The Entity (1982) User Reviews

Disturbing recreation of apparently true events

[mjw2305 · 8/10 · 1 January 2007]

'The Entity' is a disturbing account of what are supposed to be true events, obviously they are the usual dramatisation's and alterations to the plot to heighten the viewing experience, but it's still a damn good film.

Barbara Hershey gives the performance of her life as the frightened character of Carla, who grows and evolves as the film moves forward. She is adequately supported by the rest of the cast who all play likable characters, except for the doctor; he just becomes annoying and ultimately ends up looking very stupid.

Unfortunately the special effects have not withstood the test of time very well, they aren't laughably bad by any stretch of the imagination, but they really do look pretty tired now.

Overall 'The Entity' is an under-rated film that is actually one of the best horror movies of the 80's. It has great tension that starts right from the word 'action', it successfully grabs your attention and doesn't let you go and it's very graphic and disturbing in the way a horror movie should be.

8/10 brilliant supernatural Horror

An utterly intense and gripping drama.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 22 February 2012]

"The Entity" is one of those movies where, even if one doesn't really buy into the kinds of ideas presented, it still provides for interesting, fascinating entertainment. It's officially based on a novel by Frank De Felitta, who also scripted, the novel itself inspired by a notorious real life story that's one of the most bizarre in the history of paranormal research.

The beautiful Barbara Hershey, giving a performance of conviction and grim determination, plays Carla Moran, a single mother of three who starts to be raped by an unseen antagonist, a crazed force of frightening strength and persistence. She is victimized in her bedroom and the bathroom; the thing also takes control of her car and does a lot of damage as the story plays out. A psychiatrist named Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver) stubbornly insists that the "phenomena" has to be brought on by Carla's own psychological and sexual baggage (she does admittedly have a melodramatic background), but before long outside parties - including Carla's own children - are able to verify that Carla couldn't be doing this herself. Eventually a team of parapsychologists at a university formulate a plan to bait and hopefully trap the thing.

One element the viewer notices quickly is how intent director Sidney J. Furie is at utilizing close ups and some very steep angles. The angles are certainly disorienting and lend a weird perspective to a story that is of course quite fantastic to begin with. The tone definitely leans towards the sensational as the thing is absolutely insatiable and refuses to leave poor Carla alone. (It would be hard not to feel sympathy for this person, especially as she desperately tries to put the experience in some sort of realistic context.)

One scene, featuring knockout effects by Stan Winston and James Kagel, just takes the breath away as it features the fondling of Carla's flesh by these invisible fingers. Other visual effects are very well done without going the truly cheesy route and Charles Bernstein's creepy music, pounding away hard during the attack scenes, is perfect accompaniment.

Supporting performances are all solid, including David Labiosa as Carla's older child Billy, as well as George Coe, Margaret Blye, Michael Alldredge, and Allan Rich; Alex Rocco has one of his kinder screen roles as Carla's loving current boyfriend, and Jacqueline Brookes, Raymond Singer, and Richard Brestoff create some entertaining characters as the parapsychologists.

The movie is riveting through and through, with a fine forward momentum and a memorable finale with Carla made to wait inside a reproduction of her own home. The coda, in particular, is chilling in what it reveals.

And one should also check out the accompanying documentary "The Entity Files", as it lends a respectable insight into the "true" story that inspired this whole thing. As was said before, it's fascinating stuff.

Eight out of 10.

Warning: Invisible Sex Offenders are Always Closer than they ...errr... appear!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 17 May 2006]

I never heard about the case before (and I'm too lazy to do further research) but if this story, like it claims, is indeed based on factual events, then it really is one of the greatest supernatural mysteries in the history of mankind! Barbara Hershey stars, in what unquestionably is the role of her life, as the struggling mother of three children who gets (sexually) assaulted – repeatedly – by an invisible spirit everywhere she goes. The inexplicable attacks naturally affect Carla's social life and pretty soon her sanity as well. When seeking for help, Carla becomes the desired study-object of scientists in several different branches, but none of them really cares for the woman's growing agony, since they're all defending their own obnoxious "theories". The theme and background of this remarkable film are a bit similar to Steven Spielberg's blockbuster "Poltergeist", but that's pretty much where the comparison stops. The supernatural "horror" in Poltergeist is childish nonsense compared to the genuinely devastating and often disturbing footage featuring in this film by Sidney J. Furie. The scenes in which Hershey's character is defenselessly thrown around the room are truly rough and the sight of her being raped by something you cannot see makes you feel very, VERY uncomfortable. Despite the sleazy-sounding premise that, in the hands of other directors, easily could have resulted in an overly exploitative and graphic picture, "The Entity" is very suspenseful and compelling. I'm not even sure this movie fully qualifies as horror, as it feels a lot more like psychological drama and – at times – even like a portrait of pure feminist power. Carla Moran is such a strong woman and determined to survive this nightmare, whereas all the male characters in the story are either stubborn egoists or insensitive bastards. Their insufferable personalities are brilliantly illustrated by the camera's reluctance to picture them! The male characters in "The Entity" are often just voices off the screen or partial faces in sequences dominated by Barbara Hershey's image, which is a really efficient trick actually. You can't possibly develop sympathy or respect for someone you can't initially see and, by the time they fully appear on screen, it's too late already. The film delivers great shocks, surprises, uncanny music and special effects and the wholesome is overall very tense. Whether truthful or not, the screenplay approaches the bizarre supernatural events with great respect and inserts absolutely no humorist situations or satirical disbelief. It's a little hard to stomach sometimes and two hours of intense substance like this perhaps is too long, still, it's an impressive piece of 80's cinema.

