The Seventh Sign (1988)

Abby Quinn is eagerly awaiting childbirth but is haunted by dreams where she suffers a miscarriage. When she decides to rent a room to a mysterious stranger, she realizes a chain of events that will unleash the end of humanity.

Director:

Carl Schultz

Writers:

Clifford Green (as George Kaplan), Ellen Green (as W.W. Wicket)

Stars:

Demi Moore, Michael Biehn, Jürgen Prochnow

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Demi Moore	...	Abby Quinn
Michael Biehn	...	Russell Quinn
Jürgen Prochnow	...	David Bannon
Peter Friedman	...	Father Lucci
Manny Jacobs	...	Avi
John Taylor	...	Jimmy Szaragosa
Lee Garlington	...	Dr. Margaret Inness
Akosua Busia	...	Penny Washburn
Harry Basil	...	Kids Korner Salesman
Arnold Johnson	...	Janitor
John Walcutt	...	Novitiate
Michael Laskin	...	Israeli Colonel
Hugo Stanger	...	Old Priest
Patricia Allison	...	Administrator
Ian Buchanan	...	Mr. Huberty

Storyline

In Haiti, the sea and its lifeforms die; in the Middle East, a town is frozen. These are signs of the Apocalypse and the Vatican is investigating, but Father Lucci advises that these omens are a hoax or technologically explained. In California, housewife Abby Quinn is pregnant and the delivery is scheduled on February 29, a leap year. Her husband, lawyer Russell Quinn, is defending a weird case of teenager Jimmy Szaragosa, who killed his parents, saying that it was because he was following the Word of God. Meanwhile, Abby rents a garage apartment to the mysterious David Bannon. The hopeless Abby has strange nightmares and soon finds that around the world there are signs of the Apocalypse in accordance with the Book of Revelation. She learns also that David Bannon is Jesus and has returned; Father Lucci is the Pilate's porter Cartaphilus who was doomed to wander the Earth for eternity; and she is a woman who tried to help Jesus. Further, she is the Seventh Sign and the Apocalypse will ...

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Plot Keywords:

apocalypse | revelation | baby | reference to god | supernatural power | 

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Taglines:

The seals have been broken. The prophecies have begun. Now only one woman can halt the end of our world.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

1 April 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Boarder

Filming Locations:

Dominica

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,768,707, 1 April 1988, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$18,875,011

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Interscope Communications, ML Delphi Premier Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is often incorrectly stated that Demi Moore was pregnant in real life during the filming of this movie. Production wrapped in spring 1987 and Rumer Willis wasn't conceived until the fall of 1987.

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Goofs

At the end the earthquake starts in the execution room of the prison. It's also seen in the hospital, at least a half hour later. Earthquakes rarely last more than a minute. However, it's not clear this was a continuous quake; the hospital quake could have been an aftershock. In addition, it *is* the end of the world; the seismic phenomena could have been something previously unknown.

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Quotes

[while watching the news]
David Bannon: So much misery, man against man. They kill each other. They have no faith. I used to think the world would change. But it hasn't.
Abby: No, I guess it hasn't.

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Connections

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

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Soundtracks

JENAE
Composed by David Kurtz

User Reviews

Beautifully done supernatural chiller

Let me say this right off the bat: I'm not usually a fan of religious films. Although The Seventh Sign has heavy undertones, I can't help but love it for being a really well crafted, atmospheric thriller that let's it's fantastic cast go to some truly tough emotional places, that would still be captivating in a film without religious roots. Demi Moore, who I've always loved a lot, plays Abbey Quinn, a tortured girl whose pregnancy only brings forth dark memories from her past and troubles her more. As ominous biblical signs intrude on her benign everyday life, a charismatic, intense stranger (Jurgen Prochnow) rents a room from her, and right away we know he ties into the phenomena somehow. Prochnow rarely gets a chance to play outside of the Soviet terrorist psychopath prototype, but here he brings sincerity, depth and a warm heart to a role that isn't easy to play without lookin like a preachy moron. Michael Biehn give a fiercely touching turn as Abbey's husband, a realist who finds himself out of his element with the supernatural elements that begin to creep into his life. Biehn has a scene at the end that he just nails, and is a highlight of his career. All religious paraphernalia aside though, the themes presented, about sacrifice, love, and finding the one tiny ray of hope in a world cluttered with scum and degenerates are concepts that can be universally applied to any story, be it Christian or not. It's a moody, exciting, heartfelt film that's well worth checking out.