Something Evil (1972 TV Movie) User Reviews (54)

Beware the supernatural jam jars!

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 13 April 2014]

Early Steven Spielberg TV movie that is a considerable step down from Duel released the previous year, but showing signs of a directorial craft to follow.

Something Evil is not a great horror movie, well it was to those of us at a very young age who were allowed to watch it that is. The plot finds a family of four moving into a pastorally pleasing Pennsylvania farmhouse only to find a demon resides there. Hubbie works all hours in the city while mama and the two young children fall prey to something that manifests itself as red goo in jam jars or via a wind machine. Cue mama fighting the demon trying to take control of her family with love and pentacle art. Yep, it's really that simple, the budget doesn't stretch beyond that.

Spielberg shows some nice skills with his dissolves, close-ups and distorted angle shots, but much of the impact is undone by poor acting and a musical score that belongs on a ghost train ride at the funfair. A couple of characters appear, and then vanish until the last third of the movie needs them, while the special effects on offer are understandable low in quality. For its time, its budget and as an observation to the early work of a man who would become one of America's biggest directors, it's a curio piece worth sampling. But it's hardly essential for horror fans or Spielberg completists. 6/10

Not Bad For A 1970s TV Movie

[Rainey-Dawn · 6/10 · 22 May 2016]

Your basic horror story: A family moves into a house and they do not realize it's haunted but will soon become believers and it's haunted by demons. A quote from Marjorie Worden: "Can you believe that I believe that the devil's in my house?"

This TV movie was back when they made fun and interesting movies for television. Not all of them were great but they were at least worth watching. When real life society changed, the TV shows and movies changed - I quit watching - but I hear the TV movies today are nothing like these older films and not nearly as good. This particular film is not grand but it's not a bad watch either - mildly entertaining demonic horror.

6/10

Spielberg's style keeps this creaky haunted house flick afloat

[bob_meg · 6/10 · 21 February 2011]

It's almost unfair to judge this film by today's standards. A) it's a TV movie; B) It's a TV HORROR movie; C) It's a TV horror movie from the '70s. All of these factors combine to literally guarantee that it doesn't have the fright factor of the classic theatrical horror from that era. Sure, there were some creepy TV movies in the '70s, but none had the intensity or the special effects to blow you out of your seat. "Drag Me to Hell," this ain't.

Let's face it...if you've gone to the trouble to hunt this one down on You Tube or on bootleg VHS, you've done so to get a glimpse of Spielberg's guerrilla-style movie-making from his early, hungry days. And on that score, "Something Evil" doesn't disappoint. Say what you will about Steve-o's stuff of recent years, back then his films were FUN. ESPECIALLY for film buffs.

He didn't just throw in fancy camera-work to draw attention to itself. It always had a purpose, it always had subtext, and it always was original. Take the scene where Whittaker is bouncing the ball against the house. Spielberg clocks the pace with the maddening repetitiveness of a metronome as Dennis does a simultaneous freak-out, smashing the ceramic pentacles she's making to pieces. Her subsequent violent rage against the young actor, even though shot tastefully from a distance, is truly disturbing. Mission accomplished. Ditto for the sly scene where Dennis peers terrified from her kitchen door at a young man, the door chain links neatly overlaying his eyes, like ominous glasses.

And even though the mason jar, baby-crying gag is a bit absurd, the way it's shot is so masterful, it draws you in and creeps you out. Again, this is not a wham-bang thriller, but it definitely has its moments of uneasiness. I wasn't bored. If you like Spielberg's early TV work and "Duel," in particular, check it out.

Worth a look.. IF you can find a copy.

[runner-15 · 27 November 2003]

I remember watching this movie as a child and it scared the crap out of me.

For years I couldn't look in a dark window without seeing those glowing yellow eyes. After I became an adult I waited patiently for years for this movie to show up on late night TV so I could watch it again and see what scared me so much. It never happened, the movie seemed to have disappeared from the face of the planet. A few weeks ago I ran across a pirated copy of this movie and bought it, My wife still can't understand why I paid almost 30 dollars for a old VHS tape. We watched it last night and of course it was no where near as scary now as it seemed to an 8 year old almost 32 years ago. That being said, I found it to be quite a watchable movie that held my interest despite moving a somewhat slow pace. And the twist at the end caught me totally off guard. Overall I would give this movie a thumbs up especially when comparing it to other movies of its genre and era. If you run across a copy have a look.