To have stirred up such diametrically opposite views here, THE ENTITY must rate above mediocre.

[uds3 · 30 September 2002]

When any film incurs user-comments that are at a 180 degree variance from one to the next, the odds are it is the subject itself which is the catalyst behind the emotion. We have those who admire its technical expertise (at least for 1981) and who recall its fear-factor and professionalism to others who deplore the entire work, branding its laughable script and effects. The truth I suspect lies midway between these inconsistent comments.

To start with there are always going to be a significant percentage of the population who are affronted by the concept of a young girl being sexually assaulted by a ghost for a prolonged period of time....whether it actually happened or not. This, incidentally IS based on a true story that was itself the grounding for Frank De Felita's top selling book. If the notion is a distasteful one, the chances of you liking the film are slim HOWEVER technically adept it is. As it transpires, Barbara Hershey is remarkably good as Carla Moran, the young lady with a problem neither the Police, the Medical Profession or the supposed experts of the paranormal have much luck with. The rapes and sexual assaults are both graphic and quite worrying. Some loopy reviewer likened them to scenes in the SCREAM and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID films! Huh? I think being taken apart by a psycho with a knife or hook is way THIS side of normal compared to being sexually molested in your own bed! but hey, thats just MY opinion!

For its day THE ENTITY was nearer the edge of hard-core horror than many of its contemporaries. I suspect those who claimed to have "laughed" at the entire thing are having themselves on or at least putting up a front for whatever reason. The film was not laughable! I can understand those who believed the film was exploitive and bordering on the distasteful - but hey, so was SILENCE OF THE LAMBS!

I believe you owe it to yourself to find a copy of this film (a) If you have never seen it or (b) If some reasonably heavy-duty horror scenes appeal to you!

All up I would rate this a 6.6 which probably errs on the side of conservativeness.

not a very well-made film, but effective; 7/10

[zetes · 7/10 · 1 July 2001]

The Entity has an extremely sloppy script. First of all, it basically repeats itself a dozen times. Each attack is more or less identical. The biggest problem has to do with the psychologist. He thinks it's all in Carla's head. It would have been nice for the filmmakers to give us the possibility for interpretation, but we see these attacks outside of Carla's point of view. The audience knows for sure that what is happening is real. And then there are half a dozen witnesses. When they corroborate her story, the psychologist still refuses to believe them. Jerry (Alex Rocco) swears that he saw Carla's body being manipulated by an unseen force, and Dr. Sneiderman still believes it's all just in her head. What this does is make him the bad guy throughout the film - we know that, because of him, Carla's attacks are going to go on without a chance of relief. And the script wants us to feel a romantic connection between the two of them. A lot of the film is told from his point of view, trying to get us to believe he is a helpful force, and all we can do is despise him as if he were a weasel taking advantage. This, more than anything else, stops the film dead in its tracks.

However, there are a couple of positive things that save the film and make it worth a watch. Barbara Hershey is absolutely excellent as the frightened victim who gradually grows stronger. The rest of the acting isn't bad, either, but only her performance stands out. Also, the special effects, even though they are very cheap, are enormously effective. Well, the lightning wasn't, but this film goes to show you that a simple rattling mirror is worth so much more than a million dollar CGI ghost.

...and wait until the final moments of the film. I don't think ANYTHING has made me shiver as violently as that moment after the door slams closed. Also, I've rarely been as proud of a character after Carla opens it right back up.

Hair-raising shocker, based on true events

[Libretio · 6/10 · 6 January 2005]

THE ENTITY

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: 6-track Dolby Stereo

(35mm and 70mm release prints)

A busy single mother (Barbara Hershey) is inexplicably targeted by a monstrous, invisible 'entity' which emerges from nowhere and begins to assault her on a regular basis.

Based on events recounted in Frank DeFelitta's bestselling book, Sidney J. Furie's compelling shocker takes all the dramatic liberties one might expect of a Hollywood production, though DeFelitta's script manages to establish a genuine conflict between intractable science (spearheaded by Ron Silver as Hershey's disbelieving psychiatrist) and open-minded parapsychology (led by warm-hearted Jacqueline Brookes). Furie uses dutch angles and vivid closeups to emphasize the human tragedy at the heart of the story, as Hershey struggles to come to terms with her fantastical situation, only to be torn between Silver's increasingly ludicrous 'rationalizations' (he concludes that her experiences amount to little more than a sublimated incestuous crush on her handsome teenage son, played by David Labiosa!) and the day-to-day reality of her encounters with paranormal forces. Thankfully, despite suggestions of Silver's romantic attraction to Hershey, director and screenwriter keep a tight rein on proceedings, stripping all non-essential business from the central narrative.

