Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1973)

This is a movie that I quite enjoyed even though it does have quite some flaws. The story is pretty basic about a girl named Lila Lee, grown up in a very religious neighborhood (which oddly only seems to have female churchgoers) being parented by the local reverend. With her wonderful singing voice putting to good use in the church choir, she truly resembles an angel. Even though actress Cheryl Smith must be 17-18 in the movie she could pass for a girl 13-14. Lila's father is a gangster who did kill her mother for cheating on him with another man (as we see in the opening scene). Lila gets a letter from a certain woman named Lemora who tells her father is dying and he wants to say goodbye. Lila accepts the invitation and takes an old bus at night to the mysterious village where her father is staying. From than on the atmosphere goes all dark and mysterious. I wonder if there was actually an outdoor scene which was filmed in broad daylight as I can't recall any. Good acting was there from Cheryl Smith as Lila and Lesley Taplin as the mysterious Lemora. The parts I really liked were between the main actresses (with some serious sexual undertone) and Lila trying to find out the secrets of Lemora and the village. When she actually finds out the movie becomes a lot less interesting as it's mostly Lila running away from everything that looks dangerous to her. Eventually she cannot escape her fate. The ending can be interpreted in several ways, was it real or a dream? Had the movie kept its surreal and mysterious tone I would have rated it higher. Too bad the director went the action way instead of working out the mysteries which remained unanswered.

This is an unusual and enjoyable film that may have ambitions beyond it's means but is nevertheless a very brave attempt to do something just that little bit different. We begin with Cheryl Smith as the angelic, purer than pure, Lila Lee, star of the local church and living under the protection of her minister in the absence of her gangster father. Both here and later in the scenes with the magnificent lesbian vampire, Lemora, played by Lesley Taplin (Gilb) there are unmistakable hints that these older 'guardians' have more than the interests of the virgin child at heart. The opening scenes in the church and the later ones in Lemora's residence are colourful and rather grandly shot but it is the sequence depicting the young girl's seeming trip to find her father that is most astounding. From the moment she leaves the protection of the minister, she seems not only most vulnerable but the sets seem flimsy and almost laughable, but I'm guessing that this was deliberate and that even the bumpy creaky bus with the unbelievable driver are all designed to let us know that maybe not all is how it seems here. After this great sequence we meet the impressive Lemora and various zombies but despite a rather creepy bath scene there is just a little too much, running about. Still, unusual and well worth seeing.

The first time I saw this film, I could not have been nine years old. There use to be a show that would come on at Midnight on Friday and Saturday broadcast out of channel four in Indianapolis. The show was called Sammy Terry and he was this ghoulish guy who showed scary movies. I recently acquired a copy of the film for my personal collection because it made such an impression on me when I was a child. I actually should not have been watching it, but I also probably should not have been up so late. However I have always been a night owl. Anyway. I digress. This movie is laced with innuendos of a sexual nature. So much so that I really don't feel comfortable specifically commenting on it.For some reason, there isn't a neighbor within many miles of Lamora's dark estate which is at the end of long dark stretch of an obsolete road. What awaits you at the end of the road is as darkly magical and bewildering as your wildest imagination. It certainly left a huge impression on me.

A dark, atmospheric little film, it is quite bizarre and intriguing to watch, with shadow enhancing lighting, flashy colours, great sets, and a fine lead performance by Cheryl Smith, who is a perfect choice to play an innocent uncorrupted. On the other hand, the writer-director gives off a somewhat restrained performance as a priest, and towards the end, the film heads off into rather messy territory, with excesses of horror and too many slow motion, plus it takes forever to wrap the story up. There are some interesting ideas at hand, and a few worthwhile production elements, but overall this is a film that is much more so interesting than it is great.