The Sentinel (1977)

R   |    |  Horror

The Sentinel (1977) Poster

Not ready for marriage, a fashion model moves into an unbelievably cheap Brooklyn Heights apartment, where weird occurrences turn into a much more frightening turn of events.

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  • Cristina Raines in The Sentinel (1977)
  • Ava Gardner and Cristina Raines in The Sentinel (1977)
  • Beverly D'Angelo and Sylvia Miles in The Sentinel (1977)
  • Cristina Raines in The Sentinel (1977)
  • John Carradine in The Sentinel (1977)
  • Beverly D'Angelo and Sylvia Miles in The Sentinel (1977)

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Awards

4 nominations.

Reviews & Commentary

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User Reviews
18 October 2011 | gavin6942
7
| Incredible Film and Somewhat Obscure
Not ready for marriage, a fashion model (Cristine Raines) moves into an unbelievably nice Brooklyn Heights apartment, where scary occurrences turn into a much more frightening turn of events.

I have to first call out the cast: Chris Sarandon (so young he is unrecognizable), Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Walken (in a far too small role), Eli Wallach, Jerry Orbach (also quite young), Burgess Meredith, John Carradine... and more (including a very, very small cameo by Richard Dreyfuss). If you think a film with both Walken and Goldblum is a bad idea, you may as well just walk away now.

The biggest thing for me is how I did not know what this film was or had even heard of it. How has it escaped my attention? With that cast, the great plot and solid storytelling? This is really a must-see for horror fans. It has been ranked in the top 100 of the scariest horror films. I have seen 1000s of horror films, and I would debate putting it in the top 100, but it is not a stretch by any means.

Before Dana Barrett opened her refrigerator and found Zuul, this story was out there of another apartment complex with another kind of doorway...

Critic Reviews

Did You Know?

Trivia

There are 2 different versions of the movie.

The "uncut" one on DVD and BRD feature catholic church, nudity and gore. The "censored" one for TV has all the church parts deleted and replaced by the "brotherhood of the sentinels".

The nudity, gore and dream scenes have been deleted almost to the point of harming the understanding of the plot. Some stuff have been added though on the rare and unreleased censored version: random devil pictures, a devil ring, a chronology of the sentinels and the police scene "it was suicide". This version was only available on cable TV.

Quotes

Det. Gatz: Well, well, well. You have an ill effect on your women, Mr. Lerman.
Michael Lerman: This isn't police business.
Det. Gatz: A girl running through the streets at 4:00 a.m. saying she's knifed her father, blood on her... that's police business.
Michael Lerman: You know the girl, Gatz. You know...

Goofs

When Michael's delivers his ghostly monologue to Allison and his face begins to split open, the monofilament wires that are being pulled from off-camera to create the cracks in his face are visible. Also, actor Chris Sarandon blinks as if startled when the wires are pulled on.

Alternate Versions

In the theatrical version, there is no voiceover in the final scene while the camera orbits the new Sentinel. The effect of seeing Alison transformed is startling, unsettling, and frightening. For the TV version, a voiceover has been added which diminishes this effect by implying that Alison is much happier in her new life than she was before.

Storyline

Plot Summary

Synopsis (WARNING: Spoilers)

Genres

Horror

Details

Release Date:

21 April 1977

Language

English, Italian, Latin

Country of Origin

USA

Filming Locations

10 Montague Terrace, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,700,000 (estimated)

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