The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave 1971

Alan is released from the asylum

Alan, a wealthy aristocrat, has just been released from a mental institution following his wife's death. He mourns Evelyn and his fragile state sets the stage for his later obsessively cruel behavior. He returns to his mansion, already displaying a thirst for revenge.

Alan begins preying on red-haired prostitutes

In his grief, Alan lures red-haired strippers and prostitutes to his home, where he tortures and kills them as a way to cope with his loss. These killings reveal his unrestrained psychosis and set the film's dark tone. His mansion becomes a crime scene of his own making.

A séance reveals Evelyn's specter

Alan attends a séance and the medium contacts Evelyn from beyond the grave, causing him to faint. The experience deepens his paranoia and drives his subsequent actions. The séance foreshadows Evelyn's lingering influence.

George Harriman moves in to help

George Harriman, Alan's cousin and heir, offers to move into the mansion to care for him. His arrival introduces a calculating influence behind the scenes. The two form an uneasy alliance as Alan's guard against his own instability weakens.

Strip club visit and Susan encounter

George takes Alan to a strip club, and Alan brings home Susan, a dancer who escapes. Susan disappears afterward. The episode signals the dangerous underlying manipulation around the household.

Plan to replace Evelyn with a new bride and move to London

George suggests replacing Evelyn with a new bride resembling her as a cure; the plan leads Alan to move to London to begin anew. The scheme marks the start of impersonation and deception.

Alan marries Gladys in London

Alan marries Gladys, a blonde, hoping she will stand in for Evelyn. Gladys senses the strange happenings in the house and grows uneasy. The marriage ties Alan to a new, fragile partner in the plan.

Gladys is haunted and shunned

Gladys experiences haunting phenomena and is ostracized by Evelyn's brother and Alan's invalid aunt. The chilly reception and supernatural hints widen the sense of danger in the mansion. The house becomes a pressure cooker for paranoia.

Suspicions of Evelyn’s faked death grow

Gladys suspects Evelyn faked her death to escape Alan and run away with her lover. Around this time, Evelyn's brother and Alan's aunt are killed by a mysterious killer. The killings escalate the mystery surrounding the estate.

Alan encounters a zombified Evelyn at her tomb

Alan glimpses a zombified Evelyn beckoning from her tomb, marking a breakdown. He realizes the figure still controls his fate and his mind unravels. This vision solidifies his plan for a drastic action.

Alan is institutionalized again

Overwhelmed by the events, Alan is taken away for permanent institutionalization. Gladys and George believe they have cemented their control or victory over him. The showdown seems resolved, though the conspiracy lingers.

Susan's impersonation and champagne poisoning reveal

George has been impersonating Evelyn with Susan, planning to gain control of the fortune. The plan seems to succeed until Susan appears and is revealed as the imposter. Gladys drinks champagne that has been poisoned, triggering the next, deadly confrontation.

Gladys kills Susan; George's plan continues

After the reveal, Gladys attacks Susan, killing her as George watches. George then succumbs to the poison he planned for others. The moment twists the power dynamics in the mansion.

Timberlane returns and the conspiracy is unmasked

Alan returns with Dr. Richard Timberlane, the physician who treated him previously, and reveals he suspected manipulation all along. He admits he faked the breakdown to draw out the conspirators. The confrontation climaxes in a chaotic chase by the pool.