Der Leichenwagen (1980)

Der Leichenwagen: Directed by George Bowers. With Trish Van Devere, Joseph Cotten, David Gautreaux, Donald Hotton. A schoolteacher moves into her deceased aunt’s home in a small town, only to find herself plagued by supernatural occurrences and unexplained hostility from the local townspeople connected to her aunt’s past.

“Before watching it, I decided to give the trailer a look and liked what I saw. But when it came to actually watching the feature. Well that was another story. Even with such a novel idea, it couldnu0026#39;t escape its roots that hang heavily in this old-hat haunted house format. No surprises or shocks here. The pallid story never grips or inserts much interest, as it becomes a wearisome tale of never-ending, suspicious tedium. The slow grinding pace doesnu0026#39;t help matters either. It seems to be all build up, but director George Bowersu0026#39; predictable touch canu0026#39;t seem to raise much in the way of suspense and really overuses the usual scare tactics with miserable results. This even goes for Webster Lewisu0026#39; generically telegraphed score. One or two effective surreal set-pieces (involving the hearse and its driver) and Mori Kawau0026#39;s nicely atmospheric photography, just canu0026#39;t make-up for the lame, weak and overly boring presentation. Performances feel wooden and terribly uninterested, and it seems to show. Trish Van Devere fluffs about, and Joseph Cotton adds his two bobs worth. Put it under the very forgettable files.”