The Evictors (1979) – Episode 112 – Decades of Horror 1970s

"It was a small Louisiana town where people live and love and die and no one ever thought of locking their doors... except in the Monroe house." Hey, everybody! Let’s buy the Monroe house! Join your faithful Grue Crew - Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr - as they find out why they have to lock their doors in the Monroe house in Charles B. Pierce’s The Evictors (1979).

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 112 – The Evictors (1979)

A young couple, just married, rents a house in a village in Louisiana. But they are not welcome because the inhabitants of the village look upon them with distrust. Meanwhile, in the house they rented, were happening strange things from the past...

IMDb

 

• Director: Charles B. Pierce
• Writers: Charles B. Pierce, Garry Rusoff, Paul Fisk
• Cast
  • Vic Morrow as Jake Rudd
  • Michael Parks as Ben Watkins
  • Jessica Harper as Ruth Watkins
  • Sue Ane Langdon as Ollie Gibson
  • Dennis Fimple as Mr. Bumford
  • Bill Thurman as Preacher Higgins
  • Jimmy Clem as Mr. Buckner

After seeing The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972) and The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976), Jeff thought it would be fun to check out another film from Charles B. Pierce so he chose The Evictors as the subject of this episode. With a cast that includes Jessica Harper, Vic Morrow, Michael Parks, and Sue Ane Langdon, how could he go wrong? It turns out that fine acting and excellent production design do not offset a lackluster story.

Doc and Jeff love the feel of the 1940s created in this production, especially the abundance of automobiles from the era. Bill once again professes his love for Jessica Harper and Chad goes on about Michael Parks and Vic Morrow. The general consensus is great acting and the feel of the 40s, but the languid pacing makes The Evictors an unexciting horror film. If you haven’t seen this entry from Charles B. Pierce and you’re hankering for some 40s nostalgia and some Vic Morrow, Jessica Harper, Michael Parks, or Sue Ane Langdon, check it out. As of this writing, The Evictors is streaming on Amazon Prime and a Blu ray is available from Scream Factory.

Your 70s Grue-Crew also catches up on listener feedback from several episodes and has a ball doing it! They are even chastised a bit by the lovely and talented Judy Matheson (Twins of Evil, Lust for a Vampire) and they attempt to make amends to her, as well as to Luan Peters (Twins of Evil, Lust for a Vampire) and Kirsten Lindholm (Twins of Evil, Lust for a Vampire, The Vampire Lovers) .

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be Evil of Dracula (1974), the third film in Toho’s Bloodthirsty Trilogy.

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