The Sentinel (1977)

Director:

Michael Winner

Writers:

Jeffrey Konvitz (novel)
Jeffrey Konvitz (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 May 1977 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

She was young. She was beautiful. She was next!

Plot:

Not ready for marriage, a fashion model moves into an unbelievably nice Brooklyn Heights apartment, where scary occurrences turn into a much more frightening turn of events.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Model | Church | Cat | Birthday Party

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Chris Sarandon	...	Michael Lerman
Cristina Raines	...	Alison Parker
Martin Balsam	...	Prof. Ruzinsky
John Carradine	...	Fr. Halliran
José Ferrer	...	Priest of the Brotherhood
Ava Gardner	...	Miss Logan
Arthur Kennedy	...	Monsignor Franchino
Burgess Meredith	...	Charles Chazen
Sylvia Miles	...	Gerde Engstrom
Deborah Raffin	...	Jennifer
Eli Wallach	...	Det. Gatz
Christopher Walken	...	Det. Rizzo
Jerry Orbach	...	Michael Dayton
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Sandra
Hank Garrett	...	James Brenner

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 (cut) | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Australia:R | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-18 (1986) (cut version) | Finland:(Banned) (1977) (uncut version)

Filming Locations:

10 Montague Terrace, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

There was a bit of controversy surrounding this film upon its release when it was leaked that director Michael Winner used real human oddities for the Dead rising up from hell scene at the film's conclusion.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As the hearse passes, the camera crew and lighting equipment are reflected in the car's side.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ghost Busters (1984)

black and white cat...black and white cake

Bizarre horror movie filled with famous faces but stolen by Cristina Raines (later of TV's "Flamingo Road") as a pretty but somewhat unstable model with a gummy smile who is slated to pay for her attempted suicides by guarding the Gateway to Hell! The scenes with Raines modeling are very well captured, the mood music is perfect, Deborah Raffin is charming as Cristina's pal, but when Raines moves into a creepy Brooklyn Heights brownstone (inhabited by a blind priest on the top floor), things really start cooking. The neighbors, including a fantastically wicked Burgess Meredith and kinky couple Sylvia Miles & Beverly D'Angelo, are a diabolical lot, and Eli Wallach is great fun as a wily police detective. The movie is nearly a cross-pollination of "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist"--but what a combination! Based on the best-seller by Jeffrey Konvitz, "The Sentinel" is entertainingly spooky, full of shocks brought off well by director Michael Winner, who mounts a thoughtfully downbeat ending with skill. ***1/2 from ****