Giving one of her best performances, Hershey is deeply affecting as the simple woman caught up in extraordinary circumstances beyond her control, and Furie stages the various supernatural assaults with frightening intensity, underlined by Charles Bernstein's pounding music score which elevates proceedings to a whole new level of horror. Despite the sexual nature of the attacks, Furie resists an urge to indulge the audience's voyeurism, and aside from one brief nude scene (employing a fairly obvious body double) and a full-body appliance (courtesy of Stan Winston) to depict invisible fingers manipulating Hershey's torso, the film is quite restrained in its portrayal of this sensitive material. The climactic visual effects - supervised by William Cruse - are remarkably poor, but this minor blemish isn't enough to weaken the film's cumulative impact. Listen out for the entity's only line of 'dialogue', as creepy as it is obscene.

UnderRated Classic

[todsolo · 10/10 · 21 June 2005]

I saw this movie in the theaters when I was 6. It scared the crap out of me then... Now I am 30 and it still scares the crap out of me. Wow! What an amazing horror/thriller. This movie is what a suspenseful horror film should be. The directing and cinematography are incredible. The story unfolds as it sucks you in and doesn't let go for a second. It's a shame these types of films are rarely made anymore. The atmosphere is nauseatingly creepy, the acting on every front is exceptional and the soundtrack is fresh and original. The fact that it is based on true events only adds to the scares. Why can't Hollywood make movies like this anymore? 25 years after its release it still holds up! If you want to have some serious nightmares watch it alone, at night with the lights off. I dare you...

Watch it for Barbara Hershey's performance

[mikedengler-1 · 6/10 · 13 December 2010]

Watching this 1981 film for the first time after becoming desensitized to paranormal films after years of watching innumerable episodes of X-Files I feel that the portrayal of the paranormal activity experienced by Barbara Hershey's character Carla Moran (Real person: Doris Bither) lacks sufficient impact for today's audience. As horrific as those rape experiences must have been for Carla I felt somewhat detached. I think the psychological aspects of the repeated rapes should be portrayed a lot better in any remake. Despite this weakness Barbara Hershey's performance still holds up well today.

There is an interview floating around on the internet with one of Doris Bither's sons - Brian Harris. He gives an interesting account of the tension within the family. Doris drank heavily as she tried to cope with raising a family of four as a single parent and many failed relationships. There was also friction amongst the children. All this added up to a very dysfunctional and stressful environment. The paranormal activity made it truly frightening. Although Doris suffered the rapes the children also experienced physical incidents. Brian summed it up by saying, "Living in that home was hell." A remake should capture the reality of family life more with some mental disintegration on the parts of the family members as the events fracture their relationships. In reality, the family were forced to leave the house by the owner they were renting from when the house began getting a reputation as being haunted. After the family left the house the paranormal activity followed them but receded over the years. Eventually, Doris Bither passed away in 1995, from Pulmonary Arrest.

At the end of the film we are told by text that "It is considered by psychic researchers to be one of the most extraordinary cases in the history of parapsychology."

Actors should study Barbara Hershey here

[abbyduncan-50451 · 9/10 · 20 November 2021]

Hershey is doing some truly amazing/insane acting. I mean... just watch. I can't think of too many actors that COULD or even would be wiling to ATTEMPT to pull what she's doing off. They would feel too silly.

Again... just watch if you can get your hands on a copy of this. It's very difficult to find.

Supernatural horror attacking to an excellent Barbara Hershey

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 1 August 2006]

Carla(Barbara Hershey) is a mother living happily with his sons,when is spontaneously raped ,sexually molested and caught up by a ominous,devilish horror.And now a possessed mother is plunged by a demonic force into supernatural spirit that mistreat and beat her.Meanwhile numerous rare,mysterious things are happening and a parapsychologists try to help her to get the bottom of mystery and vanquish the malignant entity but her psychologist(Ron Silver)doesn't believe her.The movie is pàrtially based on a supposedly true events.

The film contains restless horror as when the invisible being attacks.Tension,creepy atmosphere,genuine chills,suspense is continued and appears lurking and menacing into house,rooms and car .Great loads of screams,shocks,exploitation and terror abound with the usual poltergeists phenomenon caused by the weird entity.It's recreated with magnificent make-up and high grade plethora special effects by the master Stan Winston which are frightening and horrifying the spectator.The eerie music(Charles Berstein) with an excessive utilizing of synthesizer adds sensation to the spooky atmosphere. The original ¨Exorcist¨(Friedkin)film spread a wave of demonic possessions movies that continues unabated nowadays ,¨Changeling¨, ¨Amytiville ¨(Stuart Rosemberg )¨are two further examples of this sub-genre following a great number of sequels,imitations and rip off.This is one of the highest horror movie of the 80s .The writing credits by the terror specialist FranK De Felitta.The motion picture is well directed by Sidney J. Furie

THE INVISIBLE ONES ARE THE ONES TO WATCH OUT FOR...!

[masonfisk · 3/10 · 18 August 2023]

A notorious yet overwrought Exorcist clone starring Barbara Hershey from 1982. One night while at home w/her kids, Hershey is sexually assaulted in her bedroom but no corporeal figure is present as her eldest son rushes into the room. At first dismissing the encounter as possibly a product of her mind, Hershey tries to endure but as the narrative continues & no conventional suspects appear she ends up under the care of a psychiatrist, Ron Silver, who insists the attacks (which Hershey's bruises says otherwise) are self inflicted. The only people who do believe Hershey's claims are parapsychologists which sets up the last third where they hope to catch the assailant w/liquid nitrogen in a giant warehouse which ends up leaving more questions then answers. Supposedly based on real events (if the end credit crawl carries any weight) but handled w/bargain basement effects (some done by Stan Winston) & a film score which sometimes is scarier (by its sheer volume) than the invisible rapist, we get the best movie we can expect from the man who brought us Iron Eagle & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Also starring Alex Rocco (Moe Green from The Godfather) as Hershey's traveling boyfriend & George Coe (who I remember from Remo Williams) as one of Hershey's many doctors.

The Exorcist may be more well known, but this 'based on a true story' horror is far better

[aidanratesmovies · 9/10 · 22 January 2021]

An underrated and incredibly creepy horror gem- The Entity proves to be a film ahead of its time- scary and grounded with some great performances all around. I knew very little about this film going into it, but after seeing it, I can see so many future horror films taking inspiration from it. What this film desires isn't body counts, or gratuitous deaths, like so many other 80's horror flicks. What it instead does, is provide a rich and sinister atmosphere, and prove to be a rather intense although at times slow little supernatural thriller that you will be engaged with until the very end. I love the cinematography in this film, proving to be very grounded and yet nostalgic. The characters are also rather grounded, with Barbara Hershey providing an excellent performance in the lead role. Some special effects can be obvious by today's standards, but others throughout the film are extraordinary and truly ahead of its time. The film can be a bit of a slow burn, I feel maybe they could have shaved off about 10 minutes somewhere in there. However, the film makes up for its careful pacing with its truly scary antics, proving to be one of the scarier films i've ever seen. In the end, The Entity is a horror film that not only deserves more praise, but was truly ahead of is time. A strong vision from Frank De Felitta, this classic horror is one not to be missed. My Rating: 9.25/10

Probably the darkest haunted house movie there is

[Superunknovvn · 6/10 · 12 July 2006]

Actually, "The Entity" isn't a haunted house movie as much as it is a haunted person movie since the ghost or "the entity" only follows the main character around. What makes this movie darker than say "Poltergeist" is that we hardly ever see the demon that causes all the trouble. We only see what it does and that's raping its poor victim without remorse.

A story such as this could easily have become campy, especially since it was made in 1981. Surprisingly, "The Entity" still holds up very well. The performances are convincing, the characters are believable and the special effects are reduced to a minimum. The whole script comes dangerously close to losing its balance when in the last third of the movie a team of parapsychologists turns up and has some "really rad ideas" on how to destroy The Entity. However, thankfully the movie doesn't go too much over the top.

The weak points of "The Entity" are that it's not too scary and too long, both for the sake of maintaining veracity since this is supposedly based on a true story. As a horror movie it could have used better pacing and some jump scenes. The score is minimalist in that it's only a thunderous beat that kicks in as soon as The Entity turns up. What worked well in "The Thing" is a bit too little here. The same can be said about the ending. An open ending can be a good thing, but there should at least come a satisfying climax before it and at the end the main character's situation should have changed for better or for worse. "The Entity" kind of just stops without the heroine achieving anything.

A remake by Hideo Nakata is in the works and it seems to be a good idea to hand the project to an Asian director as the rawness of the story would probably get lost in the hands of an American. Here's one original movie that can be bettered as much as it could be worsened. We'll see what happens.

Very up and down in its telling of an horrendous story.

[hitchcockthelegend · 4/10 · 25 May 2008]

This is the loosely based on facts story of Carla Moran, a woman who was allegedly tormented and sexually molested by an invisible demon.

Regardless of if the facts of the case are fictionalised for impact, or if indeed there is any basis of truth to the attacks in question, The Entity as a film fails to rise above average due to sloppy direction and a very poor script, whilst the score from Charles Bernstein is akin to being hit over the head repeatedly with a blunt instrument.

That said, the film isn't a total wash out, there are genuine moments of dread in the piece, and most of the tension and fear is realised from a very credible performance from Barbara Hershey as Carla. The nature of the beast with this type of picture will always be open to either scoffing or a fear of the unknown, so to get the audience involved with a topic like this you really need your protagonist to be believable, Hershey manages to do this in spite of the character being hopelessly under written. There is no real urgency or understanding of feelings portrayed other than a few rushed sequences, it's kind of like poor Carla saying she's been attacked by a demon and her doctor going, oh OK, lets talk about it.

If you believe in the paranormal etc is irrelevant, that The Entity isn't a terrifying story is sadly just a missed opportunity to not only scare, but to induce thought provoking conversation. 4/10

Invisible man assaults Barbara Hershey

[Dr. Gore · 4 May 2003]

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

Barbara Hershey lives in a house with a son, two little girls and an invisible rapist. Her doctor thinks she's hysterical. She has had a rough life. Therefore, it must be all in her head. Everyone else believes her except the doctor. "It must be mass hallucinations!" People get thrown around, wrists are broken and yet the doctor still can't give in. His skepticism continues unabated throughout the movie. Thankfully some college ghostbusters show up to help Barbara.

The movie's main strength is this: It ain't subtle. The filmmakers go out of their way to show that invisible guy is in fact, raping her. See Barbara Hershey's breasts get squeezed by invisible hands! That was a classic moment. I liked the invisible rapists theme song too. Every time he would attack this loud music would accompany his assault.

