Ruby – 1977
Director
Curtis Harrington

Writers
George Edwards
Steve Krantz (story)

Cast
Piper Laurie
Stuart Whitman
Roger Davis

Review by Wayne Malin

A “lost” horror movie that should remain that way!

Horror movie with a needlessly convoluted plot. In 1935 a gangster’s girlfriend named Ruby (Piper Laurie) sees her boyfriend shot down dead. At that moment she gives birth to his baby (!!!) The movie cuts to 16 years later. Ruby is an alcoholic running a drive in and Leslie is her daughter–born a deaf mute (I think). For reasons never made totally clear she has the guys who shot her boyfriend dead working for her in the drive in! Then they start getting killed–it seems Ruby’s ex is coming back for revenge…

If that synopsis sounds confusing you should see the movie! Curtis Harrington is a good director and I’m giving this a 4 just because it is well-directed…it just doesn’t make a lot of sense. I saw the director’s cut which was thought to be lost. Harrington was fired before the movie was finished. The producer took the movie, cut out all the violence and shot scenes with a totally different cast! That was the one released. Harrington complained about it and said his version was gone. Somehow it was found and that’s the one I saw. If this is the cut the director approved I can only wonder how bad the reedited version was! Scenes seem to end before they’re finished; the plot meanders all over the place; there are way too many unanswered questions still lingering at the end; Ruby is inexplicably always dressed like a madam; the special effects are poor; the deaths are very poorly done (and look REAL fake); the twist at the end comes out of nowhere–and doesn’t make a lot of sense and, basically, this is BORING!

Laurie is a wonderful actress but she’s terrible in this. She appears to be drunk most of the time–or looks like she wishes she were. Stuart Whitman walks through his role. Janit Baldwin is actually pretty good as Leslie. And Roger Davis (fondly remembered from “Dark Shadows”) pops up about 30 minutes in as a parapsychologist. He has little to do with the plot except have Whitman provide some clumsy exposition to him. It’s supposed to clear up the plot–it doesn’t.

A dull, confusing mess. Not worth seeing at all. It’s really a shame-the VCI DVD looks just beautiful.