Zohra Lampert stars as an emotionally fragile young woman, just released from an institution after a six-month stay, who relocates from New York City to an old manor in Connecticut with her husband and a family friend; soon, a series of odd occurrences and visions cause her to start questioning her sanity. "Jessica", co-written and directed by the talented John Hancock (who appeared to be a name to watch), is strange and murky but eminently memorable. The film's title is catchy and sensational but almost arbitrary in this low-keyed context: the chills come at us in dreamy waves and in whispers. Lampert, probably best remembered for her supporting bit in "Splendor In The Grass" as Warren Beatty's wife, gives a marvelous, sympathetic performance as Jessica; she works from next to nothing, really, but manages to connect with the audience almost immediately. This eerie ghost story/vampire movie is too disconnected from reality (and from the horror genre in general) to make big headway with slasher fans. It feels half-formed, with scenes underlined by Jessica's slightly-paranoid thoughts in voiceover. Most critics in 1971 dismissed the film as minor, but it isn't mediocre. Lampert alone makes it worth-seeing, and the quiet, circular ending has a way of settling itself into one's bones. *** from ****

There are a few movies that are so thoroughly dominated by the beauty and charm of the leading actress that other elements, such as plot, become secondary and are easily overlooked. It seems to me that "Let's Scare Jessica to Death," starring enchanting Zohra Lampert, belongs to this select group. Do you remember the final scene of "Splendor in the Grass," when Natalie Wood finds Warren Beatty living at home with his commonplace everyday wife? As it turns out, for me at least, the easy smile with which ordinary housewife Zohra Lampert greets Natalie Wood is the most unforgettable moment of that movie. And, strangely enough, I did not know that I never forgot that smile until I saw it again repeatedly in "Jessica." Zohra turns in a terrific performance as Jessica, and it is unfortunate that she did not make more movies.

And now, the following may contain "spoilers." Unfortunately, the plot of this movie seems to be confused. I think the title is misleading. "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" implies that there is a conspiracy between at least 2 people who have an interest in killing Jessica. As the plot unfolds, you suspect that Jessica's husband and Emily are trying to get rid of the wife so they can be together. But there are so many other elements, such as an undeveloped vampire motif, and the thought that Jessica is really mad and is imagining all this. At the end, nothing is clearly resolved.

However, one thing is clear. The end of the movie connects with the beginning. The movie starts out on a very serene note, with Jessica floating on a placid lake and musing on the past. At the end, she pushes out into the lake and is surrounded by zombie-vampire like townsfolk on the shore. Then she kills her husband, who surfaces from the lake, and all the zombie-vampire townsfolk walk off. Then serenity returns. I infer by this that Jessica needed to free herself from her husband to return to serenity. Confused? You bet.

The one thing that is not confused is Zohra Lampert's enchanting performance.