The doctor got annoying after awhile. There always seems to be the scientific fool who doesn't believe in ghosts, trying to ruin the movie for everyone. I wish he would have come to his senses a little earlier in the flick than never. Why The Entity is so obsessed with her is never explained. The flick tries to make an argument about female hysteria creating The Entity but that argument loses steam by about the third assault. Invisible man is there, he wants her and there you go. I liked it.

Weird and creepy

[ommik · 7/10 · 2 May 2021]

I saw this as kid in the late 80s and I was absolutely terrified. I´ve been planning to rewatch this for years now and finally came around to do it.

The movie didn´t feel that scary at all... however, the visual style and atmosphere are still very creepy and (for a lack for a better word) weird. The camera angles are often tilted and there are a lot of intense close-ups, and I think this all adds up to a claustrophobic voyeur feeling. The movie somehow even feels a bit documentary-like. Also, all the talk about sensitive sexual trauma (etc) adds to the oppressive feeling.

I can´t say whether I liked this or not, but it yeah.. I understand why I found it so scary.

Scary in an interesting way

[jhaggardjr · 7/10 · 25 October 2000]

"The Entity" is a well made horror film about a supernatural phenomenon tormenting a woman by sexually attacking her repeatedly. The thing that strikes me interesting about this movie is that it's supposedly based on fact! Barbara Hershey gives a very strong performance as Carla Moran, the woman who one night has her life turned upside down when she's raped by an unseen mass. And this invisible visitor has no intentions of leaving her alone! She seeks help first from a psychiatrist (played by Ron Silver) who she feels ain't helping her. Then she runs into a group of parapsychologists who think have a solution to get rid of this entity. "The Entity" is quite scary in certain spots helped occasionally by an eerie and overbearing music score. There are some scenes that are kind of laughable, but for me "The Entity" provided more scares than laughs. Hershey gives a terrific performance in an early film role that could have been demeaning but isn't. The nude scenes are either the use of a body double or a make-up puppet. And when you watch this scenes, you can see it can't be Hershey's body your looking at. "The Entity" has a few silly moments, but all-in-all it's an effective horror film.

*** (out of four)

A great and very underrated 80's horror movie

[meathookcinema · 8/10 · 10 October 2021]

Carla Moran is violently raped by a seemingly invisible force. She tried to tell the people around her about what has happened but finds only resistance as her family and friends don't believe her as she didn't see who assaulted her especially when she says that her house was locked up when it happened and the assailant seemingly vanished into thin air.

Frank De Felitta's bestselling book based on a true story (the case of Doris Bither) translates very well to the big screen with Barbara Hershey cast as Carla doing a phenomenal job in invoking the terror of a woman going through something very real but undertaken by someone or something very unreal. Apparently Bette Midler, Sally Field, Jane Fonda and Jill Clayburgh were all offered the role but declined.

Sidney J. Furie's film stands alone as a one-off film of a one-off case that most people will have thought of as too much of a tall story to be true.

Carla not being believed can also be seen as an allegory of something that far too many women (and men) go through when they find the courage and strength to report a rape or sexual assault- that their horror isn't over yet as they try to seek justice whilst being met with an unfeeling and cruel judicial system that views their account with scepticism and disbelief. If it actually makes it to a court of law they will be made to relive their trauma. Those opposing them will try to disprove and belittle the magnitude of what they've been through. Or they will try to convince a jury that it didn't happen at all.

The film all too harrowingly shows the full horror of what Carla goes through when she is raped and does a great job of showing the trail of very disturbing signs when the spirit or entity is approaching (objects shaking, a certain odour that permeates the surroundings Moran is in, a very sudden drop in temperature). Hershey's performance, just like the film in general, never slides into TV movie melodramatics or sensationalism.

There needs to be special mention to Charles Bernstein's insistent, pulsating and truly shocking score that is perfect for the movie and it's subject matter. There are also echoes of the music he would write three years later for a new film called A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Also the special effects for the scenes in which Moran is molested by the invisible force are very effective indeed. For one sequence a body cast of Hershey was made that was manipulated by currents of air to make it look like the invisible entity was touching her. It succeeds eerily well. Stan Winston supervised the practical effects.

The effects also come into their own when Carla meets professionals who actually believe her story and work in the field of parapsychology. But to tell you more about this would make me tiptoe into spoiler territory...

When the film opened it was met with protests from those who thought that such a film was exploiting such a serious topic as rape. Hershey actually defended this claim and voiced that herself and the filmmakers had actually worked hard not to make the film exploitative and to display the true horror of sexual assault and rape.

All in all a terrifying film that still feels underrated and excluded from serious writings regarding 80's horror.

a rapey Poltergeist

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 5 July 2016]

Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey) is a single mother with two young daughters and teen son Billy. Her boyfriend Jerry Anderson (Alex Rocco) is often away. One night, she is raped by an invisible force. Her friend Cindy recommends psychiatrist Dr. Sneiderman (Ron Silver). He thinks it's her delusion. More attacks happen. Her kids and Cindy witness and believe her. She encounters two parapsychologists at a bookstore who start doing research on her. They study under Dr. Cooley from the same university as Sneiderman. Sneiderman fears that Carla's delusions are becoming mass hysteria.

