Crowhaven Farm - A R.I.P. Movie Review

1. Crowhaven Farm (1970)
A young couple, Ben and Maggie Porter, inherits a farm after the death of one of her relatives. Hoping that the rural location might help to patch up their strained marriage, (a great deal of the strain being her inability to conceive and his out-of-control jealousy,) they move into it, only to be confronted by the supernatural forces that inhabit it.
Director: Walter Grauman
Stars: Hope Lange, Paul Burke, Lloyd Bochner, John Carradine, Cindh Eilbacher, William Smith



A mildly entertaining film, though pretty dated. I always enjoyed seeing both Hope Lange and Paul Burke, but their talents are mostly wasted here. It’s pretty clear how the story is going to progress, especially once they take in the young girl, Jennifer.




And most of the people in the town are sort of creepy. The ones who aren’t, well, I wouldn’t live in that town!

There are a few surprises, or perhaps puzzlements would be a better word because…



How do the witches know when Maggie’s spirit is going to return? Some of them were born before she was, so unless they had decades of advance notice, they would have been reborn with no idea as to when Maggie would return. And where were they all that time? In hell’s waiting room?

Why does Jennifer even want a husband? She’s ten years old! I assume her spirit didn’t age since she died the first time at ten. And while Ben is a nice looking man, he’s certainly not what you would call a teen heartthrob. Speaking of which, the scene where Jennifer crawls into bed with Ben would definitely not be filmed the same way today.





And one person being able to give away another’s soul just by handing over their wedding ring? That makes absolutely no sense. No married person would be safe!

Lastly, at the ending, why does the patrolman tie a knot the same way Ben did? Less than a year as gone by, so it can’t be Ben reincarnated. And if Maggie has paid for her life with Ben’s, why would the witches still be following her? Did they the first time, when she lived well into her 60s?




Still, it’s not a bad movie, especially given when it was made. I've certainly seen worse.