Ruby (1977)

An ex-mobster's mistress (Piper Laurie) is running a drive in theater in a rural part of the country. 16 years earlier, her lover (Sal Vecchio) had been murdered in a gangland killing and that very night, she gave birth to their daughter. Now, suddenly the men responsible for his death are dying violent deaths and she has visions of her dead lover returning. Directed by Curtis Harrington (WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?), this low budget exploitation film taking place at a drive in seems made for the drive in trade! For most of its running time, it appears to be a ghost story but suddenly in the movie's last half hour it turns into THE EXORCIST. Outside of Piper Laurie, who's very good and Stuart Whitman, who's okay, the acting is pretty lousy. For a horror film, it lacks any sense of dread or tension. To Harrington's credit, he infuses the film with a nice visual atmosphere and sense of period detail. With Janit Baldwin, Fred Kohler Jr. and Roger Davis.