Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

John Boorman’s revenge drama starring Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson is released on Blu-Ray as part of the HMV Premium Collection, offering a reminder of why this has influenced some great filmmakers since its release in 1967. 

When a heist goes wrong and Walker (Lee Marvin) is double crossed and left for dead, his quest for revenge on the man who took his money and his wife leads him towards a level of corporate crime he hadn’t bargained for. But all along, his sole mission is to get his money, and nothing and nobody will stop him. 

It’s easy to see why Point Blank is so highly revered amongst filmmakers. As directed by John Boorman, who would create his masterpiece 5 years later with Deliverance, this revenge thriller is far from conventional. Its sense of haunted alienation – of characters, situations, locations, even plot – give this sun soaked, LA set, Technicolor piece a nightmarish noir feel. Boorman overlays sound, uses colour to dictate mood, plays with flashback and memory, and gives his characters hardly any redeeming features at all.

And it’s brutal. It may be 50 years old but it still shocks. This is thanks in part to some fantastic, committed performances from Marvin and Dickinson, a woman who simply epitomises the era and feel of the film and who provides us with some sense of feeling. At the same time, never has Marvin been more stoic, impenetrable and, well, butch – the scene where Dickinson beats the hell out of him and he just stands there and takes it being a case in point.

It’s a fascinating scene in a film of many, and one which gets discussed in the commentary, which forms one of the disc’s extras. And it’s a good one too, taking the form of a chat between Boorman himself and Steven Soderbergh, a huge fan of the film, one that he openly claims to have ripped off throughout his career. It’s a fascinating chat but perhaps not a new one (they refer to the recent death of actor John Vernon and he died in 2005). There are some lovely stories about Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson (they didn’t get on), as well as discussions about the use of different lenses, so it’s a film fan’s dream

Other extras include the obligatory trailer, a couple of old docs about Alcatraz, and a set of postcards, whilst the package includes a DVD and digital version of the film. It has to be said too that the Blu-Ray upgrade is pristine and crystal clear, making the film look astonishingly fresh.

POINT BLANK / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: JOHN BOORMAN / SCREENPLAY: ALEXANDER JACOBS, DAVID NEWHOUSE, RAFE NEWHOUSE / STARRING: LEE MARVIN, ANGIE DICKINSON, KEENAN WYNN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Season 2 Complete Collection brings together the final season of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal and the first season Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II (which was marketed outside Japan as more of Zexal). Because of this, the episodes represent something of a bridging point for the series. 

The first half of the collection concludes the storyline that ran during the previous two seasons. These episodes manage to overcome some of the problems that plagued Zexal‘s previous collection. The plot moves along at a good pace, answers are provided to series long questions, and Yuma isn’t the only character to save the day. With the material given the conclusion to Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal was as good as viewers could have hoped for. 

The second half of the collection, in contrast, is all about build up. The protagonists of this part of the show were teased at the end of season 3 of Zexal, and this part of the box set spends more time fleshing them out. Because of how Zexal as a show was structured, the ending this “season” feels more like a mid-point than Yu-Gi-Oh! Season finales normally do. 

A few of the second arc’s episodes do feel like filler, but they are also endearing. This is particularly true of the villains. Girag and Alito benefit two of the more fleshed out personalities found among Yu-Gi-Oh! Villains. They support each other, and have their own interests. At times it almost seems like they have forgotten that they are supposed to be villains. 

This part of the episodes contained within this box set also attempt to give main character, Yuma more of an arc. For the most part this arc is handled well. The collection ends before it can be seen what long-term impact it will have, but is built up to and executed well. There is however one noticeable flaw to this arc. At one-point Yuma’s fusion with astral turns bad. This change to a dark Yuma is signified, in part, with Yuma’s skin turning darker. The fact that turning black is used as a short hand for evil is not a good look for the show. It mars what was otherwise a decent sub-plot.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Season 2 Complete Collection is an improvement on the episodes contained within the first collection. The first collection introduced a lot of new elements over its run without really bothering to build a cohesive direction or provide much explanation for them. There are still unanswered questions, but it is much easier to see what the show is doing with this collection. Its individual pieces make for a much more cohesive whole. This makes it easier to enjoy Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal‘s strong points, like its good characterization and silly sense of humour.

YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL SEASON 2 COMPLETE COLLECTION / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: SATOISHI KUWABARA / WRITERS: VARIOUS / STARRING: ELI JAY, MARC THOMPSON, SEAN SCHEMMEL, EILEEN STEVENS / RELEASE DATE: 23RD OCTOBER

Many contemporary comedians cite Richard Pryor as the biggest influence on their own material and career, particularly Eddie Murphy who modelled a lot of his key characters on Pryor’s persona. In a film career lasting nearly four decades, his work encompassed concert films, ensemble pieces and star vehicles.

He was at times both independent and a pioneer and Hollywood probably didn’t know quite what to do with him. His teamings with Gene Wilder, Silver Streak (1976), Stir Crazy (1980) and See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) are the fondest memories for all fans of the comedian’s work. The downside came with Superman III (1983), in which his salary and his starring role overshadowed the essence of what the franchise represented, an after-effect that has hindered the character on the big-screen to this day.

Fabulous Films, licensing four of Universal’s back catalogue, add something to the debate with Car Wash (1976), Which Way Is Up? (1977), The Wiz (1978) and Brewster’s Millions (1985). It’s an interesting collection and Which Way Is Up? Is one film that is a cult favourite amongst bona-fide Pryor fans, in which he plays three different roles, a key influence on Eddie Murphy’s multi-role turns in Coming To America (1988) and The Nutty Professor (1996).

Which Way Is Up? Sees Pryor playing a hapless employee who ends up falling into a union action in error and gets laid off, before going off to LA to find work to provide for his family, but not before a number of relationship complications set in.

Car Wash and The Wiz are more ensemble pieces than star vehicles for Pryor. Both scripted by Joel Schumacher and the latter based on the play of the same name and The Wizard Of Oz (directed by Sidney Lumet and with make-up by Stan Winston), they are affectionate tales of a day in a car wash and a hugely energetic musical which is more about the talents of Diana Ross and Michael Jackson as Dorothy and The Scarecrow.

Brewster’s Millions (1985) will have a lot of cross-over appeal, not only to fans of Pryor, but also John Candy and director Walter Hill, more associated with action fare like The Warriors (1979) and 48 Hrs. (1982). In the context of it’s mid-1980s release, It clearly seemed to be a calculated move to try and repeat the success of Trading Places (1983), repeating the template laid by Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy in a like-minded tale of financial and spiritual wealth. It has its moments, but isn’t as laugh-out-loud as some of the other comedies of that decade.

The big disappointment with this collection is that Fabulous have not included another Universal title from the 1970s, Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar (1978), the gritty assembly line drama that Pryor co-starred with Harvey Keitel. Given this is a comedy box set, perhaps that might have made it an anomaly amongst the others, but it would certainly be a worthy addition. Richard Pryor – Live In Concert (1979) would have also wrapped it up nicely.

Still, Pryor fans have much to celebrate here, so let’s embrace another excellent release. 

THE RICHARD PRYOR COLLECTION / CERT: 15 / DIRECTORS: MICHAEL SCHULTZ, SIDNEY LUMET, WALTER HILL / SCREENPLAY:  CARL GOTTLIEB, CECIL BROWN, JOEL SCHUMACHER, TIMOTHY HARRIS, HERSCHEL WEINGROD / STARRING: RICHARD PRYOR, LUNETTE MCKEE, FRANKLIN AJAYE, DIANA ROSS, MICHAEL JACKSON, JOHN CANDY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The DC Universe is a unique world full of mythical, larger-than-life characters ever since its birth in 1938, with its heroes embodying true hope and optimism, as well as representing the best in humanity has to offer. However, for the past three films in the “DC Extended Universe” (Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad), every last inch of that optimism, hope and wonder was notable by its complete and total absence since all the heroes that filled up those movies were embodying doubt, anger, rage and hopelessness. Instead of inspiring heroes spreading goodwill and courage, we had angst-filled beings acting aloof or having a perverse and somewhat unsettling desire to see others bleed. The DC universe these films were establishing felt very detached from its comic book counterpart and was more akin to an Elseworlds incarnation, unlike Marvel whose movies were highly-accurate and respectful. Now, that’s all changed for the better thanks to Wonder Woman.

After four tries, they finally got it right, and by God, did they get it right; this movie restores and elevates the DC Universe to a brighter, hopeful place thanks to visionary director Patty Jenkins and her extraordinary vision of the world Wonder Woman inhabits. This is an entertaining movie that’s incredibly well-made, had great action and has a good sense of humour, which is amazing considering how tonally different this movie is compared to the previous three DC movies since this movie actually has a hero you can root for, that you can invest in, and you’d legitimately believe in. Despite making her cinematic debut in last year’s Batman v. Superman, there wasn’t much of a character arc for her, so it was hard to identify her as a person, but here, Diana is a fully fleshed out, three-dimensional character that goes on a huge emotional arc over the course of this movie. What makes her stand out is both her idealism and her compassion, and those traits are her driving force above all else, while also being full of love, hope and optimism. At no point does her idealism or her compassion get portrayed as weaknesses, since they are shown as her strengths; whenever there’s danger, she wants to help without any hesitation, despite other forces wanting to hold her back from doing so, which is the kind of heroism that has rarely been seen ever since the days of Richard Donner’s Superman, which served as a major influence for this movie.

Gal Gadot truly comes into her own as the titular heroine, nailing the physicality and subtle nuances of Diana’s character, proving her naysayers wrong. It’s thanks to both her and Jenkins for bringing the character to life on the big screen, truly understanding her character and what she’s supposed to represent. Chris Pine is also huge fun as Steve Trevor, the sidekick/comic-relief/love interest of the movie, displaying real charisma, and the chemistry between him and Gadot is perfect. In many ways, both Diana and Steve are fishes out of water with both failing to understand each other’s cultures, yet both of them have a strong bond holding them together that’s also tied to their own moral beliefs and ideals.

The cinematography by Matthew Jensen is gorgeous to behold, having bright, colourful vibrancy that was sorely lacking in the previous films, and the way the colour is used is ingenious, plus the score by Rupert Gregson-Williams is pulse pounding. For the most part, the action was terrific with great choreography (especially during the No Man’s Land sequence), even though the use of slow motion can be a little overblown. However, the only real major issue this has is in its climatic battle between Wonder Woman and the big bad – SPOILER – in Ares (whose design disappoints) which, even though decent enough, was done on a very small and disappointing scale, and wasn’t as strong as it should’ve been and pales in comparison to the climatic battle shown in the 2009 animated Wonder Woman movie. 

Despite its flaws, Wonder Woman is every bit as epic as Batman v. Superman or Suicide Squad, yet has the humanity and emotion that those movies sorely lacked, despite being smaller-scaled. What we have here is a coming-of-age story about a God becoming human, sent into a world that doesn’t understand her and is willing to defend humanity no matter the cost. This is what Man of Steel should’ve been and so much more, being a hero’s journey that focuses heavily on the hero as well as the people that are saved. This film balances the light as well as the dark, and it’s thanks to Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot and their vision of the character, that DC Films is (hopefully!) heading towards a brighter, hopeful future.

WONDER WOMAN / CERT: 12A / DIRECTOR: PATTY JENKINS / SCREENPLAY: ALLAN HEINBERG / STARRING: GAL GADOT, CHRIS PINE, DANNY HUSTON, CONNIE NIELSEN, ELENA ANAYA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Every now and again, a low budget film manages to raise itself above the mundane and routine; holding its celluloid (well, digital, but you know what we mean) head above the crowd and dare to actually tell a story without resorting to predictable shocks. While not entirely original, The Unraveling succeeds in delivering something memorable.

Michael (Gold), an addict a year out of rehab and forever making promises to his pregnant fiancée Jess (Harris) that he’ll be clean, he’s even been holding down a dreary job in a warehouse. Unfortunately, despite all his insistence, he’s been drifted back into using. Foolishly, though, he has also stolen a large amount of money from some dealers. Which we assume is why four hockey-masked thugs kidnap him at his place of work and bundle him in the boot of a car. Only it turns out that despite the roughness, it’s nothing more than his closest friends who are a little put out that he bailed on stag weekend they had planned for him. So they’ve taken things into their own hands – apparently with Jess’ approval – and intend on giving him a bachelor party to remember in some remote woods.

Michael gets very perturbed when one of the gang has gone through his backpack and taken his ‘stash’ and it’s clear the friendships are a little strained. When one of them is found dead in the middle of the night and the battery cables are missing from their car, they band together to survive the night for fear of ‘what’s out there’. Could Michael’s drug problems be catching up with him and taking out his friends too?

The Unraveling has an interesting set-up and, fortunately, we’re happy to say it continues to deliver some surprising shocks, and more importantly, some genuine human drama. Without having to resort to excessive gore or cheap comic relief, what we have is a tense – if not actually scary – tale of survival; be it for the characters’ life or mind.

Seasoned horror fans might be able to figure out where it’s going before the third act, but Jakobsen and the cast handle everything so well that it’s still a thrill ride getting there. Sidestepping a lot of the genre trappings, it offers a fresh take on a tired subject. Intense and gruelling, The Unraveling is an above average low budget effort that deserves to be seen and enjoyed by a larger audience.

