Communion (1989)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Philippe Mora

Writers (WGA):

Whitley Strieber (book)
Whitley Strieber (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 November 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

On December 26th, 1985, Whitley Strieber had a dream. Weeks later, he discovered his family had the same dream. Months later, he made the most shocking discovery of his life. Now, you will discover it.

Plot:

Whitley Strieber goes with his family and some friends to his holiday home in the forest. They experience some weird occurances...

Plot Keywords:

UFO | Halloween | Alien Contact | Cabin | Hypnosis

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Christopher Walken	...	Whitley Strieber
Lindsay Crouse	...	Anne Strieber
Frances Sternhagen	...	Dr. Janet Duffy
Andreas Katsulas	...	Alex
Terri Hanauer	...	Sarah
Joel Carlson	...	Andrew Strieber
John Dennis Johnston	...	Fireman
Dee Dee Rescher	...	Mrs. Greenberg
Aileen Fitzpatrick	...	Mother
R.J. Miller	...	Father
Holly Fields	...	Praying Mantis Girl
Paula Shaw	...	Woman from Apartment
Juliet Sorci	...	Second Grade Girl (as Juliet Sorcey)
Tifni Twitchell	...	Teacher
Joshua Miller	...	Tall Boy (as Joshua John Miller)

Runtime:

Netherlands:101 min | Germany:106 min (video) | USA:107 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Allied Vision

Trivia:

Whitley has a picture of "The Great Wave of Kanagawa" by Hokusai on his wall, with an added cartoon character, facing the tsunami with an exclamation mark above his head, drawn in for comic effect.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Whitley opens the closet to find the teddy bear he opens the right closet door. When filmed from the inside, both doors are open and he then proceeds to close the left door.

Quotes:

Whitley Strieber: [Doppleganger scene] I am you. And you are me. And we are here. I am the dreamer and you are the dream.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Blast from the Past (1999)

Soundtrack:

PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ

What are we to believe?

Ever read 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'? Remember that scene where Peter and Susan talk to the professor because they're worried about Lucy? Lucy claims that she visited another world by stepping inside a wardrobe. The professor responds by stating quite logically, "either she is lying, she is mad, or she is telling the truth. Lucy is quite a truthful person, and one only needs to look at her to see that she is not mad. Therefore for now we must assume that she is telling the truth."

That statement perfectly describes Whitley Strieber's very strange case. If he is lying, then why has he passed numerous lie detector tests? If he is crazy, then why have numerous doctors failed to diagnose him with schizophrenia, temporal lobe epilepsy, etc. And why have numerous people had strange experiences at his cabin? As Arthur Conan Doyle once said, "Once you rule out the impossible..."

I would highly recommend people watch this very scary film. The scenes at Strieber's cabin and while he is hypnotized were really creepy. They left a lasting impression on me. Christopher Walken gives a compelling performance as Whitley Strieber (Strieber probably isn't this eccentric in real life).

I wish I could say this film was perfect but this was not so. The scenes in between the 'abduction' sequences were less compelling, and the film drags on at least ten minutes past when it should have ended. Still the film is a good introduction to the alien abduction phenomenon and to Strieber's book. It may make you leave the lights on at night.