The Hearse (1980) User Reviews

Not too bad a movie

[jamiecostelo58 · 5/10 · 15 August 2008]

I admit The Hearse is not the last word in brilliance, but there seems to be something about it that kept me hooked. A simple plot centres around 30-something Jane recovering from a bitter divorce and the death of her father by deciding to stay at her aunt's house, which unbeknown to her, is haunted. Strange phenomena starts as soon as she settles in: lights going on and off, windows suddenly opening and closing, and (the main point) a suspicious looking Hearse appearing at her door.....

You obviously wonder what is going to happen next: is the Hearse simply a matter of imagination on Jane's part or is it something a lot more serious? The Hearse as a whole contains very little in the way of gory, blood dripping scenes; it is in fact a movie where the viewer has to go into the mind of the central characters and try and discover their motives as to why certain events happen. Why are the local people against Jane; what is the suspicious nature surrounding a nice young man called Tom that she unexpectedly meets? Many questions arise that are quite (albeit QUITE) addressed come the end of the film.

Lead star Trish Van Devere sets a good example of a strong-minded woman who is understandably spooked and scared by the unusual goings on. You actually feel for Jane! Her co-stars, however, can't be so easily forgiven - atrocious acting in some parts.

What makes this film work in some respect is the sense of coldness and eeriness surrounding the Hearse (despite the driver's constant smiling), and the strange goings on in this house; it is very reminiscent (as another reviewer mentioned) of the 2001 movie The Others. Admittedly, the final 15 minutes or so of The Hearse is a let down; I obviously don't want to give it away, but I'm sure for viewers who have witnessed the film, it could have been done with a lot more style and a lot more vigour. Then again, The Hearse was never meant to be this big budget horror movie in the first place - a typical B-movie flick that does recommend a slightly better IMDb rating than the current 3.3 I feel. 5/10

The Return of the Curse of the Creature's Ghost!

[TOMASBBloodhound · 4/10 · 15 February 2009]

Anyone who used to watch Mr. Show may recall that sketch. It basically puts several stereotypical characters in a spooky old house. They quiver as noises crash all around them. But what are they supposed to be afraid of? The creature? It's ghost? The curse? The return of the creature? What then? It's pretty funny. Check it out on youtube. Anyway, this film is kind of like that. Which cliché are we supposed to be afraid of here?

The Hearse is simply a dull collection of about every old horror film cliché you can think of. A recently divorced woman moves into her late aunt's spooky old house in the countryside. On her way into town, and on several other occasions, a big old black hearse seems to be trying to run her off the road! A bad omen. The locals are outwardly hostile, since they hated her aunt and know the house is haunted. The only local who seems to like her is a horny teenager whose parents own the hardware store. And then, there's this weird gentlemanly dude who shows up to court her in an old-fashioned way...

The plot thickens (kind of) when the woman finds her aunt's diary and learns that she was about to marry a preacher, but then dumped him for a Satanist! Yikes. And then the spooky old house seems to come to life. Windows break for no reason. Pipes clang together. Music boxes play on their own and move around. And all the while this old hearse keeps showing up on the roads or in her driveway. What does it want? Who is the mysterious "Tom" who wishes to win her over? Honestly, you'll figure it all out pretty quick.

The film just can't decide what is at the center of all the strange happenings. All the writers seemed to want to do is add a bunch of supposedly spooky elements into a pot and stir until something watchable came out. The acting is passable. Trish Van Devere isn't bad at all. Joseph Cotten needed more screen time, but they likely only got him for a few days of shooting. The film borrows heavily from other horror films such as The Car, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, The Amityville Horror, and maybe even The Fog. There really isn't an original idea to be found. The hearse itself is just a plot point that isn't really explained. It looks menacing, but almost seems like an afterthought that could have been written out altogether. Not a drop of blood, or any real suspense to be had. Really no reason to see this one. I'm frankly amazed it ever got a DVD release. 4 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

Hitchin' a ride with the afterlife.

[lost-in-limbo · 4/10 · 1 February 2008]

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 couldn'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 doesn't help matters either. It seems to be all build up, but director George Bowers' predictable touch can'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 Lewis' generically telegraphed score. One or two effective surreal set-pieces (involving the hearse and its driver) and Mori Kawa's nicely atmospheric photography, just can'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.

The Hearse: Not what I expected at all

[Platypuschow · 3/10 · 29 November 2018]

The Hearse is a deeply confusing 1980 horror which wasn't even remotely what I expected it to be.

It tells the story of a woman who inherits her aunts house but upon moving in comes to realise the locals don't like her and that the house itself might have its secrets.

The "Hearse" in question doesn't play as much of a role as I'd expected, which is odd considering that's supposedly what the movie is about.

The whole thing looks and sounds the part and the lead does a passable job but the moment things happen she becomes deeply annoying and I found myself scratching my head and not entirely knowing what I was watching.

