What an odd yet pleasing little film is “The Woman Who Came Back.” A New England woman returns to her hometown and, after a near-death incident, becomes afraid that she’s under the spell of a famous local witch. It’s like a cross between “Carnival of Souls” and “The House of the Seven Gables.” And atmospherically, it’s got everything: a thunderstorm, a creepy old house, a frightened child, an eerie family crypt, suspicious locals and a band of kids all done up in vintage Halloween costumes. This is a perfect Halloween movie.

Nancy Kelly (who would go on to play Patty McCormack’s mom in “The Bad Seed”) stars as Lorna Webster, who’s heading home after some time away under unspecified circumstances. Almost immediately, strange things start to happen. Her bus crashes, killing everyone else on board. When she recovers, a strange dog starts following her around. She accidentally poisons some goldfish. The townsfolk all look askance at her -– all, that is, but her adoring ex-fiance, Matt (John Loder). Lorna’s soon convinced that there’s something wrong with her.

One of Lorna's ancestors, it turns out, was a notorious New England judge who once convicted a number of local witches and sentenced them to burn at the stake. This, of course, never happened in the United States –- all our witches were hanged, thank you (except for that poor man who was pressed to death) -– but never mind. It’s only a movie! The judge's most famous victim was a woman named Jezebel Traister, who left a statement threatening revenge from beyond the grave, and hinting that she might return by possessing a young maiden. Could this be happening to Lorna?

Continue reading →