Tough, cynical lapsed Catholic police detective Jim Henderson (a typically superb Christopher Plummer) investigates the mysterious death of forlorn heroin addict prostitute Elizabeth Lucy (a fine and heartbreaking performance by the divine Karen Black, who also sings a few hauntingly melancholy songs on the soundtrack). Henderson uncovers a nefarious Satanic cult and experiences a downward spiritual spiral similar to the one which led Lucy to her grim and untimely end. Strongly directed by Harvey Hart, crisply shot in sumptuous widescreen by Rene Verzier, elegantly scored to shivery perfection by Harry Freedman, and well acted by a stellar cast (Jean-Louis Roux is especially impressive as the evil sect's suavely sinister leader), with a chilly and depressing tone, an intriguing, if somewhat muddled script by Robert Schlitt, plenty of spooky, uneasy and unnerving atmosphere, an interesting and imaginative back-and-forth nonlinear narrative structure, gritty Montreal locations, and a truly shocking zinger of a bummer ending, this engrossingly gloomy horror mystery thriller delivers a quite potent and lingering punch while provocatively exploring with unflinching severity the dire consequences beget by falling markedly short of one's religious principles.
Review of The Pyx
The Pyx
(1973)
A bleak, but eerie and absorbing horror mystery thriller
22 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers