The Norliss Tapes is a 1973 American made-for-television horror film directed by Dan Curtis and written by William F. Nolan,[1] starring Roy Thinnes and Angie Dickinson.

Framed through a series of tapes left behind by the missing Norliss, an investigator of the occult, it tells the story of his encounter with a widow and her artist husband who has returned from the dead.

David Norliss, a writer working on a book debunking spiritualists and fakers, vanishes from his home in San Francisco, California, leaving behind a series of audio tapes explaining his absence and recent investigations.

Norliss had recently investigated an incident reported by Ellen Cort, a widow who claims that she was attacked by her recently-deceased artist husband, James, one night on their estate near Monterey.

Her husband, who had been suffering from a crippling disease, became involved in the occult after meeting a mysterious woman, Mademoiselle Jeckiel, who attended one of his exhibitions.

Norliss goes to San Francisco to meet Charles Langdon, a gallery owner who had called Ellen inquiring about purchasing James's ring.

Ellen and Jeckiel search the tunnels for James and find him resting inside a pine box coffin.

Norliss and Ellen watch as James finishes the ritual that summons Sargoth and brings the statue to life.

[8] In the 2000s the film underwent a brief revival on the cult movie circuit, with theatrical screenings in such locations as Toronto, New York and Los Angeles.

"[3] Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide also praised the film, calling it "a creepy, handsomely shot bogey tale that holds up surprisingly well.