This is Poltergeist except more rapey. The sexual violence is quite brutal reminiscent of grindhouse horrors. Hershey is a compelling lead. The violence gets scary at times. The special effects are not as good as Poltergeist. One thing I would change is to leave the attacks more ambiguous at the beginning. It would allow the audience is accept Sneiderman's diagnosis. There would be tension of whether this is real or this is all in Carla's head. This is a memorable horror.

The fear of the unknown is the scariest thing that can happen.

[insomniac_rod · 10/10 · 14 November 2004]

"The Entity" is a horror movie that will stay in your mind forever.

The movie is not an easy watch, it's rather disturbing but for some reason it catches the viewers' attention.

There's something that isn't mentioned about the "entity". The paranormal phenomenon is known in the occultism field as a demon called an "Incubus". This demon rapes women and there are true Incubus cases registered. The movie doesn't digs in that aspect because there are many sub-plots. Also, the religious point of view isn't shown (I think that in order to avoid a comparison with "The Exorcist") and could've worked to understand more the phenomenon.

"The Entity" works perfectly as a horror movie with dramatic and sci-fi tones. The combination worked and the result is one of the most shocking horror movies of all time. Cheesy is you say but effective. Take the movie seriously and enjoy.

*HUGE SPOILERS* Carla Moran is a middle class working woman with three children (two young girls and a teenager son) with a normal life. Everything seems to be normal in Carla's life until one night she's raped in her bedroom by an unseen evil spirit. The attacks continue and make Carla wonder if she's out of her mind.

After Carla is almost killed in her car by the entity, she seeks help with Philip Sneiderman, a psychologist. The psychological exams' results indicate that Carla is a healthy, intelligent woman that may be experiencing problems caused by childhood-teenage traumas. Carla was molested by her dad as a child and later he married and got pregnant at 16. Billy her son was the result of her first marriage. Carla got married for a second after her first husband's death, but her second marriage also ended abruptly.

Psychologists diagnose that Mrs. Moran's physical injuries are caused by masturbation and deliriums. The truth is that no medicine or treatment is working and the attacks continue and increase on intensity. Desperate for help, Carla and her best friend go to a library in search of books of the occultism and parapsychology. There they find two scientists from the same University as Dr. Sneidermen that agree to help her with her case. At night the entity makes an apparition and the scientists (or doctors, parapsychologists, whatever) take pictures of it and take them to the faculty in order to start investigations about it.

What is this "entity"? Why did it pick Carla? Is it possible that Carla's traumas have something to do with the attacks? The attacks never stop and the entity seems to be challenging the rules of nature.

*** The action starts pretty soon so you get really interested on what could happen next. In the first five minutes the first "entity" attack happens and that's when you know you're watching something different from the genre. That scene is filled with tension, violence, and the feeling of uncertainty that only a few movies can create. The scene where Carla is attacked and Billy (her son) tries to help her but is pushed violently by the entity is a truly frightening scene as the desperate cries for help from Carla look totally believable. The lightning f/x was not called for in my opinion but still added tension to the scene. The most violent scene happens when Jerry (Carla's Moran) enters their bedroom and witnesses how the entity is raping Carla. The scene is very explicit as it's shown how Carla's breasts are being rubbed violently and she's also beaten. The scenes are very disturbing but manage to do something that's not very common in the genre; they scare the audience. Most of the times disturbing scenes (a la "Last House on the Left") provoke repulsion but in this movie they manage to create fear and a feeling of uncertainty. "The Entity" is a scary movie for it's scenes. The ending didn't work for me as the method to "stop" and paralize the entity is beyond reality. That may be the "Hollywood aspect" that was inserted by 20th Century Fox. The recreation of Carla Moran's house in the faculty lab in order to trap the entity didn't work for me.

The very last scene of the movie is truly frightening. The threatening voice of the entity saying "welcome to the house, c***" sent shivers up to my funny bone. The correct way to end a scary movie is with a scary movie.

ACTING Great. Simply great. A powerful, totally believable, performance by Barbara Hershey (Carla Moran) worths the watch. The performance is extremely difficult as Hershey had to create a mix of emotions for a situation that can't be explained! I mean, the difficulty grade on this performance is very high and she delivered greatly. The woman knows how to show pain, happiness, desperation, and fear of now knowing what's going on. A versatile and incredible performance. Ron Silver (Philip Sneiderman) gives a solid performance. The character is annoying but the performance is very good. David Labiosa (Billy) gives a good performance whenever he's on screen. Nice job in choosing the right actors.

DIRECTION Sidney Furey created one of the most stunning horror movies ever. His direction is solid and managed to create very scary scenes. The direction is stylish and totally works for this horror movie. "The Entity" is something that you won't see very often; visually talking.

F/X, CINEMATOGRAPHY, SCORE. -The f/x are just OK. The lightning effects look very cheap but you don't mind as the scenes where they appear are full of tension.

-The cinematography is surprisingly good. There's a correct use of light, dark, and small places. Very good use of cinematography to create fear. -The score is very effective. I describe it as violent and always gives me the creeps. If the attack scenes are frightening is also because the score impresses. The drum violently beating and the electric guitar are stuff to remember.

