''Ruby'' is a 1977 American

supernatural horror film Supernatural horror film is a film genre that combines aspects of horror film and supernatural film. Supernatural occurrences in such films often include ghosts and demons, and many supernatural horror films have elements of religion. Common them ...

directed by

Curtis Harrington Gene Curtis Harrington (September 17, 1926 – May 6, 2007) was an American film and television director whose work included experimental films, horror films and episodic television. He is considered one of the forerunners of New Queer Cinema ...

, and starring

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), all of which brought her Academy Award n ...

Stuart Whitman Stuart Maxwell Whitman (February 1, 1928 – March 16, 2020) was an American actor, known for his lengthy career in film and television. Whitman was born in San Francisco and raised in New York until the age of 12, when his family relocated to ...

, and Roger Davis. Its plot follows a former

gun moll A gun moll or gangster moll or gangster's moll is the female companion of a male professional criminal. "Gun" was British slang for thief, derived from Yiddish ''ganef'', from the Hebrew ''gannāb'' ( גנב). "Moll" is also used as a euphemism for ...

in 1951 Florida who operates a drive-in theater, where bizarre supernatural occurrences begin to plague her staff of ex-mobsters, as well as her mute daughter.

Plot

In 1935

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, lowlife

mobster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix ''-ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and r ...

Nicky Rocco is betrayed and executed in the swampy backwoods as his pregnant

Ruby Claire watches. He swears vengeance with his dying breath, and then she suddenly goes into

labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

. Sixteen years later in 1951, Ruby is now running a

drive-in theater A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view mov ...

in the backwoods near her home and employs ex-mobsters to run the theater. Her 16-year-old daughter, Leslie Claire, is mute and has been since birth, and resides in the home with Ruby, her lover and henchman Vince, and Jake Miller, a blind, wheelchair-bound former mobster who had his eyes cut out. Ruby spends her days overseeing the theater's operations as well as lamenting her short-lived career as a

lounge singer Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The rang ...

. One evening during a drive-in showing, the

projectionist A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators". Historical background N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate. Early ...

Jess Littinger experiences

poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional desc ...

activity in the projection booth and then is found hanged. Ruby dismisses his death as a suicide and instructs Vince to get rid of his body. Meanwhile, Lila June, a patron at the theater, is given a necklace from Louie, a clerk at the concession stand, that he stole from Ruby. He attempts to rape Lila, but she flees. Louie is accosted by an invisible force in the woods that kills him. The following morning, Leslie and Vince find Louie's bloodied corpse hanging from a tree. Ruby fears that Nicky's spirit has returned to torment her, fearing he believes she lured him to his death. At nightfall, Vince and Ruby take Louie's corpse to the swamp to dispose of it. Later, Vince is visited by Dr. Keller, a prison psychologist who helped Vince receive an early parole. Dr. Keller, who claims to be

clairvoyant Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...

, investigates the property, and tells Vince that he senses the drive-in is being stalked by a supernatural presence. Vince and Dr. Keller arrive at the house to speak to Ruby about Dr. Keller's findings. Later, a drunken Ruby goes to the drive-in grounds to speak to Nicky, and she is confronted by the sound of his voice calling her name over the theater's sound system, followed by a series of violent apparitions. In the middle of the night, Ruby is confronted by Leslie in the attic, who begins speaking in Nicky's voice. A violent struggle ensues, and Ruby knocks Leslie unconscious. Dr. Keller attempts to hypnotize Leslie after the incident. During the attempt, Ruby watches in horror as bullet holes appear in Leslie's head, the same as those that inflicted Nicky. Later, Dr. Keller and Ruby discuss Nicky's death, and while Ruby admits to having set up other mobsters, she was not responsible for Nicky's death. Suddenly, Jake appears in his wheelchair, stabbed to death. Ruby and Dr. Keller rush upstairs to Leslie's room and find her body contorted and her speaking in Nicky's voice. Ruby goes downstairs while Dr. Keller attempts to calm Leslie and attempts to speak with Nicky. She unveils a jar containing Jake's preserved eyeballs, which she cut out herself, as proof of her dedication to Nicky. Dr. Keller phones Vince at the drive-in, urging him to leave as soon as possible. Moments later, Vince is confronted by Nicky's apparition, and a sudden burst of wind overtakes the drive-in. Meanwhile, Leslie, possessed by Nicky, attacks Dr. Keller. Vince manages to rush back to the house, but finds that Ruby has disappeared. Vince and Dr. Keller flee into the swamp, where they witnesses Ruby walking toward the water hand-in-hand with Nicky. Suddenly, Ruby screams as she is dragged underwater to her death by Nicky's skeleton.

Cast

Production

Principal photography of ''Ruby'' began in Los Angeles in September 1976. The film's working title was ''Blood Ruby''. The film playing in the drive-in, the

cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

'' Attack of the 50 Foot Woman'', was released in 1958.

Release

Box office

''Ruby'' was released theatrically in the United States by Dimension Pictures in June 1977. During its opening weekend in Chicago, it grossed approximately $315,000. The film was overall a commercial success, eventually grossing a total of $16 million.

Home media

The film was long available on video in the U.S., only as a re-edited (and apparently re-shot by director

Stephanie Rothman Stephanie Rothman (born November 9, 1936, in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter, known for her low-budget independent exploitation films made in the 1960s and 1970s, especially '' The Student Nurses'' ( ...

) version for television, which omitted the R-rated violence and adding new dialogue scenes. The DVD of ''Ruby'' was released on June 26, 2001 and is presented in its original theatrical version; however, this is not a director's cut: it contains Krantz's abrupt, horror ending rather than Harrington's intended romantic one. It is presented in widescreen but not anamorphic. The special features include: the original theatrical trailer, motion menu, scene selection, commentary with

and

, interview with Curtis Harrington, photo gallery, and Director's Theatrical Cut. However, this version is currently out of print. In 2017, ''Ruby'' was released as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with extra bonus features.

Reception and legacy

Critical reception for ''Ruby'' has been negative with ''Time Out'' magazine stated that the film starts well, but was ruined by "cluttered art direction", "nostalgic flashbacks", and predictability while ''Variety'' gave the film a negative review, noting the film's promising start, but felt that it was bogged down by poor performances from the film's cast. It was parodied by

RiffTrax RiffTrax is an American company that produces scripted humorous commentary tracks which are synced to mostly public domain feature films, education shorts, and television episodes. With the talents of former ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''M ...

on August 19, 2016.Preview video on RiffTrax's official YouTube channel
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References

External links

* *
Turner Classic Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruby 1977 films 1977 horror films 1977 independent films American supernatural horror films American independent films Dimension Pictures films Films about organized crime in the United States Films directed by Curtis Harrington Films set in 1935 Films set in 1951 Films set in Florida Films set in a movie theatre Films about spirit possession Films about telekinesis Films scored by Don Ellis Films shot in Los Angeles Mafia films 1970s supernatural films Films set in the 1930s Films set in the 1950s 1970s English-language films 1970s American films