Woodyanders Review of Love Me Deadly

Love Me Deadly (1972)

A compellingly bizarre, yet tasteful tale of necrophilia

[8/10 · 2 June 2008]

Frigid, remote and repressed young Lindsay Finch (a fine performance by gorgeous blonde Mary Wilcox of "Beast of the Yellow Night") has a morbid fascination with the recently deceased: she frequently attends funerals of complete strangers and finds herself drawn to a depraved cult of corpse-loving freaks led by sinister undertaker Fred McSweeney (a pleasingly creepy portrayal by Timothy Scott). Lindsay attempts a normal romantic relationship with nice guy Alex Martin (a likable turn by "The Carol Burnett Show" regular Lyle Waggoner), but alas things don't work out. Writer/director Jacques Lacerte relates the gloomy story at a stately pace, does a sound job of creating a suitably eerie and downbeat tone, and treats the unsavory subject matter with commendable taste and restraint. Wilcox shines in the lead role; she manages to make Lindsay a movingly troubled and sympathetic character despite her ghoulish sexual interest with the dead. Wilcox receives excellent support from Waggoner, Scott, Christopher Stone as amorously aggressive stud Wade Farrow, and William Quinn as ill-fated male hustler Billy Jo (who in the film's single most gruesome and unnerving scene winds up being embalmed alive by Fred!). David Aaron's bright, pretty cinematography gives the picture an attractive sunny look. Phil Moody's neatly varied score alternates between spooky'n'shuddery chillshow stuff and more bouncy and upbeat music. The hauntingly melancholy titular theme song sung by Kit Fuller is quite memorable. But what really makes this film so surprisingly poignant and effective is the fact that at its core is a very sad and tragic doomed love story. An interesting and refreshingly different kind of fright feature.