“The Entity” landed on my list of must-watch horror films and I’m not sure how or why. For several Octobers I tried to find it but for unknown reasons its unavailable from all streaming services as of this writing. A Buff associate was able to smuggle me a downloaded copy and I watched it finally.
Two thumbs down.
“The Entity” is a 1982 attempt at horror written by Frank De Felitta (based on his own 1978 novel) and directed by Sidney J. Furie. The book and film are inspired by the real-life case of Doris Bither. She is a woman who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by an invisible force in 1974.
The movie wastes no time. We meet Carla Moran, a single mom played by Barbara Hershey. Minutes into the picture, Carla is graphically raped. By whom or what is a mystery. Attacks continue Carla until she visits a psychiatrist known as Dr. Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver) who takes a liking to her and her case.
Poltergeist Vibes
Aside from the bedroom attacks, Carla and her family are plagued by noises, doors slamming, the house shaking. It’s a standard haunting story, save for the randy wraith. It takes scenes and concepts from other more popular films of the era, ranging from the aforementioned “Poltergeist” to “Empire Strikes Back” of all things.
The effects are poor, the acting questionable. Hershey is fine in the lead, Silver okay in a supporting role. The only other noteworthy character is Carla’s teen son played by David Labiosa who “Seinfeld” fans will recognize as the Busboy.
Clocking in at just shy of two hours, “The Entity” is slow and dull. I like Barbara Hershey. I know her best from from “Falling Down;” but despite her awful situation, I didn’t care at about what was happening to her. It gets repetitive, and by the time the team of scientists gets involved, I wasn’t at all invested.
I read that Martin Scorsese loves the movie, going so far as to ranking it the 4th scariest horror film of all time (above “Psycho” and “The Shining”)—and he has the nerve to complain about Marvel?
“The Entity” is tough to find and that’s a good thing. It’s an awful film that has no scares and no redeemable qualities.
