Amanita Pestilens (lost Canadian horror film; 1963)

A still from the film.

Status: Lost

Amanita Pestilens is a 1963 Canadian psychological horror film directed by René Bonnière, starring Jacques Labrecque and Huguette Oligny.

Plot

The plot concerns a Montreal resident who develops a strange obsession with a strange, seemingly indestructible fungus that is rapidly destroying his previously perfectly-maintained lawn.

Behind the Scenes

The working title for Amanita Pestilens was Ville-Jolie. In addition to being Canada's first color film, Amanita Pestilens is notable for being the first Canadian production to be shot in both French and English while maintaining the same cast. It is also an early role for noteworthy Quebecois actress Geneviève Bujold, who plays the protagonist's daughter. Despite these innovations and cast, the film was a commercial failure when first released in 1963 and never received a video release on any format.

Later Screenings

It was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival and broadcast on both West and East German television for a brief period of time. Afterwards, the film fell into obscurity, and it only occasionally resurfaces for screenings.

Its only known televised appearance was on the Moviepix channel on May 10, 1998.

Gallery

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  Film Still #1 from Amanita Pestilens (courtesy of eBay user vanburenantiques) .

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  Film Still #2 from Amanita Pestilens (courtesy of eBay user vanburenantiques) .

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  Film Still #3 from Amanita Pestilens (courtesy of eBay user vanburenantiques) .

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  Film Still #4 from Amanita Pestilens (courtesy of eBay user vanburenantiques) .

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  Film Still #5 from Amanita Pestilens (courtesy of eBay user vanburenantiques) .

External Links

• Wikipedia page on Amanita Pestilens.
• IMDb page on Amanita Pestilens.

Sources

• An archive of Eyeweekly that has information of the film.
• Description of the film on an Ottowan indie movie website.