8.5/10 Scary scenes, powerful performances, chilling soundtrack, and a very interesting plot make this an unforgettable movie. One of the most frightening movies ever that if taken seriously could scare the hell out of you. Worths a watch by EVERY horror fan of the genre. This movie is an underrated basic element for the 80's horror.

Starts off strong, but falters at the second half and doesn't recover.

[fcm434 · 6/10 · 25 September 2016]

The concept alone is terrifying. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman. The idea of an invisible being or force repeatedly attacking you is enough to explore in one film especially a horror film. To do it right you need someone who can sell this to the audience. Someone who will keep it from coming off as sleazy. Thankfully, Barbara Hershey succeeds in her portrayal of Carla Moran and her performance is one of the biggest strengths of the film. However, without Hershey the film would suffer tremendously and fall apart because unfortunately Hershey's performance is not only one of it's biggest strengths, but one of it's only strengths.

Now I'm not saying the supporting cast is not good. In fact, the performances by the supporting cast members are solid all around for what the script gives them. As others have pointed out in their reviews the script is indeed sloppy. The tension steadily rises for the first half of the film, but after the halfway point the tension is jagged going up and down to the point that it almost feels like another movie. Of course in order for me to go any further I'd have to go into spoiler territory.

***SPOILERS*** Once Carla's friend witnesses the titular Entity in action and Carla no longer feels that she's alone (Hershey does an excellent job portraying the wave of relief one would feel in that situation) the second half of the movie begins leading the film to decline in quality. Earlier I said the second half feels another movie and it does, specifically "Ghostbusters" (1984), but not in a good way.

I'm not joking. Carla gets the help of three parapsychologists who help her combat the supernatural Entity and try to capture it. The film even has it's own Walter Peck in the form of Dr. Sneiderman (Ron Silver), who looks like the coke-head executive Harry Ellis from Die Hard. Sneiderman is a character that is fine for the first half of the film, but ruined in the second half no thanks to the sloppy script.

In the first half of the film Dr. Sneiderman is portrayed as an understandably skeptical and logical man, who is reasonably reticent to think that Carla is affected by anything supernatural. He comes across as fair, level-headed man of science. Yet that all dissolves at the beginning of the second half. Unlike Walter Peck, who had never talked to eyewitnesses of the supernatural had justification for being skeptical of the supernatural whereas Dr. Sneiderman has none. Dr. Sneiderman devolves into an incredibly annoying, close-minded jerk who ignores eyewitness accounts from several people including Carla's boyfriend.

I know I'm spending a lot of time on Dr. Sneiderman, but he really is a big problem for the film during the second half and frankly this character really drags the film down. The psychologists are frustrating to watch at this point because the audience and other characters know there's supernatural forces at work, but they refuse to listen. The end is also a bit of a mess.

By that point in the film Hershey and the supporting cast are doing their best with the material they're given. Sadly, the ending leaves much to be desired. You really don't know what the Entity is and this is an instance where ambiguity hurts the film. There is no real satisfaction save for that Carla has become stronger from this ordeal I guess. Other than that there are a lot of unanswered questions and not in any contemplative or compelling way.

All in all the Entity is a mixed bag of a horror film that starts off strong for a solid hour, but falters at the second half. Still its worth your time at least for Barbara Hershey's wonderful performance. In short, I personally wouldn't call this one of the 11 scariest films of all time like legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, but to each their own.

Interesting at times, but boring at others.

[Aaron1375 · 5/10 · 13 February 2004]

This is a rather different take on the ghost story. Supposedly based on a true story, this one though is highly unbelievable. Not only that, but there isn't really all that much too it. A woman is stalked by a force that seemingly assaults her. That is about all there is to it. A guy tries to help her out with different approaches, the most unique being trying to freeze the ghost in a mock room at a university. Could have been better if they would have added a bit more scares and such, but other than beating up the gal, this entity doesn't do all that much. Which makes me think the real life woman simply had an abusive boyfriend or husband and this was the story they came up with to explain the wounds. At least it was an original idea, eh?

This Movie Still Haunts Me 20+ Years Later

[egz-1 · 10/10 · 4 August 2002]

This was the scariest film I have ever seen. And I have seen pretty much, every horror film made in the last 20 years. As a woman, the thought of an unseen entity consistently sexually abusing you is about the most horrifying thing I can think of. The scenes where she was being touched by the unseen being in bed next to her husband or in front of other people still haunt me today. And that first rape scene was horrifying. I still get the chills every time I think of this film. And after 20 years to still remember most of the scenes in detail is pretty incredible. There are not many films I can say that about. I sometimes think I might want to watch this film again, but then again, maybe not.... at least the images have faded a bit now after 20 years.

Brilliant when it's on, decent when it's not

[slayrrr666 · 7/10 · 13 January 2007]

"The Entity" is an incredibly slow but brutal film.

**SPOILERS**

After getting ready for bed, Carla Moran, (Barbara Herschey) finds herself being raped by an invisible presence, and her children, Billy, (David Labiosa) Julie, (Natasha Ryan) and Kim, (Melanie Gaffin) immediately rush to her aide but find nothing. As the incidents continue, she has trouble convincing others that it happened and begins to threaten her professional and personal relationships. Finally forced to turn to Phil Sneiderman, (Ron Silver) a psychiatrist, to help alleviate the problem but the attacks continue. Desperate the solve the situation and getting no help from the psychological community, who think she's inventing problems for attention, and when finally forced into believing the incredible story, a pair of parapsychologists come to help her get rid of it.

