[Ted Cunterblast]

Been a few years since I saw this...always kind of liked it, despite it's flaws. Very derivative of Poltergeist, with occasional nods to The Exrcist as well.

Lets look at the pro's and con's...(Spoilers)

What I like - Barbara Hershey's performance. A lot of suspension of disbelief is required here, it purports to be a 'true' story, but essentially it's always going to be unsubstantiated claims with no facts. For the record, I am an avowed skeptic, though that never stops me enjoying movies of this nature.

But it's a very good performance, and a brave one considering it basically deals with demon rape. Hershey throws herself into the part admirably. Ron Silver is pretty good too, as a a doctor.psychiatrist that tries to understand what is going on.

Have to give a mention to Alex Rocco too, an actor I tend to associate with episodic tv, and usually fairly bland, but here he gives a very good performance as Hersheys boyfriend who is struggling to understand what she is going through.

Good effects too, the demon attacks are very well done, with very good use of sound and unusual camera angles.

The cons - that annoying music that signals the demon attacks...probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but is intensely annoying now.

The actor who plays Hershey's son...terrible. To be fair it's a badly written part - he is supposed to be a strapping youth, and yet usually fails to see the obvious regarding what is happening to his mother, and when he does he flounders around not knowing what to do, or gets slapped around by the demon itself.

And the climax...totally ridiculous, and probaby forced by the studio for an exciting, effects-laden finale. I mean...freezing a poltergeist with liquid helium???

Despite Hershey's admirable performance, I found this rather disappointing overall, overlong, and what seemed innovative and possibly daring at the time now seems faintly ridiculous.

[Rhodes666]

Its one of the few movies that scared me,partly due to the eerie soundtrack but yeah THAT annoyin tune when the demon comes is quite awful,its also in inglorious.

[pearlsandplums]

A friend and i started to write a musical based on the entity (called 'the entity!). There is a facebook group for it. Quite a few people seem to think its serious. Bless.
It does feature the fantastic song 'there's a hand on my boob, but theres no one there' .

[Big Boy Barry]

Terrifying movie, but a "true story?" lol, what a load of bollocks.

[stvn758]

Still scary after all these years, was on TV the other week. Up there with The Exorcist I think. This is one film I wish they would remake.

[Big Boy Barry]

If they remake it, they should change the ending to show that all the attacks were either in the mind of the victim, or self-inflicted.

The end of the film with the plastic lab and the frozen ghost was pretty dumb.