Badly directed film

[CRH · 3/10 · 24 January 2024]

It's not much boring as it is irritating. Manandering, disjointed, confusing story in which nothing really happens. Too many actors in loud scenes talking over each other. Waste of Darren McGavin's talent. Manos, The Hands of Fate is a much more interesting and watchable film. It's in Spielberg's best interest it stays buried and is never released. The dull plot revolves around a high strung wife artist left alone in a country house with 2 young children while the husband works in the city. She convinced Satan lurks around the house, and appears as "the wind" to menace everyone, for no reason given. And nothing really happens.

Well done, well played!

[RodrigAndrisan · 7/10 · 6 August 2017]

Of course Steven Spielberg is a very talented filmmaker. He knows perfectly well how to create tension and give you creeps on your spinal cord. He is one of the best. In this one he was helped by exceptional actors. Sandy Dennis is a unique phenomenon, can not be compared to any other, was and remains a great great actress. It's a shame that she died so young! Darren McGavin and Ralph Bellamy are also two very good actors, natural and credible in everything they do and say. It's not one of the greatest movies by Spielberg, the script is very simple, to not say poor, but is very well made. Worth to be seen!

An oddity in the careers of those involved

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 22 June 2015]

SOMETHING EVIL goes to prove that not all American TV horror movies of the 1970s are great. This one's an unusually lacklustre effort that tells an all-too-familiar tale of demons and possession, and for once the low budget works against it. The story isn't too shabby, acting as an interesting precursor to the likes of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR and written by ENTER THE DRAGON director Robert Clouse, of all people.

No, the problem here is Steven Spielberg, directing this very early on in his career as a follow up to his cult classic DUEL. Well, DUEL was much better, and Spielberg feels out of place, uneasy with the material, unsure of himself and playing it safe throughout. The result is a film that's oddly uninvolving and one which only gets going in the last few minutes.

The storyline sees a family renting a farmhouse out in the Pennsylvania countryside only to discover that something sinister lurks within. Darren McGavin is a welcome presence as the husband but is underutilised, while the viewer has to contend with the shrill acting of the miscast Sandy Dennis for most of the running time. The less said about the annoying red-haired kid the better. SOMETHING EVIL is a shallow film that seems too afraid to properly tackle its storyline; weak sauce at best, and unsurprisingly forgotten by its director.

DECENT FILM. ONE OF SPIELBERG'S WEAK EFFORTS!

[movieboy-12 · 7/10 · 17 July 2001]

SOMETHING EVIL is as good as you could make that film. You couldn't have done it better, however it's still a slow film. Directed by the world-famous Steven Spielberg, you'd expect this film to be much better, however add awful writer Robert Clouse who wrote three mystery films but dozens of kung fu films, you can see why this isn't top quality. Since I am a Spielberg fan I had to get this gem and I am glad I did, it's rare.

SUMMARY: Marjorie [Marge] Worden (Sandy Dennis) and her family which includes: husband Paul (Darren McGavin), son Stevie (Johnnie Whitaker) and daughter Laurie (Debbie & Sandy Lempert), move into a brand new country estate only to find that a demon lurks there. Marge investigates and slowly goes insane, while her skeptic husband carries on his advertising business. She learns about the demon haunting the house from neighbor Harry Lincoln (Ralph Bellamy). The ending is a battle of good vs. evil.

I love the setting in the countryside. You'd think it was all innocent, especially since the majority of the film takes place in daylight. The ending is still a shock. I enjoyed this movie. The acting is great, even from Johnnie Whitaker, who has a smaller role. RECOMMENDATION: The Amityville Horror. ** 1/2 stars, 7/10. SEE THIS MOVIE IF THE CHANCE COMES UP!!!!!!

The payoff at the end just wasn't there.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 18 October 2016]

Marjorie Worden (Sandy Dennis) sees a farmhouse and instantly falls in love with it and insists her husband, Paul (Darren McGavin) agree to buy it. Wanting to make his wife happy, he agrees...and soon grows to regret it. The home turns out to be a one weird place...with strange goings on and Mrs. Worden begins to lose her mind. She becomes violent, unpredictable and weird...all, supposedly, because of some strange glowing mason jar and a house that's possessed by Satan.

If this all sounds weird, well, you're right. The "ABC Movie of the Week" OFTEN had made for TV films with ultra-bizarre plots--with witches, monsters, aliens and all sorts of odd goings on. But what they didn't usually have was direction by Steven Spielberg (before he was famous) as well as a dopey ending...which, sadly, this one has in spades. The film sets an interesting mood but the payoff, sadly, just isn't there.

