Genre: Horror

Rating: NR

Also known as:
The Devil's Undead
The Resurrection Syndicate

Synopsis:
Helen Van Traylen (Beatrice Kane) and the trustees of the Van Traylen fellowship are dying in accidents and suicides. The latest accident involved three trustees and a busload of children from the Van Traylen orphanage. Only the driver is killed but young Mary Valley (Gwyneth Strong) starts having nightmares about fire, even though the bus never burned. Worried about Mary, Dr. Haynes (Keith Barron) enlists the aid of the head of pathology, Sir Mark Anthony (Peter Cushing), to keep her hospitalized. Meanwhile, Police Colonel Charles Bingham (Christopher Lee), who suspects that the trustee’s deaths weren’t accidents, also enlists Sir Anthony’s aid. Things get more complicated when reporter Joan Foster (Georgia Brown) shows up with Anna Harb (Diana Dors), Mary's real mother, who had been in prison for murder. Pressured by Ms. Foster, Dr. Haynes arranges a private meeting between Mary and Anna but, during the meeting, Dr. Haynes is killed and Anna is forced to flee from the police. Elsewhere, Sir Anthony and Col. Bingham continue to investigate the trustee's deaths, suspecting that Anna murdered them for taking Mary away from her. A huge manhunt is started to find Anna, who is tracking Mary back to the orphanage, located on a remote island. On their way to the island, Sir Anthony and Col. Bingham witness an explosion that destroys a boat carrying three more Van Traylen trustees. Meanwhile, Anna is slowly making her way to the orphanage. On the island, Sir Anthony is given a tape by Ms. Foster, which she stole from Dr. Haynes. On the tape is a recording of a hypnosis session where Mary describes details of the fire that traumatized her. Ms. Foster then reveals that the fire Mary described actually happened to Helen Van Traylen. Trying to figure out how Mary could have known about the fire, Sir Anthony and Ms. Foster first suspect that Mary is psychic and that her mother is using some kind of psychic connection to get revenge on the Van Traylen fellowship. But when they discover that two of the doctors at the orphanage are renowned scientists, they suspect a more diabolical plan. At the same time, Anna has been captured by Mary and the orphans and is being burned alive. When Col. Bingham tries to intervene, he too is captured and discovers that Mary isn't really Mary anymore. Helen Van Traylen and the other trustees have had all their memories transferred into the orphans, leaving them quite insane. Mary/Helen tries to kill Col. Bingham but Sir Anthony shows up in a helicopter and the wind from the blades catches her dress on fire. She jumps from a cliff into the water below to douse the flames and the rest of the trustee's follow, plunging to their deaths.

Type of mind control: Hypnosis and mind transference?

Mind control scenes:
The first mind control scene takes place when Dr. Haynes hypnotizes Mary to relive the fire that traumatized her. The only other mind control, depending on your definition, is Helen Van Traylen's transference of her memories and the memories of the other trustees into Mary and the orphans.

Subjective Rating: 2 out of 5
The mind control in this movie is very brief. If you don't consider Helen Van Traylen's transference of her memories into Mary, then the mind control in this movie is very very brief. The mind control is also spectacularly uninteresting. When Dr. Haynes hypnotizes Mary to relive the fire, you don't even see the induction. The scene starts with Mary laying in bed with her eyes closed, while a colorful wind chime spins above her head. Even Helen's mind in Mary's body isn't portrayed very well. Mary looks like a young girl but with Helen's memories, you'd think she'd act like an older woman. She doesn't. All in all, this is not a movie for mind control fans.