Even now I'm not 100% on what went down and will chalk it up to being another one of those vague titles that doesn't feel like it needs to fully explain itself. I'm all for things being open to interpretation but this is taking that a tad far.

Confusing, underwhelming and not one I would dream of recommending.

The Good:

I like the hearse concept

The Bad:

Hearse is badly underutilized

Story makes very little sense

The lead actress falls apart when she falls apart

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

You'd think a movie about a hearse would be....you know....about a hearse

Tedious and overlong.

[gridoon · 3/10 · 11 December 1999]

"The Hearse" is a low-budget, bottom-of-the-barrel little shocker. It's uninvolving throughout, and never terrifying. The hopelessly cliched story, with all the familiar "haunted house" tricks, would be enough to sink this movie, but the job is completed by the poor direction and the murky look of the film, which often makes it hard for us to understand what's happening onscreen. The ending leaves almost everything unexplained and is just as arbitrary and nonsensical as the rest of this film. The good performances can't save it by any means.

Disappointing and quite dull

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 5/10 · 22 April 2015]

Moving into her old house, a woman trying to restart her life grows increasingly convinced a driver-less Packard hearse is haunting her and her house and tries to stop it from consuming her life.

Overall this was quite the disappointing effort. One of the film's few good points centers on the titular vehicle and the eerie, ominous air that really works effectively in this sort of effort, as not only is the moments where it appears quite impressive but also manages some decent moments here. The early scenes of the car appearing only for it to be unresponsive to her yelling at it before driving off makes for quite effective build-ups to the centerpiece sequence of it abducting her and dropping her off at the funeral which is quite chilling in concept before the disturbing idea of whether it's a dream or not as this one isn't clear wither way which makes it work. Likewise, the film really works in the final half when it finally lets itself go and features a lot to like from a tense chase through the house and eventually into the car chase in the finale all coming together quite well which really works for this one. That's about all that really works here for this one as there's a few rather challenging parts to hold this down. The main factor here is the fact that there's hardly any action whatsoever in the first half here which really makes the first half incredibly tough to get into. Consisting mainly of drawn-out and lame scenes around the town, a rather trite and lame romance and endless scenes of her around the house slowly succumbing to the presence in the house, all of which is insanely dull and just not that interesting. Scenes of her arguing with a lawyer trying to settle an accounting error in the estate, trying to secure a local handyman or just generally being harassed for living there don't make for all that exciting times which is basically all that's featured here. There's a few small haunting thrown in to confuse this as a horror film, yet none of them last nearly as long as the seemingly endless and overlong drama scenes that don't do much of anything for the pace or storyline here. The other big flaw here is the fact that there's hardly any motivation for the romance which tends to come in from out of nowhere and further bog down the pacing here with some really tired and lame scenes that don't have any real impact on the film itself. These here are the film's big problems which hold it down quite heavily.

Rated R: Violence, Language, Brief Nudity and a mild sex scene.

Mixed emotions

[Tommy-5 · 7/10 · 16 June 2002]

I have read reviews good and bad for this film and find that I cannot disagree with any of them, for The Hearse is good in certain respects and not so good in others. Watching this film recently, for the first time in many years, I was reminded of other stories that came both before and after it, 1963's The Haunting and 2001's The Others coming immediately to mind.

There is nothing better than a good ghost story with mood and imagination and The Hearse claims these properties to some degree. That it is an over-cliched film with comic relief that doesn't quite fit counts against it, as does the unlikely and disappointing ending. Trish Van Devere, a competent if not supremely talented actress, and the always pleasing Joseph Cotton are the lead players, although Ms. Van Devere's screen love interest, David Gautreaux as Tom, came close to stealing it from both of them. I did not feel that Joseph Cotton had enough screen time to please his fans, but as they say, `Always leave them wanting more!' The story: Jane, portrayed by Ms. Van Devere, inherits an old house in the country. Jane's aunt had practiced Satan worship in it and the local town folks were not pleased to see her niece move in. In a nice addition to the storyline, we learn that Jane had a nervous breakdown after a messy divorce and her mental stability quickly comes into question. Jane sees images in the house and is convinced that somebody is stalking her in a sinister looking funeral home hearse. Throughout the course of the story she has interesting encounters with such diverse people as the local estate attorney, hardware store operators and their son, an oddball minister and her new love interest. Who was after her, and why did he/she want Jane out of her aunt's house? There are many red herrings and barely enough chills and thrills to attract the younger audiences that were just then, in 1980, two years after Jamie Lee Curtis and Halloween, making their presence felt at the box office and soon-to-be neighborhood video stores. As stated, the ending was a real letdown after it seemed the film had come to a satisfying conclusion.