Utterly strange television horror flick

[drownsoda90 · 7/10 · 13 March 2017]

"Something Evil" follows Sandy Dennis and Darren McGavin as a couple who purchase a bucolic farmhouse in the country; the purchase is one they soon come to regret, as both their son and Dennis's character are tormented by unseen forces in the house.

This low-budget shocker was the second television film Steven Spielberg cut his teeth on (after the far more popular "Duel" in 1971). At a base level, "Something Evil" is a fairly two-tone haunted house movie that plays with themes and scenarios that are commonplace in the genre, but what really keeps the film intriguing is the stylistic approach and visuals. The narrative is spare and feels half-baked, with some sort of Satanic/demonic presence abounding on the property that is anchored to a bunch of jars that are kept in the house and an exterior barn.

The narrative threads never really lead to a satisfying ending, but the fray of it all lends itself well to the frenetic camera-work and overall weirdness of the film. There are some fantastic shots throughout, and several key scenes with Dennis exploring the barn that are truly unnerving and effective. Having Dennis and McGavin involved here certainly helps, and they do commendable jobs with the material given.

Overall, "Something Evil," though not an entirely cohesive success, is a genuinely weird and moderately creepy television horror offering. It's not the best of its peers, but it is one of the more memorable; comparisons to "Poltergeist" seem to be frequent, and one can't help but wonder while watching if that film was borne of this film. Worth a look for genre fans, or anyone who is interested in the more obscure of the director's beginnings. 7/10.

Spielberg working hard with a slim budget...results are tense but not scary

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 2 August 2015]

With the possible exception of "Duel", fans of director Steven Spielberg have outright rejected his early efforts (such as this TV-movie and the theatrical "The Sugarland Express", a box-office disappointment) most likely on the basis that his budgets during this time weren't big enough to expand on the action inherent in the material (Robert Altman's admirers are much the same way, ignoring everything the filmmaker did prior to "MASH"). "Something Evil" is a forgotten film, a mere footnote in Spielberg's history, but that doesn't mean it's a failure. Spielberg takes a shopworn scenario (the old haunted farmhouse bit) and gooses it with interesting visuals and an active camera. New York couple with two young children move into a rural estate, unaware of the farm's dark history. Sandy Dennis and Darren McGavin are a casual, laid-back, ordinary twosome--just this side of dull, which is probably what Spielberg wanted--whose lives are shaken up by the ghostly goings-on. Two action sequences (a death in the prologue and a tragic car accident following a party) are both encumbered by the picture's low budget and are sadly ineffective, while a subplot involving Ralph Bellamy as a neighbor who studies the occult is left unfulfilled. Still, Spielberg manages a tense, prickly mood (the film never lapses into camp), and Dennis seems fully invested in the proceedings.

Prelude to POLTERGEIST, maybe?

[virek213 · 8/10 · 13 August 2001]

Perhaps coming so soon after his masterful DUEL, SOMETHING EVIL is a slightly weaker effort from Steven Spielberg, who in 1971-72 was still learning his craft.

Nevertheless, this supernatural TV horror movie of a family besieged by an unknown evil force in their home (represented by an ominous baby's cry) is almost a prelude to Spielberg's later 1982 production POLTERGEIST, as well as films like THE SHINING and THE SIXTH SENSE. The screenplay by Robert Clouse also echoes Robert Wise's classic 1963 thriller THE HAUNTING. Darren McGavin and Sandy Dennis give very good performances as the heads of this household under threat. Ralph Bellamy somehow oozes rational menace the same way he did for ROSEMARY'S BABY. Tricky but excellent cinematography by Bill Butler (who later worked with Spielberg on JAWS) enhances this somewhat underrated and rare made-for-TV horror pic.

Steven Spielberg's haunted farm house flick.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 7/10 · 9 July 2009]

A couple from New York move with their two children to a run-down farm house in Pennsylvania.Soon after moving Margery(Sandy Dennis),a housewife/painter begins to experience various unsettling events;she sees the caretaker sprinkling the blood of a slaughtered chicken in the fields. She hears a baby crying in the barn late at night,the sound emanating from an old wood stove.Two guests at a party that the couple throws are killed in a mysterious accident.Eventually with the help of a new friend she begins to believe that her home may be inhabited by a devil and that she is it's target for possession.Her husband played by Darren McGavin of "The Night Stalker" fame doesn't believe her and the supernatural events escalate..."Something Evil" does not feature any blood and the devil force is unseen.The film is pretty creepy with subtle frights and all around solid acting.7 out of 10.

Boooring

[jack_o_hasanov_imdb · 4/10 · 7 August 2021]

After the "Duel" it was very disappointing for me even for Tv Movie.

