The City of the Dead (1960) Plot Summary Explained

Professor Driscoll was actually a member of Elizabeth Selwyn's coven. He deliberately recommended Whitewood to Nan so the coven could use her as the Candlemas Eve sacrifice. As a history professor specializing in witchcraft, he had the perfect cover to identify and lure young women to the town.

Foreshadowing: Driscoll's lecture on witchcraft at the beginning establishes his deep knowledge of the occult, which later explains his secret involvement with Selwyn's coven.

• professor driscoll
• nan barlow
• whitewood
• coven
• sacrifice
• motive

In 1692, before being burned at the stake, Elizabeth Selwyn and her accomplice Jethrow Keane sold their souls to Lucifer in exchange for eternal life and vengeance on Whitewood. The pact required two yearly virgin sacrifices on the Hour of Thirteen during Candlemas Eve and the Witches' Sabbath to maintain her immortality.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene in 1692 establishes the supernatural deal that powers the entire story.

• elizabeth selwyn
• immortality
• pact
• lucifer
• soul
• sacrifice

Candlemas Eve is one of the two annual dates when the coven must offer a virgin sacrifice to fulfill their pact with the Devil. It occurs on February 2nd and marks one of the two required offerings that sustain Selwyn's immortality. The other is the Witches' Sabbath.

Foreshadowing: Patricia hints to Nan that Candlemas Eve holds real significance in Whitewood, but Nan doesn't realize it's literally the night of her sacrifice.

• candlemas eve
• sacrifice
• ritual
• coven
• devil pact

Nan was chosen because she was a young woman and a virgin who came to Whitewood during Candlemas Eve, exactly when the coven needed their annual sacrifice. Her visit during the specific time period, combined with Professor Driscoll's deliberate recommendation, made her the perfect victim.

Foreshadowing: Patricia lends Nan a book about witchcraft and warns her about Candlemas Eve, subtly hinting at the danger Nan is walking into.

• nan barlow
• sacrifice
• virgin
• candlemas eve
• targeted

Bill survived because the apparition of Elizabeth Selwyn that appeared on the road was a supernatural intimidation tactic rather than a direct fatal attack. The crash was severe enough to gravely injure him, but he managed to reach Whitewood with his life, allowing him to arrive just in time for the final confrontation.

Foreshadowing: The earlier scene where Selwyn's ghost appears to Bill establishes her ability to project terrifying visions that can affect the physical world.

• bill maitland
• car crash
• selwyn
• apparition
• survive

Patricia was kidnapped because she was the second sacrifice needed for that year's ritual cycle. After Nan was sacrificed on Candlemas Eve, the coven required another virgin sacrifice to complete their annual obligations. Patricia became the next target when the coven needed to fulfill both ritual dates.

Foreshadowing: Patricia's warning to Nan about Candlemas Eve and her obvious knowledge of the town's secrets make her a liability to the coven.

• patricia russell
• kidnapped
• sacrifice
• coven
• virgin

Bill pulled a large wooden cross from a grave in the graveyard and used it to drive back the coven members. When he lifted the cross, the coven members became trapped in its shadow and were burned alive. The cross represented divine power that could counteract the demonic pact, acting as a counter-spell to Selwyn's dark magic.

Foreshadowing: The scene where Bill finds the cross in the graveyard builds tension as the protagonists realize they have found a weapon against the immortal witches.

• wooden cross
• coven
• burn
• divine power
• shadow

Selwyn was burned to death in the final confrontation when the coven was destroyed under the cross's shadow. However, she initially escaped during the chaos. Richard and Patricia later discovered her charred corpse in the hotel that was built on the exact site where she was burned in 1692, completing the circular justice of her fate.

Foreshadowing: The revelation that The Raven's Inn was built on the site of Selwyn's burning foreshadows her ultimate return to that location in death.

• elizabeth selwyn
• death
• charred corpse
• hotel
• burned

Professor Driscoll joined the coven to gain access to immortality, similar to Selwyn's own pact with the Devil. His position as a university history professor gave him the perfect cover to identify potential victims and lure them to Whitewood under the guise of academic research.

Foreshadowing: Driscoll's extensive knowledge of witchcraft, demonstrated in his university lecture, hints at his deeper involvement with the occult.

• professor driscoll
• coven
• membership
• immortality
• teacher

Selwyn initially escaped the fire because her pact with the Devil granted her powerful immortality that protected her from the flames. However, her pact was being undone by the counter-magic of the cross, and she was severely weakened. Richard and Patricia later found her already-dead charred body in the hotel, indicating the delayed effect of the divine intervention finally caught up with her.

Foreshadowing: Bill's use of the cross creates a spiritual backlash against the demonic pact, which progressively weakens Selwyn's supernatural protections.

• selwyn
• escape
• fire
• pact
• weakened
• death

The Hour of Thirteen refers to 1:00 AM, which is the specific time when the sacrifice ritual must be performed. According to the terms of Selwyn's pact with Lucifer, the virgin sacrifice must be offered at exactly this supernatural hour during Candlemas Eve and the Witches' Sabbath.

Foreshadowing: The coven's careful timing of Nan's sacrifice to occur at this specific hour reflects the rigid contractual nature of their demonic agreement.

• hour of thirteen
• sacrifice
• ritual
• midnight
• time

Reverend Russell was Patricia Russell's grandfather and the one who revealed to Richard that Whitewood was under Selwyn's coven control. Despite being a man of faith in a town ruled by dark forces, he lacked the power to stop the coven. His knowledge came from generations of fighting against the supernatural evil in Whitewood.

Foreshadowing: Patricia's connection to the Reverend establishes her as someone with hidden knowledge about the town's true nature.

• reverend russell
• patricia
• grandfather
• whitewood
• revelation

The Raven's Inn doesn't exist in any phone directory because it only appears to those who are meant to find it as part of the coven's trap. The inn and the entire town of Whitewood operate under a supernatural veil that conceals them from the outside world, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to investigate or access the location normally.

Foreshadowing: Bill and Richard's discovery that the inn has no listing is the first clue that something unnatural protects Whitewood from outside scrutiny.

• raven's inn
• phone directory
• whitewood
• hidden
• concealed