Mausoleum/Review

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In 1960, young Susan (Julie Christy Murray) stands at her mother's grave with her Aunt Cora (Laura Hippe) just after the funeral has ended. Upset that she has to return home with her Aunt, Susan runs through the cemetery and enters a mausoleum in a trance-like state. Once inside, her eyes begin to glow with a green light as she approaches a tomb. A deformed hand emerges from the tomb. Cut to 1983, Susan (now played by Bobbie Bresee) is now married to Oliver (Marjoe Gortner.) They have a voyeuristic groundskeeper named Ben (Maurice Sherbanee) and a maid named Elsie (La Wanda Page).

Aunt Cora, concerned about Susan, meets with the family psychiatrist Dr. Simon Andrews (Norman Burton). Cora gives Simon her father's diary which is a history of her family, the Nomed family (guess what that spells backwards). Simon learns that no Nomed woman must enter the sanctuary of the mausoleum. He also reads something to the effect of, if the demon is extricated from the crown of thorns, it will be rewarded with the possession of the firstborn female. The way to end the possession is to re-unite the demon with the crown of thorns (Got all that? Yeah, I know, it's kind of a reach).

Susan and Oliver decide to go to a nightclub. They hit the dance floor and just when Oliver is starting to get down with his bad self, he is told that he has a phone call. A sleazy guy (played by Gene Edwards) with a gruff voice (and who looks a little bit like Kenny Rogers) decides to cut in and says "Hey honey! C'mere. Why waste a dance? C'mon!". Susan declines his advances, and she and Oliver decide to leave. In the parking lot, Susan's eyes glow green as she unleashes her demonic powers to blow up the sleazy guy in his car.

As the film progresses, Susan dispatches some more victims, usually during Oliver's work hours. Elsie the maid however senses that something is up when she opens Susan's bedroom door. She must not like what she sees because she runs down the steps exclaiming "No mo' grievin', I'm leavin'!" and runs out of the house. At Oliver's request, Susan agrees to see Simon the psychiatrist who puts Susan under hypnosis. Susan's eyes glow green and she speaks in a demonic voice. Simon realizes that Susan is possessed and he must help end the Nomed curse.

Some thoughts I have on Mausoleum: I'm still scratching my head over what Susan did with the bodies. I particularly liked the atmosphere inside the mausoleum complete with cobwebs, rats, archways, and shadows. The special effects (especially the transformed demon-Susan creature) were also much better than I was expecting. Bobbie Bresee looks genuinely creepy with glowing green eyes. Although the final showdown between Simon and the demon is pretty anti-climactic, overall this film was fun and worth checking out.

Reviewed by Murphy