Something weird

[Cujo108 · 30 October 2010]

A married couple and their two children move into an old country estate in rural Pennsylvania. The father spends most of his time working in New York City, but his wife stays home tending to the kids and coming up with various art designs. It isn't long before she's plagued by bizarre happenings, and while her husband is disbelieving, she comes to the conclusion that a devil is haunting the estate.

This TV movie was Steven Spielberg's follow-up to "Duel". While nowhere near that film's level, it is a reasonably effective little haunting yarn. The late Sandy Dennis carries the picture with her frantic, on edge performance. Ralph Bellamy of "Rosemary's Baby" is on the right side of the occult this time as a friendly neighbor who supplies Dennis with info on devils and protection from evil. The haunting is predominately low-key, though it occasionally moves into more pronounced territory when attacking others and even causing a fatal car accident. The creepiest scenes involve the sounds of a baby crying in the still country night and Dennis desperately trying to find out where the cries are emanating from. What she eventually finds makes for a rather disturbing visual.

Less unnerving and more cheesy is a scene where Sandy is flipping out on her son. The aftermath doesn't hit as hard as Spielberg would like it too because of this, but Sandy's performance does lessen the damage. Her husband doesn't seem to think much of it and heads back to New York for more work on the annoying commercial he's been preoccupied with. All of this leads up to a fun, if somewhat limp ending. The climactic surprise is telegraphed well in advance.

As a whole, there's nothing particularly remarkable here, but it all works just fine. Still, I was hoping that "Something Evil" would be something truly special.

wonder whether using Ralph Bellamy was a good idea

[christopher-underwood · 5/10 · 4 April 2013]

Early TV movie effort from Spielberg that is rather uneven. I'm not really sure why this doesn't work better. I guess there was little money and a lot of TV people looking over his shoulder that may have not helped the process. Whatever the reason, the location screams that it is a set, so flat and airless. When the spirits arise and the winds begin to blow, I realized why it had been absent, before but surely some sense of heat or rain would have given some sense of life to this clapperboard and cardboard. I also wonder whether using Ralph Bellamy was a good idea, he didn't seem to fit too well but would probably have been difficult to tell. Sandy Dennis is pretty much as she always is and I always like her but here when everyone seems a bit strange we could have done with a more staid central character. Otherwise, reasonable enough and there are scares particularly at the end, even if they are a bit undermined by an early sign of sentimentality creeping in and almost spoiling things.

Typically creepy early 70s made for TV movie.

[vonnoosh · 6/10 · 26 December 2020]

Made for TV movies that werent lighthearted from this era all have the same creepy feel to them. Because they are shprt on effects, they use the score and setting to amp up tue suspense. Something Evil is no different than How Awful About Alan, A Taste of Evil, The House That Wouldn't Die and the Norliss Tapes to me. These movies do succeed at conveying mood. Their pacing leaves alot to be desired but movies were like that in this more leisurely time.

I enjoy seeing Sandy Dennis and Darren McGavin and it's early Spielberg too though the only things Speilberg about it to me is having a kid play a central part to the plot and the reaction shots.

It doesn't get any slower than this

[JakersWild · 1/10 · 13 August 1999]

I was all set for a early 70s horror/thriller genre movie... and was prepared for the slower pace of a 70s movie, hopefully in exchange for a strong plot and character development. But this movie was so excruciatingly slow that finishing it was a chore. 'The Ghost of Flight 401' is another movie from the same era that, while a bit slow, manages to creep the viewer out pretty well. This movie is far slower with no real suspense, no characters to care about, and certainly no horror. Blah!

Finally found it!

[sbaer-08979 · 7/10 · 3 October 2020]

I have been looking for this movie for almost 50 years! This is one of those movies I saw as a child and it scared the bejesus out of me. I was too young to remember the name of it, and then all these years I've never seen it again. Over the years I would think about it, at least once or twice a year and wonder what it was.All I could remember is that there was some type of evil or devil in some mason jars up on the shelf in a barn. For some reason I thought about it again this morning and Googled 'horror movie with evil in mason jars' Voilà! Something Evil pops up. Is is the best movie, eh, but the cinematography definitely captures the anxiety and suspense. But for making an 8 year old remember it for 48 years? That deserves at least 7/10 stars.

Kind of lame but it's a t v movie.

