Reviews
[REVIEW] ‘The Entity’ (1982) Is Real
The Entity follows Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey), a single mother with three kids, doing everything she can to make her way. As soon as she clocks out of her secretary position, she heads to a local university for typing school–Carla wants to give her children the best life possible. Her son Billy (David Labiosa) is a gruff and hardworking kid and is there for her through thick and thin. One fateful night, Carla is viciously sexually assaulted by an unseen force. These attacks grow in force and pain as the nights go on, eventually leading to Billy finding himself with a broken wrist (arm in real life). Carla scours the supernatural shelves at a bookstore and overhears two paranormal investigators discussing a case. After speaking with these two men, they vow to get to the bottom of the entity ruining her life.
One of the most credible and fascinating cases of supernatural activity is the case of Doris Bither. Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, many aspects of this case are hard to discredit. I first became aware of this case when Art Bell raved about a TV movie he had watched called The Entity. Art would go on, a few months later, to bring Dr. Barry Taff onto his show to discuss the real story that inspired the film. While Dr. Taff states that the film was Hollywood-ified, the story’s base elements, moral questions, and overall gist were correct. The physical book is difficult (EXPENSIVE) to get at this point, so my basis on the accuracy of this life-to-screen adaptation is based on Dr. Taff’s words, some articles, and a few other bits and bobs.
Carla Moran’s Struggle in The Entity
The Entity follows Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey), a single mother with three kids, doing everything she can to make her way. As soon as she clocks out of her secretary position, she heads to a local university for typing school–Carla wants to give her children the best life possible. Her son Billy (David Labiosa) is a gruff and hardworking kid and is there for her through thick and thin. One fateful night, Carla is viciously sexually assaulted by an unseen force. These attacks grow in force and pain as the nights go on, eventually leading to Billy finding himself with a broken wrist (arm in real life). Carla scours the supernatural shelves at a bookstore and overhears two paranormal investigators discussing a case. After speaking with these two men, they vow to get to the bottom of the entity ruining her life.
Director Sidney J. Furie and writer Frank De Felitta (based on De Felitta’s novel of the same name) is an astounding feature that breaks many molds, poses intense questions, and puts the answer in the hands of the audience. With a total of 11 split diopter shots and enough Dutch angles to make a 6’ 1” blond hair blue eyed person blush, The Entity is a film that sits with you for a long time. As the violence ramps up, cinematographer Stephen H. Burum gets bolder. Shot composition goes from “normal” to awkwardly framed to give viewers a sense that something sinister is lurking beneath the surface; a subconscious sucker punch of filmmaking magic.
Barbara Hershey Shines Amid Terrifying Scenes
Barbara Hershey provides a brilliant performance that nauseates viewers with a tang of too much authenticity. But it’s the men in the film that are the rubber bands Hershey bounces her performances off of. Dr. Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver) is the grounding force of Carla’s relationships. You’d think it’s her son Billy who is her rock, but there’s this strange will they/won’t they that was thankfully [mostly] cut out of the film. Dr. Sneiderman tries to go against the plethora of doctors who attempt to chalk Carla’s experiences to childhood sexual trauma. Once Dr. Sneiderman breaks that bond he built with Carla, their entire relationship flips on its head. Sneiderman’s character flip comes when Dr. Webb (George Coe) chalks all of this up to a mass delusion, and he is the one who tells Sneiderman [basically] to disregard Carla’s assumptions and to get her to believe that all Carla wants to do is masturbate and forget about her sexual frustrations.
The Role of Parapsychologists and Supporting Characters in The Entity
On the other hand, you have parapsychologists Gene Kraft (Richard Brestoff) and Joe Mehan (Raymond Singer), who attempt to use Carla’s pain to prove what they think is correct. Even though Gene and Joe seem to have Carla’s best interests in mind, they, along with their boss Dr. Elizabeth Cooley (Jacqueline Brookes), see this as an opportunity to further their academic careers–they go so far as to put Carla in danger time and time again.
Thirdly, you have Carla’s constantly out-of-town boyfriend Jerry Anderson (Alex Rocco). Jerry seemingly loves Carla with his heart and soul, but at the core of Carla’s story, he can’t get past his own holdups. Once he sees his girlfriend, who he was moments before saying he wanted to move in with, get sexually assaulted by a ghost right before his eyes, he calls it quits. All of the men in Carla’s life have their own ulterior motives. This goes hand in hand with the men in Carla’s life who have taken advantage of her in more ways than one.
