The Undead (1957)

The Undead is a 1957 horror film directed by Roger Corman starring Pamela Duncan, Richard Garland, Allison Hayes, and Val Dufour. It follows the story of prostitute Diana Love (Duncan) who is put into a hypnotic trance by psychic Quintis (Dufour), thus causing her to regress back to a previous life. Star Allison Hayes also starred in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958).

A psychic named Quintus Ratcliff (Val Dufour) sends a woman (Pamela Duncan) back in time to find out about her past-life experiences. She goes back as Helene, a woman from the Middle Ages who is to die at dawn under suspicion of being a witch.[1] In an attempt to save Diana and keep all of time from being distorted, Quintis goes back in time to convince Helene to let herself be killed. If she avoids her death, it will change history. The Undead was inspired by an interest in reincarnation during the 1950s (as was the film The She-Creature). Notably the book The Search for Bridey Murphy by Morey Bernstein was made into a film in 1956. However by the time The Undead was being made, the popularity of reincarnation was starting to dwindle. Therefore Corman decided that they needed to change it up a little and added the time travel elements of Quintis, and a title change.

The movie was filmed in a converted supermarket, and was completed in only six days. The bats that the imp and witch continually change into were left over from another Corman movie, "It Conquered the World."

From Wikipedia

THE UNDEAD

ROGER CORMAN  (1957)
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES

75 MIN

USA