THE UNRAVELING / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: THOMAS JAKOBSEN / SCREENPLAY: JUSTIN S. MONROE, THOMAS JAKOBSEN / STARRING: ZACK GOLD, JASON TOBIAS, BENNETT VISO, BOB TURTON, COOPER HARRIS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Back in 1969, Christopher Lee was disenchanted with what the Hammer Dracula series had become.  Whilst they all have their merits it’s easy to understand how the Stoker aficionado grew dejected at the thought of another episode. So perhaps that’s why he was convinced to star in Jess Franco’s intended-to-be-faithful adaptation of the classic novel. At the same time, Pere Portabella was just starting to come out of a ten-year wilderness following a disagreement with Spain’s dictator General Franco.

He managed to get permission to film the making of Jess’ Dracula and the footage shot is what forms Vampir Cuadecuc, an ‘experimental’ making-of documentary. Portabella uses the footage to tell his own version of the Dracula story, in an almost completely silent film that instead uses sound effects and Carlos Santos’ challenging music to soundtrack events.

The black and white imagery is shot high contrast so picture quality here isn’t the aim for this release.  Rather, cuadecuc is a Catalan term that refers to the unexposed footage at the end of a film roll and the effect here is using that film to create a commentary on the art itself.  We get lots of footage shot from different angles to Franco’s film mixed in with seemingly random sound effects and Santos’ unique soundtrack with the most effective moments in this candid, haunting shots of the tragic Soledad Miranda, star of some of Franco’s most well-known movies.

As for the final result, this is a project you can take how you want. We can’t imagine anyone who is unaware of the context of the time period for Spain, Franco’s film or the filming of it to be that captivated. For anyone that applies meaning to it, whether that be a commentary on Franco’s regime, or on the process of filmmaking itself, there’ll be plenty of others who instead just think it’s the equivalent of an indulgent, noodling jazz record. So, in summary, if you’re a Franco fan or like interesting takes on how film is constructed, or how film can subtly comment on the world it exists in, then you’re likely to get something out of this and for you, the extras are worthwhile too. There’s an interview with the remarkably spry octogenarian Portabella, two (fairly) recent short films from him that reunited him with Santos, an appreciation by BFI curator William Fowler and a booklet with writing on the film.

This is almost the very definition of a genuinely niche release and it’s a fine job done by Second Run in that respect. If you interested in the film, or have wanted a chance to catch it, this is certainly the release for you.

VAMPIR CUADECUC (1971) / CERT: E / DIRECTOR: PERE PORTABELLA / STARRING: CHRISTOPHER LEE, HERBERT LOM, SOLEDAD MIRANDA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

It’s probably fair to say that Steve Martin’s movie career has had its highs and lows, and this box set is representative of both extremes. For the highs we get Parenthood and Bowfinger (both wonderful) and for the lows we plummet all the way down to Sgt. Bilko (dire). The fourth movie in the quartet, Dead Man Don’t Wear Plaid, sits pretty firmly in the middle, but it’s an interesting addition.

Parenthood is, quite rightly, the stand-out. Martin, who has never received the credit he deserves for being almost as brilliant an actor as he is a comedian, gives a delightfully nuanced performance as Gil Buckman, a neurotic father who is desperately trying to juggle the responsibilities of being a husband, being a parent and holding down a successful job while not repeating his own father’s mistakes. It’s a touching and laugh-out-loud portrait of what a madhouse families can be, and Martin more than holds his own alongside a fantastic cast that includes Jason Robards, Dianne Wiest, Mary Steenburgen and Tom Hulce, with flawless direction by Ron Howard. It also (if you overlook some of the hairstyles) hasn’t aged a bit, probably because the emotional core of the story will always be universal. And who can resist a movie with lines like, “If she’s so smart why is she sat in our neighbours car”?

Bowfinger, the story of how Hollywood’s least successful movie director (Martin) co-opts Tinsel Town’s biggest star (Eddie Murphy) to unknowingly appear in his latest ultra-low-budget film, is also a movie that only seems to improve with age. Once again, Martin has a brilliant cast to work with (could this be Eddie Murphy’s best film? I think so) and the script works on so many levels it’s hard to count: is it a dead-on satire about Hollywood, a sly reworking of ‘The Little Engine that Could’, a comedic slamming of The Church of Scientology (Murphy’s character is involved with a cult called MindHead, and convinced that he’s being stalked by aliens) or a riff on the insanity of celebrity culture? It doesn’t really matter, Bowfinger is genius whichever way you look at it. And I can’t be the only one who wants to see a sequel to Chubby Rain…

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, despite running out of steam by the middle of the second act, is still worth a look. True, it isn’t nearly as funny as it wants to be (or thinks it is) and its central conceit – editing in scenes from famous film noirs, so it looks as if Martin’s private eye is actually interacting with Humphrey Bogart, Alan Ladd, Lana Turner etc. – is probably the only thing that keeps it interesting (the lighting, costume design and editing of those sequences is seamless). But Rachel Ward is perfect as the femme fatale and who can resist a Nazi plot involving deadly cheese bombs? It might be the weakest of Martin’s collaborations with legendary director Carl Reiner (nothing can beat the film they would make together the following year, The Man with Two Brains) but it’s far from being a stinker.

Which brings us to the stinker. Sgt. Bilko – the big-screen re-envisioning of a popular 1950s TV series that fails on practically every level and should have taught Steve Martin a lesson about never again making a movie based on a well-loved comic character that somebody else used to play (a mistake he would repeat exactly a decade later, when he unadvisedly attempted to resuscitate The Pink Panther franchise). Bilko is a car crash, and not even Martin’s infectious likeability can put it back on the road.

As a collection, the DVDs are basically the same versions that have always been on sale, except with the addition of a cardboard box to keep them in. If you already own the films it’s not worth the double-dip, but if you still need to add some Steve Martin wild-and-crazy-guyness to your shelves then this set is a decent place to start. It’s just a shame they didn’t ditch Bilko and gives us The Man with Two Brains, The Lonely Guy, L.A. Stories or My Blue Heaven instead (that collection would get a 10/10 all day long).

THE STEVE MARTIN COLLECTION / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: STEVE MARTIN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Well, the name ‘Critters’ was already taken. Hoping to stage a hostile takeover of planet Earth, a race of aliens start by weaponising one of our most abundant native animals – the bunny rabbits. Faced with a plague of bloodthirsty bunnies, the population of a small English village find themselves on the front line of this War of the Worlds.

With a setup like that, the comedy element of this genre mashup – Emmerdale meets Gremlins – always was going to be at the forefront. And while the vein of comedy that runs through Cute Little Buggers is as broad as adult comedy gets, the film is equally committed to its soap opera affectations. Close your eyes and you’d swear you were listening to an unusually potty-mouthed episode of The Archers. It’s all clichés and predictable plotting, but that’s preferable to yet another cabin in the woods movie.

That so much is achieved on such an obviously low budget is admirable. The cringingly bad performances and CGI give away the film’s lack of funds, at the same time as it never feeling anything less than a living, breathing village under siege from murderous bunnies. When it gives the more obvious CGI trickery a rest, even the effects are pretty good. Its rubber-masked riot gear-clad aliens are particularly fun (and voiced by two of the cast’s better actors) and a welcome respite from the usual ex machinas, which tend to incite similar creature features.

But what we’re all here for is the rampaging rabbits. The Syfy-level creature effects might lead one to expect a Sharknado level of competence (that’ll be none, then) but it’s surprisingly effective, like a British Piranha or wilfully cheesy Slither. It has more in common with Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste than, say, Black Sheep, shrugging off its limitations with a combination of earnestness, splatter and lewd humour. The action sequences are well staged and enjoyably creative, employing the best weapon against an alien threat since Mars Attacks.

That said, a number of the retrograde, sexist Nuts level gags are ill-at-ease with the film Cute Little Buggers is at heart. Some of this excess could certainly have been trimmed, especially where the gratuitous, sincerely unpleasant human impregnation subplot is concerned. It’s a shame because when the film works, it really does work, and with some of the best movie swearing of all time too.

At first glance, Cute Little Buggers is a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed little horror comedy, but those jet black eyes hide a shocking streak of unpleasantness, both welcome and not. How very wascally.

CUTE LITTLE BUGGERS / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: TONY JOPIA / SCREENPLAY: GARRY CHARLES, ANDY DAVIE / STARRING: CAROLINE MUNRO, HONEY HOLMES, DANI THOMPSON, STU JOPIA, / RELEASE DATE: TBC

To start, this looks stunning. The transfer to Blu-ray is immaculate- switch Robert Mitchum for Liam Neeson, slow the pace a little by today’s standards and this could have been made yesterday. The opening titles do for tattoos what Maurice Binder did for ‘You only live twice’. The film itself is a little like Tiger Tanaka and Felix Leiter twenty years after the fact. Sydney Pollack’s artistry as a director shines through in every shot and sound choice- guns are loud, swords are silent- giving the impression that swords are implements of precision and firearms mere honourless blunt weapons. The camera cuts away from any physical damage wrought by a blade but gives full face to a Colt .38.