The Horror of the Assaults and Special Effects
The scenes of Carla’s assaults are very difficult to watch. At no point do you see an awful-looking 80s attempt at rotoscoping a ghostly figure into the sexual assaults, rather, you watch Carla become overtaken by an invisible force. This truly creates a connection between Carla and the viewers. You are also witnessing this assault happen, and you cannot figure out what is doing it. Even though there are no 80s VFX ghosts, we do get some great Stan Winston effects. One particular gnarly-looking effect is one when an invisible hand harshly squeezes Carla’s bare breasts.
The assaults get more and more rough as they go on. And while they are tough to watch, they’re difficult to listen to. Yes, hearing Carla scream for help and having her son helplessly watch his mother get assaulted is hard to watch. It’s Charles Bernstein’s score that adds a new level of terror. From silence to a deafening guitar lick, undercut by hammering drum strikes, and angelic-sounding piano chords. The second that sound comes through, you know Carla is in trouble.
Comparing The Entity to Modern Horror
One of the interesting things I thought during this film was that Insidious is just a watered-down version of The Entity. Plus Barbara Hershey is in both films. In real life, Doris moved houses and the entity followed her no matter where she went. The film ends with a “where are they now” update, and the film also confirms that the entity followed Carla as she moved. Like The Entity, Insidious has a story where “it’s not the house that’s haunted…it’s Dalton.” Also, you have the parapsychologists who are completely mirrored in Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson). Gene is the nerdy-looking investigator with glasses, and Joe is the one with the receding hairline and bearded face. Plus, both teams are run by an old white lady.
Funnily enough, James Wan’s production company Atomic Monster has completed a script for a remake of The Entity.
Accuracy and Real-Life Details
There aren’t many inaccuracies between the real-life story and the film. Dr. Barry Taff states, as I mentioned earlier, that there were a few exaggerated ideas, but the heart of the story is there, and that’s what matters. That being said, the film’s finale puts Carla in a controlled environment–she’s basically a lab rat. Dr. Taff noted that he had pitched that idea, but it was just way too expensive. So the whole liquid hydrogen freezing the ghost subplot did not happen. However, the team extensively studied Doris.
Why The Entity Remains a Must-Watch
If you haven’t seen The Entity, then you are missing out. This film was incredibly powerful and captures Doris’s story in a way that feels proper and authentic to its source material. The Entity is truly frightening and stands the test of time. Even if you aren’t scared of paranormal stories, The Entity will keep you on the edge of your seat. While the film’s subject matter may be challenging to watch and sit with, I know I will be revisiting this film many times.
Most people find that stretching their dollar still barely gets them by in today’s economy. I am very particular about what I spend my spare money on regarding extracurriculars. And no one likes to feel like their money is wasted. Madame Morbid Trolley Tours wasn’t an experience I had been familiar with. Maybe that’s because I’m chronically offline for most of my life. So this leads to the perfect question: in today’s turbulent economy, is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours worth the price? The short answer is unquestionably, yes. But it’s more than just a simple yes.
My wife and I arrived at the designated meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. A handful of minutes later, a gorgeous, e-candle-lit trolley pulled up to the side of the road. We were greeted by impeccably on-brand Allison Chase, our tour guide, and trolley driver ‘Mad’ Matt Zaller. The wonderfully cheery duo invited us on the trolley, and the tour was set to begin.
400 Years of Death, Destruction, and Infrastructure
After a welcoming video intro from someone who knows a thing or two about busting ghosts, we set off on the inaugural Madame Morbid Trolley Tour in its ninth year of operation. From the Brooklyn Naval Yard all the way to Dumbo, and more, this tour magnificently chronicles 400 years of history, the good and the bad, expertly. No matter how much you think you may know about Brooklyn history, I can bet there will be something new learned within the first 15 minutes of the tour. From the first-ever plane crash to one of the worst theater fires in history, this tour covers tragedies that the greatest horror writers couldn’t conceive.
The Deadly [Charming] Docent
Allison Chase led the fascinating tour in character from the moment we stepped on the trolley until our departure. But Allison’s character was not forced or fake; you could feel Allison’s passion for not just morbid history, but the accuracy of it. Some of the stories we heard were steeped in historical context, and it was not boring for a single second. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is not your standard full-talking tour. It’s a mixed-media adventure of some of Brooklyn’s darkest moments.
During “downtime” (the times between locations), we were edutained by mini documentaries (that were quite funny). Some of the “downtime” was filled with traffic trivia (I won a needle pen!). And other times were show-and-tell-like, with objects passed around for us to examine. But there was never a moment of silence that wasn’t purposeful. All in all, Allison’s knowledge and passion shone like the luminosity of a full moon.
Is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours Worth It?
