The Daily Dig: The Haunting of Morella (1990)

This adaptation of Poe’s “Morella” relies heavily on tropes and lends credence to stereotypes that have hampered genre filmmaking.

A witch is executed thanks to her husband’s betrayal, and seventeen years later, her curse is enacted when her daughter comes of age. Let’s dig into 1990’s THE HAUNTING OF MORELLA, directed by Jim Wynorski!

As I See It

Director Jim Wyrnoski kicked around in the horror genre for about fifteen years. He began his career directing films like Chopping Mall, Sorority House Massacre II, 976-Evil II, and Ghoulies IV.

He eventually transitioned to filming adult films, predominately of the Skinemax variety. You can see some of that “softcore” leaning trickle into this liberal telling of an Edgar Allan Poe short story, “Morella”.

If nothing else, you can credit Nicole Eggert for playing dual roles at such a young age. Especially characters so important to the plot. She does a good job. Lana Clarkson is good as well. She seems wildly underutilized in her career, which was shortened by a lunatic troll (see below).

Poe’s original short was a study on reincarnation or at least the lingering spirit. Think of it like an early yarn on the transfer of consciousness after death, but of course you wouldn’t see Poe going off about computers and the digital mind.

Instead of traipsing through the deep material this plot and theme could have garnered, Wynorski decides to bring it down to the level of misogyny that gave this genre a bad name for so long, irresistibly changing the regretful husband who wishes death upon his wife for sloth and illness into a victim of some evil wench and her machinations.

The performances of Eggert and Clarkson are worth the watch, but not much else.

Famous Faces

Nicole Eggert (Morella/Lenora) cemented her place in the pre-millennium zeitgeist as a regular on Charles in Charge and Baywatch.

David McCallum (Gideon) passed away in 2023 at the age of ninety. He starred in a staggering four hundred sixty episodes of NCIS as Ducky and played Dr. Daniel Westin in the 1970s TV series The Invisible Man.

Lana Clarkson (Coel) stood a commanding six feet tall. She played Mrs. Vargas in the seminal coming of age tale Fast Times at Ridgemont High and had a bit part in Scarface. She tragically met her end at just forty years old at the hands of the little alien Phil Spector, who was found guilty of shooting her.

Of Gratuitous Nature

A servant girl, Morella, and Mrs. Devereaux (Clarkson) are all shown bathing nude in a two-minute span. Eggert, who was just seventeen during filming, is rightfully using a body double in these scenes as well as her sex scenes. It’s a bit of a softcore porn veiled with Poe.

Heartthrob

Nicole Eggert would go on to be a huge crush for an entire TV-watching generation despite starring alongside Pam Anderson and Yasmine Bleeth. Perhaps it was her “girl next door” charm alongside her beauty.

Ripe for a Remake

I can see a truer-to-fiction telling of the Poe original being adapted in a more contemporary setting. It would have heavy social and political meaning.

Spawns

No progeny to report.

Where to Watch

Scorpion Releasing released a Blu-Ray of The Haunting of Morella, available from Grindhouse Video.