Satan was really big in the '70s. Hmm...that might look weird without context?
This is 1977's The Sentinel. It is a Horror Film about a woman living in an Apartment Building with a secret surrounded by strange people. No, it is not Rosemary's Baby. I could see how you might think that though.
Our Heroine wants to live alone- despite having a boyfriend who is Chris Sarandon- and find a place that is too good to be true. At first, it seems great when Burgess Meredith is your Neighbor. Well, in 1978, it would. If he's your Neighbor NOW, you may need to seek some help.
This Michael Winner Film is chock full of past, present and future Stars of its day. I'll try to cover them all, but I might miss one.
Is it as good as more famous brethren like Baby or The Omen? To find out, read on...
Right away, we see a familiar face as a Photographer- Jeff Goldblum.
It's actually a step up for Jeff as he was one of the Rapists in Winner's Death Wish!
After her Father's death, she attends the service and remembers some traumatic experiences.
In a clever bit, she sees 'herself' go by in a Flashback of when she saw her Dad in some sort of sex party, freaked out and tried to kill herself.
A woman- Ava Gardner- shows her a lovely place that she marks down the price of instantly, which should be a red flag.
Like the Realtor in The Amityville Horror, she was giving you a hint...
She starts to get affected at work by what is going on, having fainting spells and just generally not being well.
This even affects her at a Commercial Shoot run by...Jerry Orbach?!?
'70s Doctors, as usual, are no help.
She keeps seeing weird things with her neighbors, including a black & white dream where she attends a Birthday party, but everyone is freaky. D'angelo appears nude here, since, again, first Role and all.
Amongst her strange neighbors there is a blind Priest- John Carradine-, a pair of strange Sister- one of whom is Beverly D'angelo in her first Role- and a quirky old man- Burgess Meredith.
There's an accidental Batman connection here as we also get Eli Wallach in the Film later aka the 3rd Mr. Freeze from the Show.
She later wanders upstairs and is attacked by a Zombie that looks like her dead Dad, running outside.
After she recovers, she tells this to Gardner, who reveals that the Apartments are actually empty and she has no Neighbors!
The Police eventually investigate what is going on when a body matching the description of her attack on 'Dad' is found.
The Detective- Wallach- suspects that the Boyfriend is at fault, since he has 2 dead ladies in his past.
And yes, that is Christopher Walken, who mostly just stands in the background and has like lines.
At least he wasn't dubbed like Goldblum was!
A good Film, but it will definitely be an acquired taste. '70s Films are often talked about as 'slow burns.' If this one was burning any slower, it would still be unused in the matchbox!
At least he wasn't dubbed like Goldblum was!
A long, strange finale ensues.
Sarandon finds out that his lady has been chosen to be The Sentinel (roll credits) of a Gate to Hell, which the Apartment covers. He tries to kill Carradine...
...but he's killed off-camera and now he's damned like the other Residents. They were/are actually the spirits of killers that are also damned.
We know they are evil since they are all humans with various deformities. Sigh.
Another Priest- Jose Ferrer- and Carradine show up to save the day, scaring away the evil spirits and Meredith.
In the aftermath, she's the new Guardian, but she's good...since she didn't kill herself like the spirits wanted.
Look, it's a muddy finale.
We get a 'they will try again' ending a la The Wicker Man ('04) and The Devil's Advocate to close us out.
The Plot moves at a very deliberate pace, with some weird stuff happening early on and then not much for a while. If a woman being uncomfortable and confused qualifies as 'Horror,' then this is the scariest Film of all time!
That's not to say that it is bad, which I didn't. It is well-made, even if there was apparently A LOT of drama Behind the Scenes. Basically, Winner didn't get along with too many people, annoying the Writer of the Book (and Co-Writer of the Screenplay) and making Chris Sarandon so unhappy that he considered quitting Acting altogether. You almost ruined Fright Night, Michael Winner!
So, if you're into a slower, more just generally-odd Horror Film, this is a good one. It has an amazing Cast both for at the time- with Legends like Wallach, Meredith and Gardner- and looking back at it- Walken, Goldblum, D'angelo, etc.
In fact, it has so many random Stars in it that I can't pick just one Cameo for my Stinger. You'll see why.
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| Do I pick between a young Tom Berenger or an uncredited Richard Dreyfuss? |
Next up, another Film from the seemingly-bottomless pile. Will I clear out the Horror Films that I never got around to during October next? Stay tuned...
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