The Pyx

The Pyx (1973)

See It...Find Out What It Means!

A detective investigating the death of a heroin-addicted prostitute uncovers evidence pointing to the existence of a murderous devil cult.

Date of release
1973-09-08
TMDB
5.5 / 10 (24)
Runtime
1h 48m
Genres
Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Horror
Director
Harvey Hart

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Based on: The Pyx

The Pyx, also known as The Hooker Cult Murders and La Lunule, is a 1973 Canadian horror film directed by Harvey Hart and starring Karen Black, Christopher Plummer, Donald Pilon, and Jean-Louis Roux. Based on John Buell's 1959 novel of the same name, it follows a Montreal police detective unraveling the mystery behind the death of a heroin-addicted prostitute who died under bizarre circumstances after falling from a building. Its title refers to the pyx, a small container used by the Roman Catholic Church to hold sacramental bread.

Production

Director Curtis Harrington originally intended to direct a film adaptation of John Buell's 1959 novel The Pyx as early as 1964; his plans to develop the project are documented in his personal papers which are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Canadian director Harvey Hart, who had previously directed television episodes of Star Trek and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, ultimately went on to direct the film several years later without Harrington's involvement, under executive producer Maxine Samuels, who had primarily worked as a television producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

American actress Karen Black was cast in the lead role of Elizabeth Lucy, with Canadian actor Christopher Plummer portraying Sergeant Jim Henderson. By Black's account, the film's executive producer, Maxine Samuels, who was an acquaintance, contacted her and offered her the role. To prepare for the part, Black interviewed an ex-heroin addict in order to better understand the symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal.

Filming was scheduled to begin in late August 1972. The film was shot entirely in Montreal by cinematographer René Verzier, and includes much French dialogue, alongside the main dialogue in English. The shoot was scheduled to last approximately nine weeks, on a budget of CA$985,000.

The film features the Mount Royal Cross in an aerial overhead shot during its opening credits sequence. Other locations used include the Outremont and Griffintown sections of Montreal. Additional shooting took place on the Montreal waterfront.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

Recommended