Communion (1989)

Oct.4 and Dec.26 the Strieber family drives from NYC to their cabin in the woods. Both nights there are some powerful lights outside and maybe aliens. The dad is mentally affected by the "bad dream", goes to the shrink and is hypnotized.

Director:

Philippe Mora

Writers:

Whitley Strieber (book), Whitley Strieber (screenplay)

Stars:

Christopher Walken, Lindsay Crouse, Frances Sternhagen

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
DeeDee Rescher	...	Mrs. Greenberg (as Dee Dee Rescher)
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 John Miller	...	Tall Boy

Storyline

Whitley Strieber goes with his family and some friends to his holiday home in the forest. They experience some weird occurances, are they UFO activity? Whitley is abducted and then faces a horrible dilema; was I abducted or am I going mad? He sees a psychiatrist who tries to use hypnotic regression to discover the truth.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | anal probe | male nudity | husband wife relationship | psychiatrist | 

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Taglines:

The true story of one man's terrifying journey into the unknown.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Philippe Mora wanted star Christopher Walken involved in the casting of whomever played 'Anne Strieber'. It was Walken who suggested Lindsay Crouse.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Woman on Bus: [Crying] Excuse me, I'm lost, can you tell me if this bus goes to the end of the line?
Whitley Strieber: [Shrugs, moves away. Suddenly sees everyone on the bus as an alien. Pushes his way off the bus] Let me tell you, you folks are in for a big surprise, one very big surprise.

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Alternate Versions

An alternate version of Communion (1989) is shown on FOX network television (USA). The alternate version has extra or extended scenes (compared to the theatrical/cable/video version) as follows:

• When Whitley (Christopher Walken) visits Dr. Freidman (Basil Hoffman), he describes the visitors while watching a salamander frolic in the physician's aquarium.
• When Whitley's Russian friend Alex (Andreas Katsulas) finds Whitley in the diner, he tells Whitley that as a child in his native country he heard stories of small beings who lived in the mines, called Kobolds. He tells Whitley he believes these stories are true;
• On the "ship," Whitley dances with the Little Blue Doctors after they exchange greetings (immediately before the "magic show");
• Upon the roof of their apartment building, the stars in the sky do NOT momentarily appear to resemble the face of a visitor, as they do in the theatrical/cabletv/video version;
• The end credits roll over a night time aerial shot of the Strieber family standing on the shore with New York City behind them.

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Connections

Referenced in Blast from the Past (1999)

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Soundtracks

THE FOUR SEASONS
by Antonio Vivaldi

User Reviews

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.

Details

Official Sites:

-'Communion' Soundtrack from Eric Clapton -excerpt from the movie

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Communion

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$822,123, 12 November 1989

Gross USA:

$1,919,653

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,919,653

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Vision, Pheasantry Films, The Picture Property Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min (video) 109 min (Blu-ray)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1