The Entity
Encyclopedia
The Entity is a horror film purportedly based on the paranormal events a woman and her family experienced circa 1976. It stars Barbara Hershey
as a woman tormented by an unseen entity. Despite being filmed and planned for a release in 1981, the movie was not released in worldwide theaters until September 1982 followed by the United States in February 1983.
) a single mother, is violently raped in her home by an unseen force. Initially convinced the attack was a nightmare, a subsequent episode of poltergeist
activity causes her to flee with her children to a friend’s home.
Evidently followed by the entity, Carla is nearly killed the following day when her car mysteriously loses control in traffic. Urged by her friend Cindy to see a psychiatrist, Carla meets with Dr. Sneiderman (Ron Silver
) and tentatively agrees to undergo therapy. An attack occurs that leaves bruises and other injuries on Carla which she shows to Dr. Sneiderman who believes she has caused them to herself. We learn that Carla suffered a variety of traumas in her childhood and adolescence including sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy and the violent death of her first husband. Dr. Sneiderman believes her apparent paranormal experiences are delusions resulting from her past psychological trauma. He urges her to commit herself to a psychiatric hospital for observation. She refuses.
After Carla’s friend Cindy witnesses an attack, the two explore possible supernatural causes. While visiting a local bookstore, Carla happens to meet two parapsychologists who she convinces to visit her home. Initially skeptical, the scientists witness several paranormal events and agree to study the home. During their study Dr. Sneiderman arrives and confronts Carla, trying to convince her that the manifestation is in her mind, but she dismisses him.
Reassured that her case is being taken seriously, Carla begins to relax. Carla’s boyfriend Jerry visits and she suffers a particularly disturbing attack which he witnesses. Hearing the commotion, Carla’s son enters the room and believes that that Jerry is harming her prompting him to attack Jerry. Later at the hospital, Jerry is so troubled by what he saw, he ends their relationship.
Desperate for a solution to her problem Carla agrees to participate in a complicated study carried out by parapsychologists at a local university. A full mock-up of her home is created as a trap to lure the entity. Once inside, it would be frozen in liquid helium. Before the experiment can begin, Dr. Sneiderman arrives and unsuccessfully tries to convince Carla to leave.
The entity eventually manifests as a cold wind and unexpectedly takes control of the helium tanks, attempting to kill Carla who defiantly stands up to it, stating that it can never have her. Dr. Sneiderman rushes in and saves her. As they escape the laboratory, they see the entity frozen for a brief period into a very large mass of ice. It eventually breaks free and vanishes.
Carla returns to her house the next day. The front door slams by itself and a demonic voice greets her. She calmly opens the door, exits the house, and gets in a car with her family and leaves.
The film ends with captions stating that Carla's attacks have decreased in both frequency and intensity, but that she still experiences paranormal activities.
placed The Entity on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time. .
Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
as a woman tormented by an unseen entity. Despite being filmed and planned for a release in 1981, the movie was not released in worldwide theaters until September 1982 followed by the United States in February 1983.
Plot
The movie begins as Carla Moran (Barbara HersheyBarbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
) a single mother, is violently raped in her home by an unseen force. Initially convinced the attack was a nightmare, a subsequent episode of poltergeist
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
activity causes her to flee with her children to a friend’s home.
Evidently followed by the entity, Carla is nearly killed the following day when her car mysteriously loses control in traffic. Urged by her friend Cindy to see a psychiatrist, Carla meets with Dr. Sneiderman (Ron Silver
Ron Silver
Ronald Arthur "Ron" Silver was an American actor, director, producer, radio host and political activist.-Early life:...
) and tentatively agrees to undergo therapy. An attack occurs that leaves bruises and other injuries on Carla which she shows to Dr. Sneiderman who believes she has caused them to herself. We learn that Carla suffered a variety of traumas in her childhood and adolescence including sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy and the violent death of her first husband. Dr. Sneiderman believes her apparent paranormal experiences are delusions resulting from her past psychological trauma. He urges her to commit herself to a psychiatric hospital for observation. She refuses.
After Carla’s friend Cindy witnesses an attack, the two explore possible supernatural causes. While visiting a local bookstore, Carla happens to meet two parapsychologists who she convinces to visit her home. Initially skeptical, the scientists witness several paranormal events and agree to study the home. During their study Dr. Sneiderman arrives and confronts Carla, trying to convince her that the manifestation is in her mind, but she dismisses him.
Reassured that her case is being taken seriously, Carla begins to relax. Carla’s boyfriend Jerry visits and she suffers a particularly disturbing attack which he witnesses. Hearing the commotion, Carla’s son enters the room and believes that that Jerry is harming her prompting him to attack Jerry. Later at the hospital, Jerry is so troubled by what he saw, he ends their relationship.
Desperate for a solution to her problem Carla agrees to participate in a complicated study carried out by parapsychologists at a local university. A full mock-up of her home is created as a trap to lure the entity. Once inside, it would be frozen in liquid helium. Before the experiment can begin, Dr. Sneiderman arrives and unsuccessfully tries to convince Carla to leave.
The entity eventually manifests as a cold wind and unexpectedly takes control of the helium tanks, attempting to kill Carla who defiantly stands up to it, stating that it can never have her. Dr. Sneiderman rushes in and saves her. As they escape the laboratory, they see the entity frozen for a brief period into a very large mass of ice. It eventually breaks free and vanishes.
Carla returns to her house the next day. The front door slams by itself and a demonic voice greets her. She calmly opens the door, exits the house, and gets in a car with her family and leaves.
The film ends with captions stating that Carla's attacks have decreased in both frequency and intensity, but that she still experiences paranormal activities.
Cast
- Barbara HersheyBarbara HersheyBarbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
as Carla Moran - Ron SilverRon SilverRonald Arthur "Ron" Silver was an American actor, director, producer, radio host and political activist.-Early life:...
as Dr. Sneiderman - David LabiosaDavid LabiosaDavid Labiosa is a Hispanic-American actor who had various television appearances. He was in such shows as The Powers of Matthew Star, Silk Stalkings, Diagnosis Murder, NYPD Blue, CSI: Miami, and JAG....
as Billy Moran - Margaret Blye as Cindy
Other media
- An excerpt of Charles Bernstein's score appears in Quentin TarantinoQuentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's Inglourious Basterds. - HawaHawa (film)Hawa is 2003 Hindi horror film starring Tabu. The film was a remake of the 1981 film The Entity .- Plot :Sanjana lives in a big city, along with her husband and two daughters. But things are not perfect, and the couple faces a disastrous situation in their life together, leading to divorce...
, a 2003 BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film, was based on this film.
Reception
Director Martin ScorseseMartin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
placed The Entity on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time. .
External links
- GhostTheory.com interview with one of Doris Bither's sons.