The Visitor (1979)

The soul of a young girl with telekinetic powers becomes the prize in a fight between forces of God and the Devil.

Director:

Giulio Paradisi (as Michael J. Paradise)

Writers:

Luciano Comici (screenplay) (as Lou Comici), Robert Mundi (screenplay) (as Robert Mundy)

Stars:

Mel Ferrer, Glenn Ford, Lance Henriksen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Ferrer	...	Dr. Walker
Glenn Ford	...	Det. Jake Durham
Lance Henriksen	...	Raymond Armstead
John Huston	...	Jerzy Colsowicz
Joanne Nail	...	Barbara Collins
Sam Peckinpah	...	Dr. Sam Collins
Shelley Winters	...	Jane Phillips
Paige Conner	...	Katy Collins
Ja Townsend
Jack Dorsey
Johnny Popwell	...	AAA Mechanic
Wallace Wilkinson	...	Police Captain
Steve Somers
Lou Walker	...	AAA Mechanic
Walter Gordon Sr.	...	Thomas

Storyline

John Huston stars as an intergalactic warrior who joins a cosmic Christ figure in battle against a demonic 8-year-old girl, and her pet hawk, while the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. Multi-dimensional warfare, pre-adolescent profanity and brutal avian attacks combine to transport the viewer to a state unlike anything they've experienced... somewhere between Hell and the darkest reaches of outer space.

---

Plot Keywords:

grindhouse | graphic violence | extreme violence | end of the world | psychic | 

---

Taglines:

They know we are here...

---

Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Drafthouse Films [United States]

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

21 November 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Visitor

Filming Locations:

Dear Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brouwersgracht Investments,Film Ventures International (FVI),Swan American Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sam Peckinpah only worked one day on this film.

---

Goofs

During the ice skating spinning sequence, Katie clearly let's go of the boy in the darker blue shirt twice (or the same footage is used twice). The aerial shot shows her letting go of the boy, and then a quick wide shot of them spinning together still holding onto each other, then the aerial shot again shows her letting go of the boy.

---

Quotes

Detective Jake Durham: Now listen to me Katy isn't there something you want to tell me?
Katy Collins: Yeah. Go fuck yourself!

---

Alternate Versions

"The Visitor" was released on DVD by independent distributor Code Red in November 2010. It was the first time the film had been presented in its uncut form in the United States.

---

Connections

Featured in Videofobia: El visitante del más allá (2015)

---

Soundtracks

Shortnin' Bread
(uncredited)
By James Whitcomb Riley
Performed by Shelley Winters

User Reviews

"Sateen was a mew-tant."

The plot, as I hopefully understand it, is that Satan (or Sateen, as this film calls him) fathers children with supernatural powers. One of these children is 8 year-old Katy, who has telekinetic powers and a heavy Southern drawl. An intergalactic traveler called The Visitor must battle the child for the fate of the universe....or something like that. There's also some stuff about an evil hawk, some bald aliens, and a crazy-eyed Jesus with a bad blonde wig.

Nonsensical Italian-made claptrap that combines '70s fascinations with the occult and aliens. It's an awful movie that rips off many better movies, made watchable by some striking imagery and interesting casting. John Huston, Lance Henriksen, Sam Peckinpah, Mel Ferrer, Shelly Winters, and Glenn Ford are all in this. That says more about the state of their respective careers at the time than it does about the quality of this production. Incoherent but good for some laughs. Dig that terribly out of place soundtrack, too.