The City of the Dead (1960) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film takes place in Whitewood, a fictional Massachusetts town. Despite its quiet appearance, Whitewood harbors a dark supernatural history tied to witchcraft. Key locations include The Raven's Inn, where protagonist Nan Barlow stays, and the Whitewood Graveyard, which connects the town's past to its present-day horror.

• whitewood massachusetts
• ravens inn
• horror movie setting
• fictional town

The story unfolds across two time periods: 1692, when the original witch-burning occurred, and the early 1960s when Nan Barlow visits Whitewood. The 1692 storyline establishes the pact between Elizabeth Selwyn, Jethrow Keane, and Lucifer that granted the coven immortality, while the modern timeline shows the consequences of that ancient bargain.

• 1960s
• 1692
• time period
• dual timeline
• witch burning era

The film explores the conflict between belief, ritual, and magic against rational inquiry. Nan's academic curiosity about witchcraft leads her into a web of ancient rituals that science-backed skepticism cannot easily dispel. The coven's tangible power challenges the notion that superstition is merely old legend.

• occult
• reason
• witchcraft
• rational inquiry
• belief vs superstition

Whitewood functions as more than a backdrop, it embodies a secret history that controls its residents. The Raven's Inn and graveyard symbolize how ordinary spaces harbor occult power. The town's veneer of normalcy hides a dangerous underworld that resurfaces to threaten outsiders like Nan.

• whitewood
• haunted town
• occult power
• secret history
• supernatural setting

The film centers on ritual sacrifice as a means for the coven to maintain immortality and power. The demand for victims drives the story's tension and fear. Acts of courage, particularly Bill Maitland's intervention, challenge the inevitability of the ritual, showing humans can confront and overcome such evil.

• sacrifice
• survival
• ritual
• immortality
• coven
• courage

Nan Barlow is the protagonist, a curious history student who travels to Whitewood to study its occult past. Her academic interest makes her a target for the coven, and she becomes the catalyst for unraveling the town's dark secrets. Despite her fear, she demonstrates resolve in uncovering the truth.

• nan barlow
• protagonist
• history student
• witchcraft
• Venetia Stevenson

Elizabeth Selwyn is the main antagonist, the witch behind the 1692 pact with Lucifer who reappears in modern times under the alias Mrs. Newless. She lures Nan into the coven's rituals, wielding manipulation and fear to maintain control over Whitewood. Her presence ties together the two time periods as the immortal leader of the coven.

• elizabeth selwyn
• mrs newless
• antagonist
• witch
• coven leader
• Patricia Jessel

Professor Alan Driscoll is a university history professor who guides Nan toward Whitewood while concealing his allegiance to the coven. His calm, authoritative demeanor masks a deeper involvement with occult power, creating tension between his role as a knowledge provider and his hidden influence over the town's evil.

• professor driscoll
• professor
• history teacher
• coven member
• Christopher Lee

Jethrow Keane was Elizabeth Selwyn's accomplice in the 1692 pact with Lucifer. Like Selwyn, he gained immortality in exchange for yearly sacrifices on Candlemas Eve. His presence underscores the coven's organized, enduring network of malevolent beings who resist outsiders and maintain their ritualistic power.

• jethrow keane
• coven member
• immortality
• sacrifice
• Valentine Dyall

In 1692, Elizabeth Selwyn and Jethrow Keane forged a pact with Lucifer, trading yearly human sacrifices on Candlemas Eve for immortality. This pact forms the foundation of the film's horror, creating a 300-year-old coven that feeds on human blood to maintain their unnatural life force.

• coven
• pact
• lucifer
• immortality
• candlemas
• sacrifice
• 1692