For decades, I have been watching American films that supposedly take place in foreign lands, yet everybody there speaks English. I didn’t bat an eye watching those movies, yet I found myself deeply confused by the 1965 Italian production The Vengeance of Lady Morgan when we see a character wearing a kilt. I started wondering if this is a visiting Scotsman? Then another guy is soon wearing a kilt. I’m embarrassed by how long it took me to realize Vengeance takes place in Scotland. Yep, I’m an ugly American.
Despite that ridiculously long intro, I think I can keep this essay short. This movie is on Arrow Video’s Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror box set. Just judging from this, the first title I watched in the set, anybody who thinks they would enjoy a collection with that title should be pretty happy.
Vengeance starts with a young woman whose fiancée is pushed overboard on a ship. Thinking he is dead, she marries Lord Harold. That guy will turn out to have ulterior motives and is the villain of the picture despite having one of the least intimidating names of any villain ever. As for that fiancée, he is rescued and brought back to health, but suffers from amnesia.
About 2/3 of this movie is a straight-forward gaslighting affair, so it was a very pleasant surprise when the final act completely upended my expectations. I don’t want to say anything more about it than that.
So, foregoing any further discussion of plot, I’d like to focus on this feature’s technical aspects. It is well shot and lit. Nothing exceptional, but there are some nice touches like a scene in a steep, narrow passageway lit only by a single candle. All that is visible to use is in a vertical stripe, taking up roughly a fifth of the screen.
The soundtrack is appropriate for this type of film. Also not remarkable, but nothing incongruous. Lots of organ and harpsichord. The occasional booming, echoing bass drum hits.
I don’t even have many random observations, especially for a movie I enjoyed. There is an obligatory rat that startles our heroine when she descends into a dungeon, but I think it was actually a hamster. And there was a neat effect where curtains billow but it is revealed the window behind them is boarded shut.
The Vengeance of Lady Morgan is an enjoyable work of gothic horror, and even packs some surprises. I’m looking forward to the remaining three titles in this set from Arrow.
Dir: Massimo Pupillo
Starring Gordon Mitchell, Erika Blanc, Paul Muller
Watched as part of Arrow Video’s Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror blu-ray box set