''The Haunting of Morella'' is a 1990 horror film directed by

Jim Wynorski Jim Wynorski (born August 14, 1950) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Wynorski has been making B-movies and exploitation movies since the early 1980s, and has directed over 150 feature films. His earliest films were releas ...

. The film began shooting on September 13, 1989, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. It was released sporadically across the midwest United States in February 1990 where it performed poorly at the box office.

Plot

A witch named Morella is put to death in Colonial America, leaving behind her husband and infant daughter, Lenora. Seventeen years later, Lenora has grown up and stands to inherit money arranged by her mother, Morella's family. With the stage set, Morella wants to return to life by taking over her daughter, Lenora's body.

Cast

Production

Principal photography on ''The Haunting of Morella'' began on September 13, 1989, in Los Angeles, under the title ''The Haunting of Maurella''. Although director

is not credited in the credits as the screenwriter, several sources (such as ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'') stated he was a screenwriter during production. The character Miles Archer was invented for the film.

Release

''The Haunting of Morella'' was released on February 9, 1990, in Detroit. In February 1990, ''Daily Variety'' noted the film opened "timidly" in only sixty theaters through the Midwest, where ticket sales were described as "weak," "tepid," and "dismal."

Reception

Kyle Leonard wrote in the 1991 '' Motion Picture Guide'' that the film was "nothing more than an excuse for its female characters to take off their clothes and kill each other." The review went on to note that "Eggert shows some depth in her portrayal of the wholly innocent Lenora and the equally wicked Morella ..one wonders how she got herself into this softcore horror film." A critic credited as "Advo." wrote in ''

'' declared "Nudity, lesbianism, softcore sex,

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

barrel-breasted babes: ''The Haunting of Morella'' has it all. But that's still not enough to give this predictable dull rendering of an

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

tale much life at the boxoffice."

References

Sources

* *

External links

* *
Review
at Mondo Digital 1990 films Films directed by Jim Wynorski 1990 horror films Films based on works by Edgar Allan Poe American horror films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-horror-film-stub