☆ ☆ ½
The
Sentinel (1977) – M. Winner
Well, director Michael (“Death Wish”)
Winner is a hack but the cast had enough solid names (Burgess Meredith, Martin
Balsam, Arthur Kennedy, even Ava Gardner and John Carradine) and the
post-Exorcist “hell is real” theme could be spooky if done well – so I took the
leap. However, we are mostly treated to
the subpar acting of Cristina Raines and Chris Sarandon and amazingly nothing
really happens for most of the picture, though I’ll admit the concept is a bit
creepy. The film attracted some
condemnation (and not just by the Church) due to its sudden over-the-top
conclusion involving real people with deformities (cf. Tod Browning) as well as
actors in make-up. This turn toward
exploitation was probably too much of a shock for a mainstream film—but the
whole enterprise isn’t scary (although it is weird), so there you go.
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