The Fury (1978)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

John Farris (novel)
John Farris (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 March 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

An experience in terror and suspense.

Plot:

A government agent is determined to come to his son's rescue, when a sinister official kidnaps him to harbor his extremely powerful psychic abilities.

Plot Keywords:

Psychic | Experiment | Gothic | Severed Head | Chicago

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kirk Douglas	...	Peter Sandza
John Cassavetes	...	Ben Childress
Carrie Snodgress	...	Hester
Charles Durning	...	Dr. Jim McKeever
Amy Irving	...	Gillian Bellaver
Fiona Lewis	...	Dr. Susan Charles
Andrew Stevens	...	Robin Sandza
Carol Eve Rossen	...	Dr. Ellen Lindstrom (as Carol Rossen)
Rutanya Alda	...	Kristen
Joyce Easton	...	Katharine Bellaver
William Finley	...	Raymond Dunwoodie
Jane Lambert	...	Vivian Nuckells
Sam Laws	...	Blackfish
J. Patrick McNamara	...	Robertson
Alice Nunn	...	Mrs. Callahan

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 (re-rating) (1978) (cut) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:13 (re-rating) (1985) (uncut) | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Brazil:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Astor Street, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Frank Yablans Presentations

Trivia:

The first film for both Daryl Hannah and Laura Innes.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As Peter Sandza descends in an elevator to meet Hester, in the shot inside the elevator a camouflaged cameraman is reflected in the metallic railings between each floor.

Quotes:

Peter Sandza: Ask Childress if all this was worth his arm.
Bob: What? Did you do something to his arm Peter?
Peter Sandza: I killed it. With a machine gun.

Movie Connections:

References Rear Window (1954)

A terrific exercise in the supernatural, delivered with guts and gore from Brian De Palma!

Before "Scanners" there was this wonderful little gore fest from Brian De Palma, who all-ready had done such great Hitchcock-like thrillers as "Sisters" and "Obsession" and of course "Carrie", which in many ways is related to this one, another tale of telekinesis with deadly results. It is also worth noting that David Cronenberg's above-mentioned "Scanners" seem to owe a great deal to this movie.

"The Fury" balances brilliantly between weird and unexpected comedy (like the whole scene where Douglas carjacks two off-duty cops, one played by Dennis Franz!) and imaginative horror that will turn off anyone who hates blood. Great acting from everyone; worth noting the star-making performances of Amy Irving and Andrew Stevens, Douglas who has a field-day, Cassavetes who looks great as the sinister bad-guy and Carrie Snodgress who will touch your heart with her performance as the caring nurse Hester.

The last scene is quite a kick, truly one of the most memorable finales ever shown on screen, and it could very well leave you cheering well into the end credits!