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The Entity Movie Review

The Entity

R
Something evil is after Carla Moran... and it will stop at nothing to get her
The Entity Picture
Barbara Hershey stars as Carla Moran

Starring

Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, David Labiosa, George Coe

Margaret Blye, Jacqueline Brookes, Michael Alldredge, Raymond Singer, Richard Brestoff, Allan Rich, Natasha Ryan, Melanie Gaffin, Alex Rocco, Sully Boyar, Tom Stern (III), Curt Lowens, Paula Victor, Lee Wilkof, Deborah Stevenson, Mark Weiner Update Cast


Rewind Archive
"The Entity" is based on a supposedly true story from the 1970s, about a mother of three who was continually attacked and raped by an invisible spirit. According to the film, the real-life Carla Moran left California and moved with her three children to Texas... where these attacks reportedly continue to this day.

Barry E. Taff, Ph.D. kindly wrote in to add:

I was the principal investigator of the actual Entity case in Culver City, California from 1974-5. We were working out of UCLA's former parapsychology laboratory when we met a lady by the name of Doris Bither in Hunters Books in Westwood Village. For the finely detailed accounting of this extraordinary case I suggest you look at my new book entitled "Aliens Above, Ghosts Below: Explorations of the Unknown".

The real case, upon which the novel and movie were based is much more disturbing than either fictionalized accounts. The Entity case may go down in parapsychological history as one of the dramatic poltergeist cases in history. Hope you enjoy the read.


More Trivia from The Entity

Review

Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey) is a beautiful and intelligent single mother, who lives in Los Angeles with her three children - teenage son Billy (David Labiosa) and little daughters Julie (Natasha Ryan) and Kim (Melanie Gaffin).

Life is pretty uneventful for Carla, who lives on welfare and attends secretarial school while missing boyfriend Jerry (Alex Rocco), who is on the road for long periods of time because of his job.

However, Carla's life changes forever one night when she returns home late and is viciously attacked and raped by an unseen presence. Carla's screams awaken Billy, who searches the house only to find absolutely nothing, or nobody, there... and all the doors and windows are firmly locked. Billy tells Carla she must have been having a nightmare, but Carla knows she was wide awake.

At the advice of her kindly best friend, Cindy (Margaret Blye), Carla seeks professional help from psychiatrist Dr. Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver). However, as the assaults by this invisible being continue and Sneiderman believes it all to be a figment of Carla's imagination, she instead turns to parapsychologists for help...

Author: Barnaby MarriottUpdate This Review

Verdict

Based on Frank De Felitta's bestselling novel, which itself was inspired by allegedly true events, "The Entity" is a horror film similar in vein to such films as "The Amityville Horror" and "Poltergeist", while never managing to become such a cult favourite like those two particular titles.

"The Entity" works best due to an outstanding performance from the brilliant Barbara Hershey. Her portrayal of Carla Moran must surely go down in history as one of her most amazing pieces of acting, envoking huge audience sympathy for her plight, managing to stay strongwilled for the sake of her children, and eventually doing anything in her power to stop this evil thing from entering her life. It's a shame that horror films are more or less ignored by the Academy, because Hershey really was deserving of a Best Actress Oscar nomination that year.

The film is not exactly scary, but it is certainly intense and disturbing - the many scenes in which Carla is raped by something not seen by the human eye are quite unpleasant to watch, although Hershey plays them very well. As is so often the case in horror movies, it is far more chilling when things are left to the viewer's imagination - the film's special effects are its weakest element, when the entity of the title at times appears as bolts of lightening or a shade of green light.

Some of the best scenes are the therapy sessions between Hershey and Ron Silver, as her disbelieving psychiatrist. Silver had the best role of his career in "The Entity", as the shrink who cannot believe what his patient is telling him, while his personal affection for her becomes stronger by the day.

Margaret Blye is a breath of fresh air, as Southern belle Cindy - Carla's best friend, who is there for her at the drop of a hat. Blye also has the film's best quote, when she tells her friend: "Carla, you are definitely NOT insane - but when men who are not actually there come into your room and have intercourse with you, then it's time to see a good psychiatrist!"

Unfortunately, the film lets itself down in the third act, when stereotypical scientists enter the picture to hopefully capture and isolate the entity (with huge cannisters of liquid helium, no less!), but that shouldn't put you off watching an otherwise intelligent horror film.

Barbara Hershey's outstanding performance
Disturbing rape sequences, unnecessary special effects

Rewind Rating

7.5/10

The Movie Data

Key Crew

Director: Sidney J. Furie
Writer: Frank De Felitta
Producers: Michael Leone, Andrew Pfeffer, Harold Schneider
Locations Manager: Robert Eggenweiler


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Data

Release Date: 04 Feb 1983
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Production: Alleanza Cinematografica Italiana (A.C.I.), American Cinema Releasing, Pelleport Investments, Pellport
Genre: Horror / Occult


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1981 20th Century Fox
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