There are movies that make you wonder if anyone ever bothered to look at the final product and ask, “Is this worth anyone’s time?” So Sad About Gloria (1973), also known as Visions of Evil, is one such movie. And yet, despite its murky plot, poor pacing, and over-wrought melodrama, there’s one reason why it doesn’t completely disappear into obscurity: Lori Saunders. Without her, this film would have been a total waste of celluloid. With her? It’s still mostly a waste, but at least it has a heartbeat.
Let’s be clear—this film has no business being called a “horror” film, at least not in any way that would make your spine tingle or your palms sweat. Instead, it should have been titled So Sad About the Viewer because you’ll find yourself wondering how you got roped into this hour and a half of dreary confusion. Directed by Harry Thomason, a man who somehow convinced a few people that his idea of terror was a mentally unstable woman having visions of herself committing axe murders, the film lumbers on like a sleepy southern gothic. The Ozarks look nice, but it’s hard to appreciate the picturesque views when you’re too busy trying to stay awake.
The plot? Well, it’s a mess that somehow manages to be both convoluted and painfully predictable. Gloria Wellman (Lori Saunders) is a woman in distress, but not in the sense that might make you want to rescue her. She’s mentally unbalanced, plagued by visions of herself as the central figure in brutal axe murders. So far, so good. We’re on familiar ground with this psychological horror business. But the film quickly stumbles because instead of using this concept to build tension, it throws endless scenes of Gloria stumbling around, looking distraught while her psychiatrist (Lou Hoffman) tries to probe the depths of her fractured mind.
In theory, the psychiatrist angle could have been intriguing, but instead, it plays out like an extended therapy session with none of the wit or insight of an actual psychiatric film. You’re just watching this poor woman trudge through the muck of her visions while the camera awkwardly lingers on her face, as though the director thought this would be enough to build suspense. Spoiler alert: it’s not.
And yet—Lori Saunders. You can’t take your eyes off her, even when the film dares you to. She plays Gloria with the kind of subtlety that would have been lost on the rest of the cast. As a woman teetering on the edge of insanity, she channels an almost haunting fragility, managing to give depth to a character who otherwise could have been a cardboard cutout of “mentally disturbed woman.” There’s something in her eyes, a mixture of vulnerability and sheer terror, that somehow holds this thing together. You almost forget that this is supposed to be a horror film, and you start to think it’s more of a psychological drama. That’s not exactly a good thing, but it’s something.
Robert Ginnaven, as the leading man Chris Kenner, is about as compelling as a wet sock. His “romantic” relationship with Gloria feels forced, and he’s given zero depth to work with, making it tough to care about his struggles to help her. Dean Jagger, playing the role of Fredrick Wellman (Gloria’s father), looks like he wandered in from an entirely different movie—one that was perhaps shot on a better budget, but still painfully wooden. There’s little chemistry between any of the characters, which wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t all trying to serve as the emotional center of the film.
But let’s not get distracted by the acting. The real problem here is the film’s pacing. So Sad About Gloria drags its feet like a tired dog on a hot summer day. Every time you think something might happen, it settles back into a lethargic lull of awkward exposition and endless shots of Gloria staring blankly at walls. The axe murders are supposed to be the big, shocking centerpiece of the movie, but they’re neither shocking nor compelling. In fact, they’re so tame that you’d be better off watching an actual slasher film for your bloodlust fix. The suspense? Nonexistent. The gore? Nowhere to be found. The twists? Predictable. You can almost hear the director sighing in resignation every time the camera pans to an unconvincing jump-scare.
So what do we have left? Well, a film that had the potential to be something weird and eerie but ultimately turned out to be little more than an exercise in frustration. It’s not offensive. It’s just… dull. However, this is where Lori Saunders makes the magic happen. Her performance as Gloria gives this film the faintest pulse. She’s the only reason this film doesn’t completely implode into its own mediocrity.
Had the rest of the cast matched her level of commitment, maybe this could’ve been a chilling, psychological thriller. But no. The supporting performances are as dry as the Arkansas dirt where this thing was shot. The director, Thomason, doesn’t seem to have a grasp on the material, and instead of building suspense or creating a sense of unease, the film just plods along.
And yet, despite it all, you keep watching, because Lori Saunders is on screen. She might be lost in a mess of confusion, but at least she’s trying. It’s hard not to root for an actress who clearly knows she’s working with little, but still manages to give a damn. She elevates So Sad About Gloria from a forgettable exercise in boredom to something that’s worth at least a passing glance. It’s like watching a cracked diamond in a pile of gravel—nothing is quite right, but there’s something shimmering through the muck.
In conclusion: don’t watch this for the plot. Don’t watch it for the acting, or the horror, or even the mystery. Watch it for Lori Saunders, because, against all odds, she’s the only thing worth your time. The rest of So Sad About Gloria is as depressing as the visions it portrays, but at least Saunders brings a flicker of life to this lethargic, muddy mess. Wouldn’t hurt to grab a bottle of whiskey before you sit down, though—it’ll make the whole experience a little easier to swallow.
