History Film / CityOfTheDead

Professor Alan Driscoll (Lee) teaches the history of witchcraft at a Chicago university. He encourages his star student, Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson), to take a field trip to the sleepy village of Whitewood, Massachusetts, the site of a famous 17th-century witch burning. Both Nan's skeptical brother Richard (Dennis Lotis) and her fiancé Bill (Tom Naylor) try to dissuade her from going, but her curiosity proves too powerful. After arriving in Whitewood, Nan finds accommodation at the Raven's Inn hotel, run by Mrs. Newless (Patricia Jessel), and plunges headlong into the town's satanic history. Little does she realize that she has been lured to Whitewood for a sinister purpose.

Professor Alan Driscoll (Lee) teaches the history of witchcraft at a Chicago university. He encourages his star student, Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson), to take a field trip to the sleepy village of Whitewood, Massachusetts, the site of a famous 17th-century witch burning. Both Nan's skeptical brother Richard (Dennis Lotis) and her fiancé Bill (Tom Naylor) try to dissuade her from going, but her curiosity is too powerful. After arriving in Whitewood, Nan finds accommodation at the Raven's Inn hotel, run by Mrs. Newless (Patricia Jessel), and plunges headlong into the town's satanic history. Little does she realize that she has been lured to Whitewood for a sinister purpose.

Also see ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'', another FolkHorror film starring Christopher Lee about a TownWithADarkSecret.

Also see ''Film/TheWickerMan'', another FolkHorror film starring Christopher Lee and a TownWithADarkSecret.

* DeadAnimalWarning: On returning to her room after the dancers disappear, Nan finds a dead bird on her bed: impaled by a silver pin shaped like a dagger.

* CreepyGasStationAttendant: Nan stops at a remote gas station on a fog-shrouded road to ask for directions to [[TownwithADarkSecret Whitewood]]. The gas station attendant warns her that god-fearing folk don't go there, but her directions nonetheless.

* {{Fanservice}}: A brief, unexpected example occurs when Nan Barlow removes her modest housecoat to reveal risque, cabaret-esque lingerie.

* SlashersPreferBlondes: [[spoiler: Blonde Nan is killed by the witches. Brunette Pat survives. What's more is that blond Maitland dies and brunet Richard survives]].

* TownWithADarkSecret: Whitewood. Of course the secret is not necessarily that witchcraft was practiced there - which everyone knows about - [[spoiler: but that they still regularly sacrifice people]].

Also see ''Film/TheWickerMan'', another FolkHorror film starring Christopher Lee.

* BurnTheWitch: Whitewood falls under a curse after its inhabitants burn a witch. Ironically the film was made in Europe (where witch burning did happen) but takes place in America (where it did not).

* CuteBookworm: Nan, Professor Driscoll's star student.

* FolkHorror: Dealing with black magic worship in a small town in

* LovecraftCountry: Whitewood.

* {{Cucoloris}}: Inside the Raven's Inn, a pronounced "roaring fire" effect is applied to the walls.

Professor Alan Driscoll (Lee) teaches the history of witchcraft at a Chicago university. He encourages his star student, Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson), to take a field trip to the New England town of Whitewood, the site of a famous 17th-century witch burning. Nan's skeptical boyfriend Bill (Tom Naylor) and brother Dick (Dennis Lotis) try to talk her out of going, but her curiosity is too powerful. After arriving in Whitewood, Nan finds accommodation at the Raven's Inn and plunges headlong into the town's satanic history. Little does she realize that she has been lured to Whitewood for a sinister purpose.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bndhinjlmnjctnznlyi00mmjilwjmmjqtntu5n2yzymzkmzjlxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymji4mja5mza_v1_sy1000_cr006731000_al.jpg]]

Professor Alan Driscoll teaches the history of witchcraft at a Chicago university. He encourages his star student, Nan Barlow, to take a field trip to the New England town of Whitewood, the site of a famous 17th-century witch burning. Nan's skeptical boyfriend Tom and brother Dick try to talk her out of going, but her curiosity is too powerful. After arriving in Whitewood, she finds accommodation at the Raven's Inn and plunges headlong into the town's satanic history. Little does she realize that she has been lured to Whitewood for a sinister purpose.

* MarketBasedTitle: Called ''Horror Hotel'' in America.

* {{Cukoloris}}: Inside the Raven's Inn, a pronounced "roaring fire" effect is applied to the walls.

* {{Fanservice}}: A brief, unexpected example occurs when Nan Barlow removes her dowdy housedress to reveal risque, cabaret-esque lingerie.

* GoodShepherd: The Reverend Russell, although he seems less interested in saving souls than in stubbornly preserving the sanctity of his church building.

* DutchAngles: Used sparingly: once near the end when Dick Barlow leaves the inn and again with closeups of members of the coven as they try to sacrifice Pat Russell.

* WomanInBlack: Mrs Newless always wears black, which helps make her seem off.

* AnyoneCanDie: To the point that it's not clear who the protagonist is supposed to be.

* EvilLaugh: Elizabeth Selwyn/Mrs. Newlis.

* EvilMatriarch: In Whitewood, Mrs. Newlis calls the shots.

* HotWitch: "Hot" may be pushing it, but Mrs. Newlis is reasonably attractive.

* KickTheDog: Mrs. Newlis's cruel treatment of the mute Lottie.

OnlyShopInTown: Pat has just opened up a shop in a tiny, virtually deserted town that hardly ever receives visitors.

* StupidEvil: [[spoiler:Why did they leave that cross-shaped tombstone sitting around in the UnholyGround cemetery where they make human sacrifices?]]
* TownWithADarkSecret: Whitewood.

* BurnTheWitch: Whitewood falls under a curse after its inhabitants burn a witch.

* ForTheEvulz: Why worship Satan? Just because.
** The worshippers get immortality in return.

* TheFifties / UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Brylcreem! Angora sweaters! Cone bras! Soda jerks! Hepcat slang! Liquor bottles in the living room!

* SlashersPreferBlondes
* SecretShop / OnlyShopInTown: Pat has just opened up a shop in a tiny, virtually deserted town that hardly ever receives visitors.

* StupidEvil: If Mrs. Newlin was going to kill [[spoiler:Lottie]] anyway, why didn't she use [[spoiler:Lottie]] as the second sacrifice?
** Maybe because [[spoiler:Lottie]] was a useful source of free labour at the inn. [[spoiler:Lottie]] was only killed when she kept trying to warn the guests.
** [[spoiler:Why did they leave that cross-shaped tombstone sitting around in the UnholyGround cemetery where they make human sacrifices?]]