The City of the Dead (Horror, 1960)

The City of the Dead (1960), also known as Horror Hotel in the U.S., is a British horror film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey. It’s a low-budget gem that blends witchcraft, supernatural horror, and a creepy New England setting, starring Christopher Lee, Patricia Jessel, and Dennis Lotis.
The story follows Nan Barlow, a college student researching witchcraft for a history project. Encouraged by her professor, Dr. Alan Driscoll (Lee), she travels to the foggy, isolated Massachusetts town of Whitewood. There, she stays at a creepy inn run by Mrs. Newless (Jessel), who seems oddly sinister. Nan uncovers that Whitewood is a haven for a 17th-century witch coven, led by Elizabeth Selwyn, who was burned at the stake but made a pact with the devil for immortality. As Nan digs deeper, she becomes the coven’s target for a sacrificial ritual tied to the witches’ sabbath. The second half shifts to her boyfriend and brother, who investigate her disappearance, racing against time to stop the coven’s dark plans.