MovieChat Forums > The House of Seven Corpses Discussion > I think I get some of it now (spoilers)

I think I get some of it now (spoilers)

posted 11 years ago by Btrixkiddo35
5 replies | jump to latest

I grew up on this film. It scarred the wits out of me especially the last 30 minutes. But the thing was I never understood what the heck happened. It just didn't make sense?? But now I think I have an idea of what was going on. Be warned, spoilers below (if anyone still cares ;)

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The character of David was possessed or was THE First Beal reincarnated (not Jonathan BTW). The David (the unnamed corpse) in the 8th thought to be unmarked grave was actually the original Beal, the one who started everything and was murdering all the family members. He possessed the modern day David who had become obsessed with the Tibetan Book of the Dead. He actually predates Jonathan Beal or maybe he was a younger brother who made a pact to sacrifice 7 of his family members. For what, who knows. That is never made clear. I think the writers screwed it all up by overlapping too many of the scenes, especially with the character of David. I honestly think he may have killed all 7 of his family members. I don't think the wife shot her husband at all and that David Beal killed him. There weren't 2 corpses either, I think it was all one corpse and when David lost it in the cemetery and he fell in the grave he just took on his true form, a guy who'd been dead for the last 100 yrs or so.

The final portrait commissioned by the late and final Mrs. Beal was for the person in the unknown grave. Somehow, she found out who it was. WE find out the identity of the 8th grave when John Ireland's character trips and finds the plaque that is in the ground with David Beal's name and years of life on it. We now know who actually resides in the "unknown" grave maybe this is the same way the last and final Mrs. Beal found out who he was. Or maybe David visited the last Mrs. Beal and flat out told her who he was, I'm not entirely sure how she would create a portrait based on a plaque.

I heard someone say, "Carlos Estevez looks JUST like Charlie Sheen!" Good grief...

[–] gema6 11 years ago

I recorded this off TCM a few days ago. It must not have had the opening as I don't remember a Mrs. Beal at all...I missed something.

I get why David is a zombie, but who is the first zombie? I understand that the incantation made them "come alive", but the ending is still very confusing! I am disappointed.

I will have to watch it again sometime and see if it makes anymore sense. But I thank you for helping me with some of it, anyway.

[–] scubadivergeek 11 years ago

<<I recorded this off TCM a few days ago. It must not have had the opening as I don't remember a Mrs. Beal at all...I missed something.>>

Mrs. Beale is mentioned by Mr. Price, the character played by John Carradine. I believe he mentions that she was the person who actually hired him as caretaker. But I don't think we're actually told what happened to her, other than that she's dead.

One thing that can't be accounted for is the woman is found hanged from the ceiling in the center of the stairwell. Mr Price describes the scene, and then says "Don't ask me how she got there", as if to imply a supernatural presence of some kind was responsible.

Note that at the beginning, David actually fills in the details about one of the murders, saying one of them had his head bashed in with a candlestick, then when asked how he knew about it, he says "I found this house for you, remember?". Thus it makes sense that he's some kind of supernatural projection of David Beale, his purpose being to lure others to the house, to repeat the cycle of death.

If David Beale is the one who murdered the other family members, then he'd have to be the last to die. Why did he kill the others? Well, obviously, the family was very wealthy, so he bumped everyone else off so he could claim all inheritances for himself.

Unfortunately, there is a plot hole, in that David Beale is never mentioned until the very end, when Eric finds the gravestone after David attacks him, so we don't know where he fits in the story. Is he one of Jonathan's children or a sibling or someone who married into the family or what? And we're not given a reason for why he would have killed everyone? Was it just greed, or was it a pact with the devil or what? Nor are we told why the entire film crew and cast are murdered. Was the house built on an old Indian burial ground or what? Who knows?

[–] gema6 11 years ago

Thank you very much.

[–] Btrixkiddo35 11 years ago

Actually Carradine was hired by the relative before the final Mrs. Beal. Carradine actually mentions that he's worked for two of the Beale family members (incl the late Mrs. Beale).

My theory is that David was the first Beale and he kicked off the whole hocus pocus thing. I don't think he wanted money because they already had that. I think it was an issue of rich people desiring more and beyond their power of money. Dabbling in the occult would give him that. Since the late Mrs. Beale commissioned an 8th portrait for an "unknown" subject I'm pretty certain it was David. I doubt she would do a portrait for someone who married into the family. All the portraits were of blood relatives.

You are also correct that we were never told how Mrs Beale died but we're led to believe its mysterious like all the others.

I heard someone say, "Carlos Estevez looks JUST like Charlie Sheen!" Good grief...

[–] rjmgreen 9 years ago

I must have 500 questions for you. Let me watch the film tonight, then I will narrow my questions down to one or two. I grew up on this film as well. Sinister Seymour showed it late at night.