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During the black-and-white prologue of The Evictors (1979), a volley of old-time police cars descend upon a rustic two-story house in Louisiana during the 1920's. The inhabitants must surrender the property. When no cooperation is shown, the cops draw guns, and the inhabitants return fire. The result is a bloodbath, as the turf-holders, presided over by an unseen man who owns a pair of cracked spectacles, fires back upon the intruders. The outcome of this shoot-out is not shown.
Segue twenty years. The Watkins newlyweds, Ben and Ruth, are a nice young couple who decide to purchase a new home during the post-WWII era in Louisiana. And they settle, with a little persuasion from realtor Jake Rudd (the late Vic Morrow) upon a certain two-story home. It is serene and away from the populace, and it offers the newlyweds all they could hope for....plus more than they bargained for.
What the realtor failed to inform these new buyers is that it is the same home that you just read about in the first paragraph. And Ruth (Jessica Harper of Suspiria fame) comes to know about this through conversations with her newfound local friend, the wheelchair-bound Olie Gibson (Sue Anne Langdon). Since hubby Ben (Michael Parks) usually works late at the factory, he's not around enough to experience much of the horrors which Ruth will quickly encounter in this seemingly idyllic home.
In her afternoon talks with Olie, Ruth learns that her new home has had a bloody past. Previous tenants have died horrible "accidental" deaths, ranging from electrocutions to bludgeonings with horse-branding implements to being burned alive. And Sue Anne Langdon, who portrays Olie, gives perhaps the best performance in the picture as she relays these horrific tales not as a warning, but as cheerful ladies' gossip. As an addendum to these anecdotes, Ruth acquires a pistol, purchased especially for her by the frequently-absent Ben.
The comforts of friendly gossip and the security of a husband suddenly fail Ruth one night, as Ben calls in, saying he has to work late at the factory, and Olie's not answering her phone. And there are strange noises upstairs. This is a truly tense scene, and writer/director Charles B. Pierce telegraphs it quietly and with enough creaking upstairs boards and momentary shadows to leave you on the edge of your seat. This is particularly evident when Ruth fakes a telephone call meant to dissuade the menacing shadow that seems to be descending from the staircase.
The villain (Glen Roberts) gradually confronts and terrorizes Ruth until a familiar car drives up to the house. It's Ben, finally home from work, who is able to drive the marauding madman from his beloved wife, though at the expense of his own life.
Later, a memorial service for Ben Watkins is held. Ruth is consoled by Olie and also by realtor Jake Rudd. Although the wounded killer has not been found, the nightmare will be over for Ruth. As this scene concludes, it's obvious that Rudd is ready to step in for Ben and be her protector.
And Olie will seemingly always be her old self, as she wheelchairs her way back into her home. Now an unexpected twist enters the storyline, and when the dust settles, all has been explained about what really happened during the shoot-out from twenty years prior. Yet it's still not quite over, as a voice-over mentions a later pair of buyers who meet an unfortunate "accidental" death in the old home. And the final scene includes the infamous pair of cracked spectacles seen in the prologue, bringing the tale to a haunting finale.
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