visual artistry is highly effective.

Alex da Silva Schoolgirl Kim Hunter (Mary) is called to the office of the Headmistress Ottola Nesmith and told that she can no longer stay on as a pupil as her sister Jean Brooks (Jacqueline) has stopped paying her fees. More than that, Brooks seems to have gone missing. So, Hunter goes off to find her. But Brooks isn't so easy to locate.This film leaves you with scenes stuck in your mind, so it's good from that perspective. It is also well shot with an eerie atmosphere. Scenes that stand out include the sequence with Hunter and a detective exploring an office at night and the subsequent spooky train ride, a shower scene that will make you think of "Psycho" (1960) and pretty much every scene with Brooks. Fancy a drink? – no thanks but the pressure is on. And how about that ending? Wow, pretty bleak stuff. Especially coming after what had me cringing as we watched God and the Bible being used as a tool to counter Satan and his ways in an extremely simplistic way.Amo, Amas, Amat, Amamus, Amatis, Amant – remember your Latin from school? The 'ablative absolute' and the 'ut' clause (use the subjunctive). Quamquam. This film also throws in some Latin and I'm glad to hear it. It takes the viewer back to a time sadly long gone as we hear schoolgirls reciting the verb 'Amo' – to love. The day will come when a generation will watch this film and not understand what language it is.The cast are OK with Jean Brooks standing out. Her look suggests she is leader of the occult movement rather than a victim of it. And all of her scenes are quality – some genuinely scary, and all unworldly because of her appearance. That ending with the neighbour comes as a shock and leaves an eerie memory that will have you thinking about how we view life. It's an interesting film…and sad.

tieman64 "The Seventh Victim" stars Kim Hunter as Mary Gibson, a young woman who embarks upon a quest to find her missing sister. Assisting her are a private detective (Lou Lubin) and her sister's concerned husband (Hugh Beaumont).More sophisticated than was typical of 1940s, low-budget chillers, "Victim" watches as Mary stumbles upon a satanic cult. The existence of this cult is revealed in meticulous increments, Mary's "reality" slowly revealing itself to be nothing less than devilish; everyone around her seems to be secretly knee-deep in evil."The Seventh Victim" was part of a cycle of low-budget horror films by producer Val Lewton. Most of the better films in this cycle were directed by cult-favourite Jacques Tourneur. "Victim", however, was helmed by Mark Robson, Tourneur's assistant on a number of pictures. Like his mentor, Robson has a gift for ambiance, his film mixing noir tropes with a weird, bohemian atmosphere, the film's Greenwich Village locales filled with struggling poets, psychiatrists and strange cult members. These cult members are locked in an odd double bind; they're committed to a life of non-violence, but wish to kill in the name of Satan. Robson would revisit these contradictions in 1957's "Peyton Place", where sinister currents waft beneath an idyllic New England town.7/10 – Worth one viewing.

Scott LeBrun It's best not to know too much about the plot before sitting down to watch this interesting and offbeat little film, a nice combination of noir and horror that is written, acted, and directed in style. It's got some marvelously scary and suspenseful moments - especially near the end - and is overall quite the potent meditation on loneliness. It's got a memorable shower sequence that Hitchcock may well have seen and remembered before making "Psycho" 17 years later. Lewton and director Mark Robson (this was the first of the five features that Robson directed for Lewton) do a fine job of keeping our innocent heroine, and the viewer, in the dark for a fair amount of the running time, and create a memorably enigmatic character in Jacqueline Gibson.Kim Hunter debuts as Mary Gibson, a schoolgirl who learns that her sister Jacqueline has gone missing. So she travels to Greenwich Village in search of her, meeting various characters along the way, including lawyer Gregory Ward (Hugh Beaumont), who initially doesn't play it quite straight with her, published poet Jason Hoag (Erford Gage), psychiatrist Louis Judd (Tom Conway), and beauty shop proprietress Mrs. Redi (Mary Newton)."The Seventh Victim" gets very philosophical, and poignant, in the end, with two opposing sides engaging in a rather civil disagreement. But before we get there, there's a very creepy subway ride about which it's best not to reveal too much. Hunter is appealing in the lead. In addition to those actors mentioned, others lending fine support are Isabel Jewell as Frances and the distinctively featured Lou Lubin as concerned private eye Irving August. Jean Brooks as lost soul Jacqueline is excellent once the focus of the story finally shifts to her.Although this entry in Lewtons' filmography underperformed at the box office compared to hits like "Cat People", and wasn't well received at the time, it's very well done and certainly deserving of another look from film fans.Eight out of 10.