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The Believers (1987)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
10 June 1987 (USA) moreTagline:
Nothing Can Stop Them. No One Can Help You. They Know Who You Are. morePlot:
A New York psychiatrist finds that a voodoo cult, which believes in child sacrifice, has a keen interest in his own son. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(6 articles)
'A Nightmare On Elm Street' Vet Robert Englund Wants To Scare You With 'Fear Clinic' (From MTV Movies Blog. 27 October 2009, 2:30 PM, PDT)
Opening Case 39
(From Fangoria. 5 October 2009, 9:19 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A bit disjointed, but overall a good film more (30 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Martin Sheen | ... | Cal Jamison | |
| Helen Shaver | ... | Jessica Halliday | |
| Harley Cross | ... | Chris Jamison | |
| Robert Loggia | ... | Lt. Sean McTaggert | |
| Elizabeth Wilson | ... | Kate Maslow | |
| Harris Yulin | ... | Robert Calder | |
| Lee Richardson | ... | Dennis Maslow | |
| Richard Masur | ... | Marty Wertheimer | |
| Carla Pinza | ... | Carmen Ruiz | |
| Jimmy Smits | ... | Tom Lopez | |
| Raúl Dávila | ... | Oscar Sezine | |
| Malick Bowens | ... | Palo | |
| Janet-Laine Green | ... | Lisa Jamison | |
| Larry Ramos | ... | Diner Counterman | |
| Philip Corey | ... | Calder's Assistant |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
114 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
New Zealand:R16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 (w) | Norway:18 | Iceland:16Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Continuity: When Jessica and Cal are participating in the Santeria ceremony, Jessica is sprayed with chicken blood. The blood initially hits the edge of her shirt near her neck. In a following shot, that part of her shirt is completely clean. moreQuotes:
Customs agent: [Arriving at the airport] Open this please?Palo: [First Lines] Just personel items... no need to look in there
[Palo stares deep into the man's eyes]
Customs agent: [Now in a trance like state] All-Right.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Head Case (#3.15)" (2006) moreSoundtrack:
Patacon Pisas moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (30 total)
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After his wife dies, police psychiatrist Cal Jamison (Martin Sheen) moves with his son, Chris (Harley Cross), from Minnesota to New York City. There, he quickly becomes embroiled in a bizarre string of occult-related murders of children and apparent suicides of adults.
If you enjoyed The Serpent And The Rainbow (1988), Angel Heart (1987) and Rosemary's Baby (1968), there's a good chance you'll enjoy The Believers as well, as it bears quite a few similarities (although it's certainly not a rip-off). In my view, it's not quite as good as those other three films, which are all 10s in my book, but it is well worth watching.
The principle flaw, which probably arises from trying to condense a novel--in this case Nicholas Conde's book, The Religion--into a screenplay, is that The Believers quickly brushes over some developments so that it's occasionally difficult to follow, especially towards the beginning. We can sense that there's much more to the story but that there just isn't time to show all of it to us.
However, a characteristic of the subgenre of occult/voodoo horror films is a prominent surrealism and dream-like narrative flow, so what might be more of a flaw in another kind of film can be more of an asset here. The Believers also benefits from a great cast--Sheen is a delight to watch (and listen to) as a psychiatrist who can fly off the handle in rage at the drop of a hat, and Jimmy Smits is wonderfully insane every time we see him.
The Believers is also worth checking out for its cinematography and set design. The set for the climax is a visual treat and integral to the plot. And the tag scene after the climax is remarkable for its visual change--beautiful, wide-open spaces and bright colors. It's just too bad that the sequel set up by director John Schlesinger never came to fruition.