Nurse Sherri

Nurse Sherri
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAl Adamson
Written byMichael Bockman
Greg Tittinger
Story byAl Adamson
Samuel M. Sherman
Produced byMark Sherwood
StarringJill Jacobson
Geoffrey Land
Marilyn Joi
CinematographyRoger Michaels
Edited byMichael Bockman
Greg Tittinger
Production
company
Independent-International Pictures
Distributed byIndependent-International Pictures
Release date
  • March 1977 (1977-03)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Nurse Sherri (also known as The Possession of Nurse Sherri and Black Voodoo[1][2] as well as Beyond the Living, Hospital of Terror, Killer's Curse, and Hands of Death[3]) is a 1977 American supernatural horror film directed by Al Adamson and starring Jill Jacobson, Geoffrey Land, and Marilyn Joi. Produced and distributed by Independent-International Pictures,[4] the film's plot follows a nurse who becomes possessed by the spirit of a vengeful cult leader who died in the hospital where she works.

Synopsis

Sherri Martin is a hospital nurse. An evil spirit takes possession of her and forces her to murder her patients.

Cast

  • Geoffrey Land as Peter Desmond
  • Jill Jacobson as Sherri Martin
  • Marilyn Joi as Tara Williams
  • Katherine Pass as Beth Dillon (as Mary Kay Pass)
  • Prentiss Moulden as Marcus Washington
  • Bill Roy as Reanhauer
  • Erwin Fuller as Charlie
  • J.C. Wells as Stevens
  • Clay Foster as Dr. Nelson (as Clayton Foster)
  • Caryl Briscoe as Nurse Gordon
  • Jack Barnes as Dr. Andrews

Production

The name of the cult leader character, "Reanhauer," is similar to Margaret L. Reinauer, who presided over a real-life cult known as The Circle of Friends. An incident taking place early in the film, during which Reanhauer and his followers seek to resurrect one of their dead brethren via chanting, has similar aspects to the attempted resurrection of 17-year-old Katherine Globe, who died after she was refused medical attention by religious zealots at St. Matthias, Bellwoods in Toronto in 1967.[5]

Reception

"Known over the years by a number of different titles in different parts of the world, Nurse Sherri is a seedy, low profile, drive-in circuit horror film from 1977. ", commented a review at Digital Bits.[4]

"For the casual genre fan, the name Al Adamson may not ring a bell. As for me, I have always known about the prolific B filmmaker, but have only seen one of his films (that would be Nurse Sherri).", noted the Daily Dead.[5]

Home media

In 2017, the film was restored in 2K and released on DVD and Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome.[6]

References

  1. ^ Olson, Christopher J.; Reinhard, CarrieLynn D. (2016). Possessed Women, Haunted States: Cultural Tensions in Exorcism Cinema. Lexington Books. p. 186. ISBN 978-1498519083.
  2. ^ McCann, Bob (2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland & Company. p. 183. ISBN 978-0786437900.
  3. ^ Binion, Cavett. "Beyond the Living (1978)". AllMovie. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Ray, Fred Olen (1991). The New Poverty Row: Independent Filmmakers as Distributors. McFarland & Company. p. 131. ISBN 978-0899506289.
  5. ^ a b Moore, Nathaniel G. (2018) "My Grandfather's Cult" (Toronto Life) https://torontolife.com/city/my-grandfathers-cult/
  6. ^ "Nurse Sherri – Vinegar Syndrome". Vinegar Syndrome. Retrieved January 19, 2020.