The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971) Plot Summary Explained

Alan kills red-haired women because he associates them with his dead wife Evelyn, who had red hair and was unfaithful to him. After being released from the mental institution, his grief transformed into a twisted desire for revenge against women who resemble his unfaithful wife, leading him to lure prostitutes and strippers to his mansion where he tortures and kills them.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes Alan's obsession with Evelyn from the beginning, and his downward spiral into murder is foreshadowed by his release from the asylum shortly after her death.

• alan cunningham
• red-haired women
• killing
• motivation
• evelyn

George, Alan's cousin and heir to his fortune, manipulates Alan into finding a replacement bride as part of a scheme to gain control of the inheritance. By encouraging Alan to move to London and marry Gladys, George sets events in motion that allow him and his accomplice Susie to impersonate Evelyn and seize the fortune for themselves.

Foreshadowing: George's offer to move in and care for Alan appears helpful but is actually a calculated move to get close to the inheritance.

• george harriman
• marriage
• replacement
• evelyn
• inheritance

Susie, the stripper Alan previously brought home, is the one impersonating Evelyn throughout the film. She was recruited by George to pose as Evelyn's ghost and terrifying presence, which drives Alan deeper into madness and allows George to manipulate the situation for his own financial gain.

Foreshadowing: Susie's mysterious disappearance after escaping from Alan's mansion foreshadows her later involvement in the conspiracy.

• susie
• impersonation
• evelyn
• ghost
• george

George poisons the champagne to eliminate Gladys and make her death appear as a suicide or accident, thus clearing the way for him to inherit the fortune. He intends to frame Alan for the murders while he walks away with the money, using Susie's appearance as 'Evelyn' to support his scheme.

Foreshadowing: George's careful planning and manipulation of events throughout the film hint at his willingness to resort to murder to achieve his goals.

• champagne
• poisoning
• george
• gladys
• murder

Alan feigned his second breakdown to lure out the conspirators he suspected were manipulating him. Dr. Richard Timberlane, who had treated him before, helped Alan uncover the truth behind the conspiracy. Alan returns with the doctor to confront George and Gladys, exposing their scheme while allowing himself to escape justice for his own murders.

Foreshadowing: Alan's moments of clarity and suspicion toward those around him, particularly after the séance, hint that his madness may be partially performed.

• alan
• insanity
• institutionalized
• return
• timberlane

Alan's mental state deteriorates when he sees what appears to be a zombified Evelyn beckoning from her grave. This vision shatters his remaining grip on reality, representing the culmination of his guilt, grief, and paranoia. The appearance is likely orchestrated by George and Susie to further destabilize Alan, though Alan interprets it as a supernatural visitation.

Foreshadowing: The séance earlier in the film, where a medium contacts Evelyn, foreshadows her lingering presence and influence over Alan.

• zombified evelyn
• tomb
• vision
• breakdown
• cemetery

Gladys suspects Evelyn faked her death because she observes strange events that seem orchestrated by someone pretending to be Evelyn's ghost. She believes the 'haunting' is actually a scheme by Evelyn to escape her marriage to Alan and run away with a lover, rather than a genuine supernatural occurrence.

Foreshadowing: The suspicious nature of the ghostly appearances and the timing of the 'hauntings' after Alan remarries support Gladys's theory of deception.

• gladys
• evelyn
• faked death
• suspicion
• conspiracy

Evelyn's brother and Aunt Agatha are killed by Susie, who is impersonating Evelyn as part of George Harriman's conspiracy. These murders are designed to make it appear as if the 'revenge' from beyond the grave is targeting those who wronged Alan, while in reality, the conspirators are eliminating obstacles and framing the situation as supernatural.

Foreshadowing: The mysterious killer's selective targeting of those connected to Alan and Evelyn hints at human orchestration rather than ghostly vengeance.

• evelyn brother
• aunt agatha
• killer
• murder
• susie

During the final confrontation by the pool, a bag of sulfur-based fertilizer spills into the water, creating acidic liquid that burns George as he tries to escape. While George is apprehended, Alan uses the chaos to slip away. The acid burns prevent George from chasing Alan, allowing the protagonist to flee with his crimes unpunished despite the exposure of the conspiracy.

Foreshadowing: The pool area is established earlier as a location on the estate, making it a logical setting for the climactic confrontation.

• sulfur
• fertilizer
• pool
• acid
• escape
• arrest