Perhaps that is why this film generates strong emotions; it tries to be too much to too many. That it has something for everybody and, for the most part, succeeds in putting it all together is one of it's major strengths. The fact that this also causes it to be disjointed and somewhat awkward at times is the downside of this, but remember, The Hearse was never intended to be a summer blockbuster. That a film such as this can still generate intelligent discussion 22 years after its release is remarkable in itself.

the Hearse - a classy ride

[stevenw-1 · 27 September 2005]

the Hearse came out in the middle of 1980 at a time when R-rated horror features were pulling in most of the box office money. the Hearse is rated PG and was one of the few films I was able to see without adult supervision. Looking through old newspaper ads from 1980, I noticed this film was often paired up on a double bill with DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE throughout 1980 and again in 1981 at a local second-run cinema! Talk about mis-matched couples! I first actually saw the film when it premiered on Showtime in 1982...and I watched every broadcast after that. The new DVD is quite a surprise as it's widescreen and it's enhanced for widescreen TVs! I tend to watch the beginning of the film often because there is a shot of a famous row of houses I live across the park from (one of those homes was used as Brooke Adams' home in 1978's Invasion of the Bodysnatchers and countless other films and TV shows). Also, I walk by the house where Trish Van Devere is carrying her luggage down the steps to her car just about everyday. The rest of the film is a rather classy ghost story which is intriguing and non-exploitive. There's no gruesome violence that, say, DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE had and it's refreshing. I think anyone over the age of 10 can appreciate this film and it's somewhat suitable for the whole family. Trish Van Devere is a strong lead and very appealing in her role. She carries the movie just fine and in a distinguished female lead. Joseph Cotton plays an obnoxious nemesis and pretty much sets the stage as to how the rest of the small town reacts to her being there. They are far less than hospitable and it's not until further on in the film she finds out why. It's at this time a mysterious, menacing hearse appears to be showing up at her country retreat on a nightly basis or following her on one of her quiet drives. Recovering from a previous breakdown (after a messy divorce), and soon feeling as though she may have a relapse when the nightly hauntings start to wear down her nerves, she finally gets a little braver and starts investigating the ghostly goings on. In the meantime, she finds herself attracted to a mysterious young man who seems to know a lot more about the history of the town and her house than the townsfolk are willing to share. There's more, but I'll stop there - view the film (at least RENT IT!) and see for yourself. It's a decent film and may be just the ticket if the usual horror trends in violence or overdone special effects have worn your nerves down. Even in 1980, a good ghost story was hard to find - by that, the Hearse is still a refreshing feature.

Need a ride?

[Coventry · 4/10 · 19 March 2006]

This very standard early 80's haunted house/possessed souls chiller does feature one ingenious and genuinely creepy gimmick, namely the titular vehicle that mysteriously drives around at night. Barely recovered from personal problems in the big city, Jane Hardy moves to an inherited mansion in a small and very superstitious village. The locals treat her like dirt, especially when they learn Jane is the niece of the previous resident, who worshiped the devil and whose dead body mysteriously vanished when the hearse ran into a bridge and caught fire. It doesn't take long before Jane herself begins to suffer from nightmares and the antique hearse even begins to stalk her! "The Hearse" is very slow but occasionally atmospheric and well-acted. Unfortunately however, the script is full of holes, too predictable and the total lack of spectacle is pretty hard to forgive. I respect the fact there were obviously financial limitations to this production, but to deliver an entirely bloodless film is a tad bit exaggerated. Class actor and horror veteran Joseph Cotton ("Baron Blood", "The Abominable Dr. Phibes", "Island of the Fishmen") is totally wasted in the role of obnoxious attorney. Crap ending, too.

Solid supernatural chiller

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 9 September 2015]

A woman, Jane, moves to a large house in a small town which she has inherited from a dead aunt. The locals shun her on account of believing her aunt was in league with the devil. Soon, Jane is haunted by the appearances of some ghosts, including a mysterious hearse which constantly menaces her.

This film fits comfortably into the haunted house film bracket, which by 1980 was firmly a popular sub-genre of the horror film with movies such as The Amityville Horror (1979), The Changeling (1980) and The Shining (1980) raking it in at the box office. It would only be fair to say that The Hearse is fairly derivative of some of the big hitters of its day but I have to say I found it to be a pretty good effort on the whole. Trish Van Devere puts in an engaging performance in the lead role, while Joseph Cotton, veteran actor of various classics from the past like Citizen Kane (1941), appears in one of the numerous genre flicks he pitched up in in the last decade of his career. Aside from the ominous black hearse, the sinister events incorporate an odd reverend, a satanic church and ghostly appearances of a woman at a window. By the end of things, it's true that the relevance of everything has not been fully established but when it comes to stories about ghostly goings on, this is not exactly a problem in my book. A bit of ambiguity is not really a bad thing.