The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour was not just a fun night out for my wife and me, but it was a delightfully dark night of edutainment. It should also be noted that ‘Mad’ Matt’s driving skills were fantastic. There was a time when I had become enamored with how Matt handled the narrow streets of Brooklyn before realizing that I needed to refocus my attention on Allison. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is an exceptionally fun evening of horror and history that will make you think twice next time you walk down the streets of Brooklyn. It is worth the money, and then some. There’s no better activity for a cold, dark October night than the Madame Morbid Trolley Tour.
For more information on Madame Morbid Trolley Tours, and to get your tickets, click here!
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should have watched the Stephen King adaptation Cujo a million years ago. First of all, I was a voracious King reader in middle school. The other thing I was obsessed with during those years was Friends. You know, the show that hinges a major episode’s subplot on Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) watching Cujo for the first time. Whatever the reason was, I never got around to it, but I’m rectifying that oversight now.
What is Cujo About?
Cujo tells a relatively simple story. Donna Trenton’s (Dee Wallace) a housewife who’s cheating on her husband Vic (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) with local handyman Steve (Christopher Stone). There’s no accounting for taste, because Vic is 10 times hotter and Steve doesn’t own a bed frame. Look, Donna. I know Vic has that awful David Hasselhoff hair, but I promise the 1980s will end sooner or later. It’ll be OK.
Donna’s attempted termination of this affair ultimately leads to its discovery. Amid this drama, her car breaks down at a mechanic’s isolated farmhouse, trapping her and her son, Tad (Danny Pintauro). You see, the mechanic’s dog, Cujo, freshly christened with rabies, is patrolling the area and attacking everything in sight.
Dee Wallace Is Cujo’s Not-So-Secret Weapon
It would be impossible to start a worthwhile review of Cujo without praising Dee Wallace. The woman is a genre icon, naturally. Think about this: She had only appeared in seven theatrical movies before starring in Cujo. Four of those movies are The Stepford Wives, The Hills Have Eyes, E.T., and The Howling. But this woman didn’t become an icon simply by accidentally stumbling into some iconic titles. She is simply terrific as Donna, using her darting eyes and taut expression to deliver oodles of subtext. You instantly get the sense of how trapped she feels by marriage and motherhood without her uttering a single word.
A good performance is vital, here. Because there’s a hell of a lot of drama to get through before she’s trapped in that damn car. But Wallace instantly shoves you into Donna’s perspective, whether you like it or not. This makes it all the more potent when she is menaced by Cujo. Her desperate attempts for survival, also impeccably performed, have true weight because she seems like a real person. She is also given an incredible scene partner in Danny Pintauro. The future Who’s the Boss? star, who was only six when shooting Cujo, has a perfect everychild quality. His innocence heightens the peril. But so does that fact that he is just as irritating as every six-year-old you’ve ever met.
This movie truly captures how annoying it must be to be stuck in a life-and-death situation with a child. This is a compliment, I swear! Donna is worn down by every aspect of the situation, including her own son’s inability to cope with it. And this ratchets up the tension even further, to an almost unbearable degree.
Cujo Is a Mixed Bag, But Worthwhile Overall
The movie doesn’t work if Cujo himself doesn’t work, and at first I was real worried that he wouldn’t. In the first half, the St. Bernards that play Cujo onscreen are often shown to be wagging their tails in delight. Which kind of undercuts the reality of the situation, I’d say. But the editing and the special effects step in to fix what animal training couldn’t. The attack scenes in the second half are constructed with quick cuts that never let you get too much purchase. It’s a good approach for keeping viewers off-kilter.
Also, Cujo becomes less and less recognizable as a cuddly canine the further the movie gets. It’s a simple trick, really. He ends up getting coated with more and more slime. Saliva, pus, blood, and what have you. This is good for making him feel like a true movie monster. Plus, it’s a good mirror for the sliminess inside the car as it gets covered in sweat, blood, and grime.
The second half of the movie ultimately works like gangbusters. It’s a shame that Cujo is too cowardly to get Donna and Tad in the car before the halfway point. This decision is somewhat faithful to the book’s structure as I remember it. However, it diminishes the weight of the long days that they spend in the car. We really need to feel that crushing stretch of time, and we don’t. When Tad is suffering from dehydration, it’s not a gut punch. Honestly, I just found myself asking, “Already?” It’s good that they gave the movie a happier ending, because the classic grimdark Stephen King finale wouldn’t have landed.
Is Cujo Worth Watching in 2026?
At the end of the day, Cujo is a solid movie and I’m glad I finally watched it. However, it’s not such a stone-cold classic that I’m not at least a little intrigued by that upcoming Netflix remake…