The Good News: Quite simply, this type of film lives or dies by the brutality of it's rape scenes, and this one doesn't disappoint. The rape scenes in here are extremely uncomfortable, disturbing and not at all that pleasant an experience, but considering the subject matter, they're not that exploitative and are really a necessity. Had this held back it's rapes, then it wouldn't be that great or remembered that fondly, and that it held them up is a great touch. The first one is one of the best, coming out of nowhere and really not coming across all that clearly, not really suggesting a supernatural existence is behind them at all and really playing itself quite straight. The highlight one is the bathroom rape, which is insanely creepy, really disturbing and really comes across as the showcase one. The moment the door slowly shuts on it's own and the windows lock themselves, the set-up is complete and the anticipation starts, and then it just becomes a matter of time until it starts, and it doesn't loose any power when it does occur. It's just got the benefit of a strong suspense scene before it to help it along. The really close scene to this is a really surreal one in the bedroom, where it appears that the victim is fondled by an invisible entity, and the effect comes across really well. It's a little shocking to see a scene like that, especially considering what's happening. Had any of these not been as powerful or creepy as they are, this really wouldn't have worked as well, so to have them like that is a definite plus. The only other scene that really comes close to them is the one sequence where the forces at work launch an assault on the victim inside an apartment house, with exploding furniture and windows bursting with no warning or explanation given to them, and happening quite suddenly. It makes for a series of continuous jump scenes that never fails to rattle and get the nerves going. This really wasn't that bad.

The Bad News: There isn't a whole lot here, but what's here is a huge detriment. The most obvious hindrance is obviously the raping and exploitation angle. The film isn't really exploitative, but the fact that the subject matter deals with the issue, and repeatedly and violently at that, won't be an easy obstacle for some to overcome. After the third or fourth encounter, that might be enough for some to give up on the film and won't want to finish the film due to the confrontational subject matter, and that's a very real problem. It's not that the film itself is exploitative, but just the subject matter itself. That might also be what keeps those who don't wish to even go near a film with that kind of subjects from getting near it, so there is a side-effect, but the film is still a really strict affair. The film's other big problem is the languid and horrible pacing. The middle section especially, which is an endless series of medical examinations and conferences that repeat the same thing over and over again for no real purpose simply make it so. There's hardly any scene in the middle that plays necessary as is, and really could've been trimmed, since this is a way too long film as it is. There's no reason why the film is so long except for the slow middle section, which also grates on the nerves for the endless and unnecessary banter about whether or not the events that had transpired where real or not. It gets old and just drags the film out. Not all that great a point. The film also has a really underwhelming ending that really only provokes annoyance rather than a satisfying conclusion. Other than these, this wasn't all that bad.

The Final Verdict: While not an easy film to finish, it sure does what so many don't attempt to do, and that is to deliver a series of shocks. It's powerful and not really for the squeamish, so those who are far more attuned to the exploitative side of horror will have an easier time with this one, even though it'll certainly be enjoyed by others.

Rated R: Continuous Rapes, Full Nudity, Violence and some Language

Neither Believable, Nor Very Exciting

[jcanettis · 4/10 · 29 May 2005]

Supposedly based on a true story, "The Entity" recounts the alleged ordeal of Carla Moran (Hershey), who was consistently being beaten and raped by an unknown entity. After realizing that the professional help by Dr. Sneiderman (Silver), a psychiatrist, was entirely pointless, she turns to parapsychologists for assistance. In the end, they "prove" that she in fact is being pursued by a ghost, and despite their best efforts the film ends by informing us that the real Carla continues to be haunted by this entity.

The film failed me completely on two counts: First and foremost, I flatly refuse to believe in ghosts, demons, witches, and other inventions of the human mind which tries to explain phenomena that it cannot or does not want to understand. Unfortunately, even in the 21st century, many people are all too ready to believe things that defy any kind of logic, instead of trying to reconstruct what has really happened in terms of reason; if they did, they would realize that all those "paranormal" events are either fakes fabricated by people, or things that have a simple, natural explanation. I do not know the real Ms. Moran and what has happened to her, but I am almost certain that if she truly had such a bad experience, it could definitely be explained in more prosaic and mundane terms. Likewise, if the film kept open the possibility of a more natural interpretation of events, it would be much more appealing than the way it was presented in which it wanted us to believe that all this was about a ghost with wild urges...

The second reason for which the film could not get a pass grade, is that the way the story is presented is rather boring. The focus is continuously kept on the entity's nearly identical attacks to Carla, for the most part of the movie; it would be much more interesting for the viewer if the script-writer and director allocated more time in other themes, such as the investigation of what is really happening. This theme appears only in the very last part of the film, and even then it leaves the viewer largely disappointed.

Despite the above grave shortcomings, I would count Barbara Hershey's decent performance on the plus side of the movie. The rest of the cast delivers an average performance.

Finally, the fact that the effects are rather poor can be explained largely the release date of the film (1981).

The film could do better, but it didn't. 4/10.