The Hearse

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 28 June 2008]

Trish Van Devere stars as Jane, a troubled school teacher from San Francisco, trying to recover from a terrible divorce and her Aunt's death, who moves to a small town country home, which lives in infamy as the local boogey-house. The locals resist her, often even appearing hostile or stand-offish just because of the house she lives in. Her aunt was known as a "devil worshiper", so Jane will not be given a fair shake by the citizens. Jane's arch-nemesis is Walter Pritchard(..an ornery Joseph Cotten), a bitter misanthrope who wanted the house she resides. He handles the deed and proper papers that Jane needs to sign if she wishes to remain in her aunt's house or sell it off. There are signs of her Aunt's presence in the house(..the music cues definitely inform us of this)and she meets a handsome, yet mysterious young man, Tom(David Gautraux)for whom she begins a relationship. But, Jane is tormented by a hearse(..and it's sinister chauffeur) which often tries to either run her of the road, or pull into the yard. Soon, the chauffeur begins invading Jane's house, threatening danger. Is Jane losing her sanity? Or, is the chauffeur real? All of Jane's problems began when she started to read her aunt's diary, which reveals her secret affair with a man, while engaged to another;even mentioning that her lover worships Satan promising eternal life if she joins his cult).

For about an hour or so, this is a nice little surprise..a kind of haunted house creeper you might see on a chiller theater program. But, the ending descends into a demonic chase thriller with a rather disappointing close which lets Jane off a bit too easy. I think the one tormenting her is rather predictable for those who understand strange behavior and love unrequited. Donald Hotton portrays the local priest who challenges the demonic power which threatens Jane's life in the house. Med Flory is the unsubtle, flirtatious sheriff who provokes Jane with his sleazy smiles and aggressive attitude. Perry Lang is the affable Paul, the son of a hardware store owner who helps with the repairs of Jane's house, carrying a torch for her. It's a drag that the film builds up to such a rather flimsy close with Jane being chased by the menacing chauffeur wishing to capture her soul which leads to a lackluster conclusion. Might be a bit entertaining for haunted house fans, but even this group will find that "The Hearse" doesn't quite fulfill expectations. Might even be a bit dull for those expecting thrills and chills and only coming away with a pounding score that builds suspense gradually only to a whimper instead of a thrill. This could've been a real winner, instead it's an interesting failure, a curio perhaps worthy of pursuit for one viewing. Not particularly a film which stays with you either. For the exception of some profanity, this has the qualities of a decent made-for-television feature. Fans of Christopher McDonald might get a kick out of seeing him as a foul-mouthed, high-strung youth who questions whether Paul was getting laid with Jane. The house itself is an appropriately spooky enough place and the director sometimes uses P-O-V when the spirit(..or person)invades Jane's home unannounced. The chauffeur has a memorable appearance stalking Jane in the house, while a nightmare sequence provides a creepy sense of dread as she is led into a church where her burial is being held. Ultimately, I think the film works best of it's fish-out-of-water theme where a "big city girl" is treated unceremoniously by the "rednecks" of a small town..with Jane trying to cope with all those who wish for her to leave. I think, also, that her sanity being tested by the hearse-driving ghoul adds to the film's allure because the locals are provided with reasons for wishing Jane to leave. The major flaw of any film regarding haunted houses is why would Jane remain in such a hostile place with her life clearly in danger?

A Great Spooky Horror Film!

[callanvass · 8/10 · 7 March 2005]

This is a great spooky Horror film, that's vastly underrated!. It's a very creepy, and engrossing haunted house story, however the ending just doesn't cut it. i liked all of the characters, especially Trish Van Devere's!. It's a little cheap at times, but there were quite a few moments that made me jump, and i was really getting into it, unfortunately, the ending sucked!. The finale is excellent and very creepy,and although it's somewhat predictable it has enough tension and scares to keep you satisfied. There is no gore.I got this off an 8 movie 2 disc horror set The Direction is good for the most part. George Bowers does a very good job here creating lots of creepy atmosphere, good lighting, with some great zoom in's , and keeping the film at an engaging pace!, solid job. The Acting is very good. Trish Van Devere, is excellent as the main lead, she is beautiful, had good chemistry with David Gautreaux,and was very likable, and was a perfect choice to play this part!. Joseph Cottenis good as the old drunk, and brought some class to this. David Gautreaux, is creepy here, and did well, he had good chemistry with Trish Van Devere, and was likable. Donald Hotton, is okay as the priest, was unconvincing at times, but he was okay, and got the job done. Christopher McDonald, is okay in his short role. Perry Lang, is good as Paul i liked him. Overall highly recommended! ***1/2 out of 5

Back when Horror was Still Watchable

[BloodTheTelepathicDog · 7/10 · 7 March 2010]

Before such hacks like Eli Roth and Rob Zombie ruined the genre with their excessive blood and gore flicks, the horror genre was the most entertaining genre in the business. Now that I have shunned the horror genre (modern horrors that is) I've unearthed some fine subdued shock flicks that rely of chills, thrills and the macabre rather than blood, guts and exploding brains.

In this film Trish Van Devere plays a mentally unstable woman who leaves the city for the summer to renovate her aunt's house--given her in inheritance. The big city, with a failed marriage, almost drove Trish to the nuthouse, but she is back from the brink and out in the country. Hoping to relax and fix up the house, Trish realizes that her country getaway may push her back to the nuthouse's front door. The townsfolk don't warm up to her and everyone seems to think she is bad news despite her best proper school marm behavior. She learns that her aunt had a bad reputation in town. She was a kooky spinster who took up black arts.

VIOLENCE: $$ (Nothing of note here. Remember, this film plays more for old time horror fans--emphasis on atmosphere and not bodily discharges. However, there are a couple deaths that should, at least, tickle the gorehounds amusement bone).

STORY: $$$ (The story is fine even if it is an old hat. When Trish starts a love affair with a mysterious drifter, we all know that something is wrong with the suave guy but it's the wait, wondering when Trish will discover his darkside, that builds suspense. One glaring weakness of the story was the the preacher coming to Trish's end near the end. He comes to protect her, then... well, he is forgotten. Instead we get a chase scene).

ACTING: $$$$ (Trish Van Devere is a marvellous talent but most folks will prefer, again, thanks to modern horror films, a dame a decade younger in the lead. She easily carries the film herself and brings her natural substance and grace to the role. Happy Gilmore's Christopher McDonald has a short role as a perverted high schooler that eyes up Trish while she jogs).

SEXUALITY: $$ (The love affair between Trish and the mystery man will sustain the non-horror genre fan. There is no skin in this flick, but there is a love scene. Trish, while putting groceries in her car, wears a little Daisy Duke style short pants that the sheriff notices. He asks her if she needs any help, spotting her backside sliding out of her shorts, and she replies, "No thanks, I've got it." To which the sheriff replies, "I can see that."

The Hearse could be worse, but not by much

[Chase_Witherspoon · 3/10 · 5 April 2012]

Tiresome alleged thriller concerns a recently divorced woman (Van Devere) who takes vacant possession of her deceased aunt's stately house in a town where the locals are about as welcoming as a desert sauna. Gradually, a series of unexplained events begins to make Van Devere doubt her commitment to the new location, but her resolve is galvanised by the appearance of a handsome stranger (Gautreaux) who persuades her to stay in spite of the paranormal activity and discouragement of locals, Joseph Cotten in particular.

While there's undeniably moments of suspense and spine-chilling thrills, the momentum is pedestrian and the film is overlong and underwhelming with a disappointing climax. Van Devere is an assured actress and her characterisation is assertive and realistic, acting royalty Joseph Cotten has a supporting role of some purpose as the local attorney making life difficult for her, while giant Med Flory features as the town's redneck sheriff. Before they were better known Perry Lang, Donald Petrie and Christopher MacDonald all appear in early roles as the small-town's hormone-charged young male community.

All the usual haunted house gimmicks are on display, but how many times can a window shatter before it gets old? Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film is Donald Hotton as the quirky reverend, whose up-beat optimism is against type for his role in the context of this satanic inspired horror film. Suitable for a popcorn night-fright rental (if you're hard up), but not a keeper. There's a scene where Van Devere chides Cotten's obstructiveness "why don't you climb into the back of that hearse of yours and drop dead" my sentiments exactly with regard to this dull picture.

So-so

[ctomvelu1 · 5/10 · 28 June 2013]

As much as I admire Trish VanDevere, this 1980 movie-of-the-week just doesn't cut it. A recently divorced woman moves into her late aunt's old house in the woods, only to be haunted by eerie figures and an old black hearse that appears to want to kill her. As she tries to figure out what's what, the lonely woman meets several locals, including a less-than-friendly general store proprietor, a hulking, horny sheriff, a nasty real estate agent and a guy her age who seems too good to be true. This low-budget effort, slightly reminiscent of a ghost flick VanDevere shot the same year with husband George C. Scott, apparently started out as a slasher flick but was turned into a haunted house/witchcraft thriller. A muddled plot and sloppy editing doesn't help. For genre fans only.

Interesting concept, but very low budget

[nickandrew · 4 August 2003]

A stressed school teacher moves into her deceased aunt's mansion for the summer where strange things happen, in particular visits from a mysterious old hearse. Creepy film has potential, but comes off as a `B` movie due to the bad acting from supporting cast and a disappointing ending.