Robert Mitchum is Kilmer, an ex-military man tasked with saving a businessman’s daughter held hostage by a Yakuza clan. Kilmer, in turn, enlists the help of one Tanaka Ken to complete his mission. The first half of the film could be likened to The Bride playing chess with the film’s characters, before a proto-John Wick brings the required steel to the stage in the latter part.

The fight choreography, though minimal, is both graceful and visceral. Our lead is as battered and sliced as much as the villains’ lain waste around him. Interlaced with this action are twists in the plot that keep the viewers head spinning like the proverbial top- to further discuss the plot would be to the detriment of the film.

Beware: this is not a film for the fast edited, cross-cutting MTV generation. Some scenes are almost glacially paced, but as mentioned before, the story takes centre stage here over all else. That story is one of debts being owed, paid and in some cases repaid in the name of honour. Wrong-‘uns might just turn out to be Right-‘uns and no one is safe from a bell tolling the death knell.

Shot entirely in Japan, without a whiff of studio, The Yakuza longs for a time when Samurai were still the honorific warriors, now replaced by gangsters as heroes. The crowded backstreets of Tokyo are interlaced with the stark beauty of Kyoto in a snow-dappled scene that must have been part of the inspiration for Tarantino’s two-parter.

The Yakuza is old-school in its delivery, the pacing is slow, but stay with it and you will be rewarded with a payoff that is both startling and touching. Whilst it could be said that The Yakuza is on the very fringes of STARBURST’s sandbox, this film is a stone cold classic. 

THE YAKUZA (1974) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: SYDNEY POLLACK / SCREENPLAY: PAUL SCHRADER, ROBERT TOWNE / STARRING: ROBERT MITCHUM, KEN TAKAKURA, BRIAN KEITH, HERB EDELMAN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Released around the same time as the original Spielberg production of Poltergeist, The Entity is based on a real-life incident that allegedly took place in 1976.

The film does share similarities with Poltergeist in that it also focuses on the impact of a parapsychological experience on a closely-knit family and interestingly, according to some online reports, this film was originally touted as a 1981 release, a year or so before the Tobe Hooper classic appeared in theaters, so intriguingly might have become a far bigger success in cinemas had it arrived at that time.

Directed by Sidney J. Furie and adapted by Frank De Felitta from his novel of the same name, The Entity chronicles the story of single mother-of-three Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey) who one night becomes the focus of a rather vicious and malevolent supernatural force who attacks and physically rapes her. The subsequent trauma becomes a point of interest, particularly to a doctor, Dr. Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver), who is cynical about Carla’s interpretation of her experience and tries to add rational medical reasoning. For all this assessment and analysis, it isn’t helping to find a solution as the physical attacks on Carla continue…

The Entity wastes no time in getting to the nitty-gritty of the story and maintains a series of consistent shocks throughout. However, these moments are combined with some really smart performances, especially from the superb Hershey in one of her early best performances, countered by riveting support from competent character actor Silver, who went on to appear in other films like Enemies: A Love Story and Timecop, amongst others.

Technical credits are also impressive, with the music from Charles (A Nightmare On Elm Street) Bernstein, camerawork from Stephen H. Burum (St. Elmo’s Fire, The Untouchables) and some nifty make-up effects from the late, great Stan Winston (T2: Judgment Day et al).

If you like more recent offerings like Paranormal Activity, The Entity will certainly be one that will float above the bed. It’s another welcome Blu-ray re-issue which looks as good as ever.

Overall, even today, The Entity remains a refreshingly intelligent take on parapsychological and unexplained phenomenon. The intent of the evil spirit makes it all the more shocking and the attacks on Carla are disturbingly executed. The subtext of Carla’s own emotional worries and stresses make both the physical and psychological issues all the more of a concern and an interesting focus for people who might want to explore the reality of the context. More recent offerings like Paranormal Activity will also provide some appeal to younger fans to see The Entity.

THE ENTITY (1982) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: SIDNEY J. FURIE / SCREENPLAY: FRANK DE FELITTA / STARRING: BARBARA HERSHEY, RON SILVER, DAVID LABIOSA / RELEASE DATE: 15TH MAY