Kudos to the Alamo Draft House for (a week ago tonight) showing the DVD release of the 1960 beginning of the witch movie craze, "CITY OF THE DEAD" (British Title). As HORROR HOTEL, the US got an early John Lewellyn Moxey effort (he also, until 1988 apparently, directed an overwhelming and diverse list of TV and film, varying in quality from ??? to fantastic; IMDB info at the link) that rivals Amicus and Hammer Studios spookiness. It's a film very much of its time, with some beatnik language and a bit of overacting from Christopher Lee (rather out of character since his many Dracula stints were usually a tad underplayed until the biting). But like it or not, the writer and director gave a great stable of actors enough to work with, such that unknowns and almost-unknowns get a real chance to shine. Pat Jessel, playing the secretive "Mrs. Newliss", gives the performance of her life, as far as I can gather from what I know of her non-Broadway work.

The more of this sort of starter film for careers in the making, the better. DVD quality is very good, possibly even restored, which is important for catching all the details in this noir/horror approach. Five stars out of five.