Shoot the Piano Player

[Semih · 2/10 · 20 August 2003]

I found this title in my search for good quality horror films. This one, obviously, qualifies into the "haunted house" genre where the scare factor is more in-direct. But there was a problem. This movie isn't good. I hate to say that, because i strive to find positive attributes in every film i see, but this film simply is badly made. How more contrived can a haunted house script be? The film begins with a woman realizing she needs to spend time alone because she's been having "difficult times" (so we can later explain why she thinks she must be crazy when she sees things), then the big house inherited from her dead aunt (low angle shots here, with blue lights behind dead trees, a la Amityville horror) and a bunch of bad acting locals who act unkind to this lady almost as if just because the script calls for it. But here's the biggest fault: The musical score. Sorry Mr. Webster Lewis, but your score took away any possible strength this film could have had. Not only have they re-used the the same 3 cues through out the film (which i can understand to some degree, considering recording costs) but each cue within itself is bad. They begin with this short piano lick which, everytime you hear it, you're supposed to realize that "something ain't right here". It becomes tiring, it becomes overpowering. In other cues you hear this Jaws' theme-like piano motif pounding away which is supposed to build the tension, but give me a break guys. And next time hire a composer who knows that writing original film music is more than trying to create suspense by using diminished chords or pounding low piano keys. By the time this film was over i couldn't figure out how or why it ended up on my "must see" list for interesting horror films. And the director should stick to his editing career instead (looks like, from his filmography, he's been more successful at that). And that's not a surprise, after seeing this bad film.

Hardly a black Sedan, but...

[Waiting2BShocked · 3/10 · 10 March 2006]

A year or so after George C Scott was spooked by a cadaverous child in 'The Changeling', Devere decides to try and keep up with her ex-husband's career by inheriting an Old Dark House from her deceased aunt. This affords sundry opportunities for neighbours to give her dirty looks, a priestly Joseph Cotten to pop up and proffer ubiquitous blarney, and the titular carriage of death to keep turning up outside the front door heralded by mist-machine overkill.

In terms of supernatural 80s horror movies this is acceptable enough for undiscerning nostalgists; though purists may balk that the central things-going-bump-in-the-bedroom sequence between Trish and her resident toyboy handyman Gautreux sets the whole picture at odds with the otherwise PG-compliant avoidance of physical horror and narrative suspense. And just when you thought it was safe to go back into the shower... it is.

Whilst it is fair enough comment to make that no-one (probably rightly so) took Devere seriously again after her split with Scott, she at least here proves herself a capable enough genre screamer for the undemanding. What is more interesting however, is how suspiciously similar this film is in terms of plot and style/construction to the soon-after 'The Nesting' - in that it misses most of its most crucial horror 'cues', but nevertheless burns independently down its own vaguely self-stylised 'fuse' to an incoherent, unsatisfying 'explanatory' climax. This also, but slightly more exclusively, involved a has-been actress ignominiously doing very little for the money (Gloria Grahame in that particular instance).

Subtle, yet interesting!

[GOWBTW · 7/10 · 14 August 2013]

"The Hearse", is a horror movie isn't quite taken lightly, but it has an interesting storyline to it. Here you got a woman (Trish Van Devere) who going through a divorce, gets a house in the country whose late aunt used to live. However, when she got there, the people in town give her a cold reception. When they find out who her aunt was, they act very hostile towards her. Only the son of the hardware store owner and the preacher of a local church has been kind to her. The reason for the hostility is obvious, the aunt who lived in the house practiced witchcraft. All because of the man she met years earlier before her death. What's worse is a strange, black hearse that roams the highway at night. And the woman nearly loses it when it comes st her. They said that the hearse crashed off the bridge, and exploded before hitting the bottom. She meets a third kind person in town. But he has a big secret of his own. The house was apparently haunted by the ghost of her aunt, and the highway by the hearse. She was the verge of a serious breakdown. With an relative with a dark secret, you would not honor them for their dark deeds. You cut them out of your life, forever! This could have used more detail to it, but it was mildly interesting. 2 out of 5 stars.

A Hearse Is A Hearse, Of Course, Of Course

[lexyladyjax · 1/10 · 3 April 2011]

This one is only remarkable for its dreadfulness. I recorded it because of Joseph Cotten's performance, but even this wonderful Hollywood actor couldn't rescue this stinker. I sort of believed the hearse more. What was with all the screaming of the lead actress? There was no one to hear in the big house she lived in alone.

The spooky chauffeur wasn't spooky. Suddenly without any explanation Tom was driving the hearse, how did that make sense? Who didn't figure out that Tom was Robert? Who was repairing the doors inside the house if it wasn't Paul? Guess Paul's dad was right to want him to stay away, huh?

There was never any explanation for the hatred of the townspeople for the heroine. What's up with that? It's understandable that they hated the Satan-worshiping aunt (it wasn't her fault, she was under a spell), but the house then passed to the mother before the niece received possession. Did Joseph Cotten's character poison their minds against an innocent woman?

This film is neither scary nor frightening. Unfortunately it's not entertaining, either, unless you enjoy bad acting, boring scripts and lame plots. For the most part it was only annoying until the end finally arrived. I've been more afraid this week of the escaped Egyptian cobra in the Bronx zoo, and I'm in Florida. I had hoped for more from this one.

