Let's Scare Jessica to Death

Let's Scare Jessica to Death
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Hancock
Produced by	Charles B. Moss Jr. William Badalato
Written by	John Hancock (as Ralph Rose) Lee Kalcheim (as Norman Jonas)
Starring	Zohra Lampert Barton Heyman Kevin O'Connor Gretchen Corbett Mariclare Costello
Music by	Orville Stoeber
Production company	Paramount Pictures The Jessica Company
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	August 27, 1971 (1971-08-27)
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Let's Scare Jessica to Death is a 1971 American psychological horror film, directed by John D. Hancock and starring Zohra Lampert, Barton Heyman, Gretchen Corbett, and Mariclare Costello. The film depicts the nightmarish experiences of a psychologically fragile woman in an old farmhouse on a Connecticut island.

Upon its release in August 1971, the film received middling reviews from critics, but contemporarily has attained a cult following, with some film scholars drawing comparisons to Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's novel Carmilla (1871). In 2006, the Chicago Film Critics Association pronounced Let's Scare Jessica to Death the 87th scariest film ever made.

Jessica has been released from a mental institution to the care of her husband, Duncan, who has given up his job as string bassist for the New York Philharmonic and purchased a rundown farmhouse in Connecticut. When Jessica, Duncan, and their hippie friend Woody arrive, they are surprised to find a mysterious drifter, Emily, already living there. When Emily offers to move on, Jessica invites her to dine with them and stay the night.

The following day, Jessica, seeing how attracted Woody is to Emily, asks Duncan to invite her to stay indefinitely. Jessica begins hearing voices and sees a mysterious blonde girl looking at her from a distance before disappearing. Later, Jessica is grabbed by someone under the water in the cove while she is swimming. Jessica is afraid to talk about these things with Duncan or Woody, for fear that they'll think she's relapsing. She also becomes aware that Duncan seems to be attracted to Emily, and that the men in nearby town, all of whom are bandaged in some way, are hostile towards them.

Duncan and Jessica decide to sell antiques found in the house at a local shop, one of which is a silver-framed portrait of the house's former owners, the Bishop family—father, mother, and daughter Abigail. The antique dealer, Sam Dorker, tells them the story of how Abigail drowned in 1880 just before her wedding day. Legend says that she's still alive, roving the island as a vampire. Jessica finds the story fascinating, but Duncan, afraid that hearing about such things will upset his wife, cuts Dorker short. Later, as Jessica prepares to make a headstone rubbing on Abigail Bishop's grave, she notices the blonde girl beckoning her to follow. The girl leads Jessica to a cliff, at the bottom of which lies Dorker's bloodied body. By the time Jessica finds Duncan, however, the body is gone. Jessica and Duncan spot the blonde girl standing on the cliff above them, causing Duncan to give chase. When the girl is caught and questioned by the couple, she remains silent and runs off when Emily approaches.