[mm-39 · 3/10 · 12 April 2021]

Kind of lame but it's a t v movie. A slow burn movie which takes it's time. Well there is a few scary moments and screaming. Well, for a T V movie and age Something evil is lame. There is the story line of an isolated wife slow driven crazy by the house with the busy executive husband is away. The farm hand with who warns the family. The story is well okay. Regrettably no real special effects. There's build ups with small scares. The ending is anti climatic. Spieldberg gets the best out of the actors, and direction, but the characters and story is weak. 3 stars.

A decent 70s Made-For-TV supernatural flick

[Mister-Creeper · 6/10 · 13 July 2013]

I want to start by saying I love 70s Made-For-TV horror films. Since I was born in 1975, I didn't get to see all these cool movies until much later in life. Some are fairly easy to come by, while a lot more are not so easy to find and have become quite rare, which is a shame because they don't make TV movies like that anymore.

After some digging around, I finally managed to get myself a copy of this early Steven Spielberg supernatural thriller. Being a fan of Mr. Spielberg and having already watched some of his earlier works, such as DUEL, JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, and his NIGHT GALLERY segments, I must say that I was expecting better. Not that this is a bad movie, because it's not. And I certainly don't regret the time spent watching it, which was only 73 minutes - so it has a good pace to it and never gets bogged down with any boring filler like so many films of this nature tend to do.

While I can see how it could have been a bit scary back in 1972 when it was aired, it just doesn't hold up so well in that department nowadays. Still, the acting is good and the sound of the baby crying is effective. Overall this is a decent, early 70s Made-For-TV supernatural thriller. A solid 6 in my view.

The canned peaches in the mason jar aged better than this movie

[bridad · 4/10 · 10 February 2023]

Great cast, good premise, excellent directing. The problem comes from the pacing and the payoff. I realize the problem is our current tiktok short attention span, but I found the movie moved way too slow for me to be engaged. The ending was also predictable and unsophisticated for this day and age. I suppose it would be more entertaining if there were a nostalgic factor, but never having seen it before it lacked that charm for me, as well. Meh.

I love the seventies and the style and decor are great. I wanted to like this film as it had all the right ingredients. I just couldn't get into it. I suggest you watch Burnt Offerings instead.

I loved this movie at 10 and I still love it at 43

[61lincolnlover · 8/10 · 18 May 2005]

This TV movie scared me as a kid, and I still think it has a fun, scary feel to it if one is in the right mood. A great cast with the unusual, nervous, totally convincing Sandy Dennis, gruff Darren McGavin, and cute little Johnny Whittaker. Great setting of a Pennsylvania-type farm house. The movie builds slowly but pays off with creepy fun. The move from the city to a farm that pleases the wife but burdens the husband reminds me of the 1975's The Stepford Wives. I love the painted symbols on the barn, the glowing red eyes in the window - Amityville Horror pig anyone? Jars of throbbing red goo in the cupboard. Deaths and possessions. And it also features a 1971 Thunderbird, which I consider a big plus! Give this movie a look and have some spooky, seventies fun!

Worthe the Free YouTube Watch to See an Early Spielberg

[matthewssilverhammer · 6/10 · 19 June 2019]

A mediocre film, but a great watch to see how the staples of Spielberg's style were there from the earliest stages. Themes of family, mystery, absent fathers, and suburban danger are already on display in what is essentially an early version of Poltergeist. He's already so effectively stylish with the camera, even if the savviness to use it more subtly wasn't quite there yet. Corny but integral piece of cinematic history.

Spielberg Has Done Better

[dperky · 5/10 · 6 October 2020]

It's interesting to watch the early films of great directors like Steven Spielberg so see if they demonstrated any unique flair that would help them out later in their careers. Something Evil isn't overflowing with classic Spielberg touches, but there are a few moments that show some promise of what was to come.

Something Evil plays everything very safe and by the numbers throughout and that's to its detriment. You have a wonderful, capable director at the start of his career and wonderful actors such as Sandy Dennis, Darren McGavin, and Ralph Bellamy, but the script simply isn't up to their talents and they can only do so much to try and rise above it.

Dennis and McGavin play a married couple with two children who move to a secluded farm where the previous owner died. Soon, the locals are telling them all sorts of horror stories and Dennis is left alone there most days to witness strange phantom noises, intense gusts of wind that come out of nowhere, and demon eyes appearing on jam jars. She comes to the conclusion that the house is either trying to drive her mad or possess her, but her husband won't budge.

Almost all of the thrills Something Evil has to offer are of the silly kind. A few intense gusts of wind, a couple of ghostly baby cries in the night, and some glowing red eyes just aren't going to cut it, but to everyone's credit, they take it seriously.

Something Evil isn't a very good movie, but it's interesting to see a young director still trying to hone his craft.