Pretty good B movie horror film, I enjoyed my ride in the hearse

[Aaron1375 · 6/10 · 7 July 2009]

I only had seen this film once before as a child so I hardly remembered anything about this flick. I saw it in a collection of Drive in Cult Classics with 31 other films, and I have to admit it...I bought the collection mainly for this film. I simply wanted to see what this film was about again as my recollection of it was spotty at best. As it turns out, it was a bit more interesting than I remembered, I seem to have gotten this film mixed with others as I remember a more vague ending than the one here. One film, I know for sure I got this one mixed up with is Burnt Offerings, mainly the scene involving the chauffeur in that one. This film is a bit reminiscent of that one, add in some of The Car and a dash of any film from the 70's involving Satan. This has all that and more! It also has a couple of bland and pointless plot points and tries to make you think all of the crap happening may not be happening! The story has a woman who has recently lost her mother and gone through a divorce going to live in her aunt's house out in a more country environment. She has had a nervous breakdown and feels that a bit of time out in the country will do her good. Well, things start off on a bad note as one guy seems to think he should be the rightful owner of the house, the townspeople seem to think poorly of the lady and the house she is staying at and a strange hearse seems to be stalking the lady. Still, a strange man comes into her life that she begins to fall for. However, as she reads her late aunt's diary, things become clearer as to the town's disdain for the house and strange nightmares begins to occur as she is stalked by a strange scarred hearse driver.

The film has some things going for it, but it also has a bunch of things going against it. It is a bit slow paced at times thanks to a very pointless subplot of a young man trying to woo the older lady. Sure it made for an interesting scene later, but one could of still had a scene like that sans the scenes of the boy and his friends talking about what he did or didn't do. I also thought it was a bit too obvious that there was something not quite right with the Thomas character. However, I really liked the Reverend character as I could never get a read on him until near the end.

So, this film had some interesting moments...I was never quite sure how the film would end. I kept trying to remember the thing, but as I said, I had only seen this film one other time when I was a kid so I only remembered a few tidbits here and there and a bit of the imagery. It is not a great horror film by any means, but it was a bit more entertaining than a few other horror movies that were similarly themed and made during this time frame. A lot of those were even rated R, but were even slower paced than this one was! So, interesting flick, just nothing all that great.

It could have been much better

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 10 May 2017]

Jane Hardy (Trish Van Devere) is moving to a small town in order to take possession of an aunt's house that's been sitting vacant for many years. Oddly, almost everyone in town is very nasty to her...and she has no idea why. The only ones who are nice are a young guy who is secretly infatuated with her and Tom, a sexy guy who loves her almost at once. The portion of the film involving the town hating her and the finale seems to last a very long time. Oddly, after going on a killing spree, the evil spirit comes after her and it all ends in a car chase...which is kind of weird considering it's a ghost.

The problems are the pacing and the finale...both of which left me cold. It's a shame. I wanted to enjoy the movie much more than I ultimately did. At times, it's pretty good. At other times, it looks like the script could have used a re-write.

As good as a B-flick gets!

[CLN · 10/10 · 12 January 1999]

When Jane Hardy's late aunt leaves her a house in the country, she decides to spend the summer there to get over a nasty divorce and near-breakdown. There she begins putting the pieces back together with the help of a new romantic interest named Tom. But the town people are curiously less-than-friendly to her. Jane soon finds a reason why in her aunt's diary--the mysterious man her aunt fell in love with, who drew her aunt into darkness. Then strange things start happening--and the hearse begins showing up in the middle of the night.

This movie is wonderfully creepy without being camp, and has some scenes that are particularly unexpected and unnerving. More suspense horror than gore, it's guaranteed to keep you awake at night. The love story between Jane and Tom will keep sentimental people glued, and the terror gets all the rest. The piano-oriented title music is haunting, and suits the seriousness of the film well. This movie clearly had a low budget, yet it still ranks as a first-class movie. All in all, something worth watching and worth owning.

Atmospheric 80's Thriller

[vorazqux · 6/10 · 26 June 2010]

PREVIEW: It was the 80s, and low budget horror was at an all–time high. Case–in–point: The Hearse. I just watched this movie late last night (early morning) and found it to be interesting and entertaining enough. However, at the same time, I wasn't expecting too much after seeing the two–star rating it received after pressing the "Info" button on my cable's remote control. Maybe that's why I actually enjoyed most of it, and perhaps you will, too, if you decide to view the film if/when it pops up on late night television.

