The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave

Lord Alan Cunningham has recently left psychiatric care and returns to his castle, still unable to accept the death of his wife Evelyn. His obsession takes a violent form: he brings red-haired women to the estate and subjects them to cruel games, apparently seeking some echo of the woman he lost. When he meets Gladys, the two marry quickly, and those around him hope the relationship will steady him. Instead, strange things begin happening at the castle, and a killer seems to be at work there.

Emilio P. Miraglia directed this Italian horror mystery, released in 1971 and running 102 minutes. He wrote the screenplay with Fabio Pittorru and Massimo Felisatti, and Antonio Sarno produced it for Phoenix Cinematografica. Anthony Steffen plays Lord Cunningham, with Marina Malfatti as Gladys, Enzo Tarascio as George Harriman, Giacomo Rossi Stuart as Dr. Richard Timberlane, Umberto Raho as Farley and Roberto Maldera as Albert. The film belongs to the gothic-tinged strain of early 1970s Italian genre cinema, blending mystery and thriller elements with horror.

Its reputation rests on a modest but durable following. On IMDb it holds 5.8 out of 10 from roughly 3,300 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6 out of 10 from a much smaller group of 86 ratings. The two figures are close, suggesting a film regarded as atmospheric and idiosyncratic rather than widely acclaimed, with its strongest support among viewers drawn to Italian horror of the period.