Voices (1973) Proto The Others, Pre-Leading Female Characters in Horror (Review)

This spooky seventies throwback thriller treads a familiar path of horror tropes, acting as a precursor to some of today’s horror hits. Exiled to obscurity for the last fifty years, will this fresh restoration give Voices a new lease of life, or are they best left unheard?

Married (both in the film and real-life) couple Robert (David Hemmings) and Claire (Gayle Hunnicut) are en route through heavy fog to their abandoned countryside mansion following the disappearance and assumed death of their beloved son, David. Flashbacks reveal Claire isn’t coping well and has spent time in a psychiatric facility. Upon arriving at the cold and decrepit house, Claire is plagued by children’s voices coming from the adjoining room while Robert admonishes her for struggling to cope and, amongst other things, not being sexually available to him since David’s death. Eventually, Claire starts to witness apparitions of a little girl, who appears not to be aware of the house’s new residents, as well as her brother and her mother, all dressed in Victorian garb. Aghast, Claire reports the sightings to Robert who grows angry, accusing her of being unhinged via a variety of hurtful comments. Robert changes his mind when he experiences the voices himself, much to Claire’s relief and the couple briefly bond, but they soon realize that they can’t escape their past, or indeed the house, no matter how much they want to.

Voices was made at a time when British horror was in the process of being elevated. Whilst monster-themed Hammer ruled the horror genre throughout the sixties, the early seventies brought us The Exorcist (1973) and later in British cinema, The Omen (1976), two titans of horror cinema that elevated the genre and had a focus on psychological horror, based around character interaction rather than monster madness. Whilst Voices can’t compete with these future horror juggernauts, it’s firmly planted in this lane, hinging on the effects of loss and trauma on a young couple. Claire, plainly suffering from PTSD, walks around in a weepy daze for much of the film, claiming to be tired, cold, or miserable – it’s a
characterization of a suffering woman that doesn’t exist in today’s cinema.

Robert is a macho character, the only emotion he displays is anger, exasperated by Claire and these supposed ‘voices’ she is experiencing. Sometimes ridiculing her, sometimes shouting at her, Robert claims to love Claire but appears to only be able to feel close to her by making love, something she refuses given the circumstances with which their son David disappeared. Robert is keen to move on from the loss of their son, even suggesting in one of his nastier moments that Claire’s obsession with their deceased son verges on carnal. It’s also implied that he was responsible for committing Claire following a failed suicide attempt. Claire’s characterization is weak, her job is to hear the voices and see the apparitions, opening the door to a madness Robert won’t tolerate until he must face it late into the film. His acceptance that there is in fact something happening in the house allows Claire to rest in his arms, but this experience puts him on edge, further separating them emotionally. They stand separated in the film’s final moments as the truth dawns on them both, the audience left guessing whether this revelation will bring them together or drive them further apart.

The scares in Voices are thin on the ground but go with the story and you’ll find the rather unghostly Victorian apparitions unsettling as they inhabit the house unaware of its current-day occupants. This family are experiencing voices also, they just happen to be those of our protagonists who they neither see nor interact with until the lines between the two residents become blurred. This concept shares similarities with 2001’s The Others, which borrows more than a little from Voices, while being a vastly superior film. It’s obvious this film was made on a small budget, with most of the film taking place in a large living room studio set, complete with standard prop furniture and somewhat shaky walls, it put me in mind of an early episode of Tales of the Unexpected, or the BBC’s Ghost Story for Christmas, more filmed for television than cinema and that includes the sometimes hammy performance of both main actors too. The script is written like a stage play (not surprisingly, it’s based on a play) and actually I think it would benefit from being performed live.

Extra’s on this blu-ray include insightful commentary and information on the restoration that the film underwent for this release, those technically minded will appreciate the work that’s gone into this fresh release, even if it hasn’t improved the screen quality as much as other releases from the same period have enjoyed.

As a slice of horror nostalgia, Voices is a sweet treat – watch it in a double bill with The Others to see just how far our beloved haunted female protagonists in cinema have come.

VOICES – DAVID’S ARCHIVE