SYNOPSIS: Trish Van Devere plays Jane, a teacher having trouble coping with the stress in her life and who decides to move in to her late aunt's home in the country. Once reaching the country, she quickly realizes that the town's people aren't too friendly towards her, and she soon ties in these unwelcome greetings to the the home she is residing in. Joseph Cotton makes his presence known right away as the former caretaker of the house for the last 37 years and clearly states that he believes the house should be his. Jane is, of course, taken aback by this comments, but her sunny attitude prevents her from being disparaged by his rudeness. Jane forges on and begins fixing up the old house with the help of a local teenager, who secretly has a crush on her. As the story unfolds, Jane begins to realize that the house may be haunted as she starts seeing things. These "incidents" as well as the town's folks' reactions to her joining the community prevent Jane from fully committing to living in the house permanently. She wrestles with the thought of merely staying in the home until the end of summer. She also realizes, after finding and reading her aunt's diary, that her aunt had a mysterious past. In addition, stranger things begin happening to Jane the more she reads the diary, and she is continuously menaced by a hearse and its creepy driver on a daily basis. It all culminates in the final ten minutes of the film, which I will leave for you to see.

REVIEW: This is a decent film, but nothing out of the ordinary. The musical score is used effectively to build suspense, but the suspense dissipates rather quickly as the scenes end either prematurely or too abruptly. The acting is solid for the most part, especially by Van Devere and Cotton, who, by the way, is wasted in his role. He should have been given much more screen time. Donald Hotton gives an enigmatic turn as Reverend Winston. He is weird, warm, alarming, and kind – all at the same time. David Gautreaux, I suppose, gives a decent performance, but you'd think Jane would have picked up on his creepiness right off the bat. It's fun to see a young Christopher McDonald also appear in a few scenes as a rowdy teen. The atmosphere in the film is very good. The location and, again, the score lend to the mood of the film. The directing and editing could have been better as the film is a bit choppy at times. I will not comment on the end of the picture just in case you decide to view it...

CLOSING: If you like or have even an inkling of curiosity for the horror genre from the early 70s to early 80s, you may want to check this film out. It's not the best, but it certainly is not the worst of that time. It has some genuinely eerie moments, and unlike the modern horror films of today, we feel more for these characters, even those in smaller supporting roles. In a nutshell, there are movies less entertaining than The Hearse that we could be watching...

And all Jane wanted was to get some peace and quite

[sol-kay · 5/10 · 7 February 2005]

**SPOILERS** The movie "The Hearse" seems to hit all the wrong notes at all the right times to make it look more like a comedy then a horror film. This eerie black hearse with a creepy and scare-face driver behind the wheel is always stalking and trying to run down poor Jane Hardy, Tris Van Devere, who's spending the summer at her late Aunt Rebbecca's house, the Martin Place, in the town of Blackford.

Jane trying to get over a very stressful divorce left the big city of San Francisco to the quite country town of Blackford in order to get over her depression, how wrong she was. We find out that this weirdo hearse driver is actually the man she falls in love with at Blackford the strange eerie and unearthly Tom Sullivan, David Gaulreaux. Who also turns out to be the ghost of Robert who was Jane's Aunt Rebbecca's lover, back some thirty years ago, who turned her on to Satanism.

You notice right away that this guy, Tom, is not of this earth, he looks and acts more like he's come from under it. Nobody in the town of Blackford sees him but Jane who doesn't see what we all see that's the obvious about him, that Tom is Robert's evil spirit. Were later told by the drunken Walter Pritchard, Joseph Cotton,who's Jane's lawyer and real estate agent that her Aunt Rebbecca did practice Satanism with her lover Tom. Later after she died Tom was burned to a crisp when the hearse taking her body to the cemetery exploded into flames leaving nothing to be buried. There's a weird dream-like sequence in the movie where Jane goes into the hearse and ends up at the local church attending aunt Rebbecca's funeral. Then she gets up from her coffin and scares the hell out of Jane as well as the theater audience.

At the town everyone is very cold and avoids Jane because of her living in the Martin's house except young Paul Gordon,Perry Lang. Paul is very much in love with her Jane even though she's much older then him and looks at him as a friend not a lover. Jane is in love with the weird Tom Sullivan who's trying to get her, like her Aunt Rebbecca, in league with the Devil.

Pritchard later tries to scare Jane out of her house as he smashes the windows of the Martin Place in a drunken rage. Only to get himself killed by the runaway hearse and ending up hanged in the shower , by his tie, in the Martin Place's bathroom. Paul is also killed when he goes to the Martin Place to save Jane from her crazed and demonic lover Tom with Jane running for her life from Tom and his deadly hearse.

Late in the movie there a scene where the local preacher Reverend Winston, Donald Hotton, runs to the Martin Place and does an exorcism on it in what looks like a wind tunnel. The exorcism is so funny that it comes across as an episode straight out of Mystery Science Theather 3000.

Tom chasing Jane with his handy hearse ends up being slammed, by Jane's car, and knocked down a cliff and burned to a crisp like Aunt Rebbecca was some thirty years ago. The ending of the film "The Hearse" calls for a sequel but luckily for us the movie wasn't that successful to warrant one.