The Sentinel (1977)

I love this movie so much

As Good As It Gets

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Alison Parker (Raines) is a working model who is not yet ready to marry her boyfriend Michael (Sarandon) and who needs to find a place of her own to get her mind and thoughts right. However, the city isn't cheap and Alison is about to give up when she comes across an apartment in an old house. The house and the apartments inside are in the process of being renovated, giving her the opportunity to rent for a reasonable amount. However, once there, things start to get strange... not only are the other tenants peculiar in the way they act and behave towards her... but she starts to get a feeling of apprehension and a sense of being watched... there's something not quite right with this big old house and it may have something to do with the priest in the top apartment; though he's blind he spends every hour sat in front of his window looking out over the city...Michael Winner opted to go the route of the original Rosemary's Baby with this little "Big" horror flick of good versus evil. The entire atmosphere of the film is reminiscent of Polanski. Even the camera work, at times, has a similar feel. However, it's Winner's direction and use of actors that make this a more enjoyable affair. I have to admit I found Rosemary quite boring, though it was nicely shot and had a decent cast. Winner injects a little more action and tries for a more ominous and eerie atmosphere, which he doesn't quite pull off.Another positive is the story, based on a novel by Jeffrey Convitz (which I now want to read as the movie had so many elements that could only be expanded and improved upon in written form), as this has more than a few twists and turns along its way. It would have been nice to see some of these utilised a tad better as it could have made for a stronger movie. Though, back in '77, movies were frowned upon when they went over an hour and a half, which probably meant quite a few bits of celluloid on the floor.As for the actors, well the cast is massive for a horror flick. Granted the big names are in supporting roles, though this is a good ploy by Winner, as the story is mostly revolving around the occupants. We have Burgess "WARK! WARK!" Meredith as the enigmatic and gentlemanly Charles Chazon; Sylvia Miles and Beverly D'Angelo as the uninhabited lesbians Gerde Engstrom and Sandra; and as the omnipresent blind priest Father Halliran we have John Carradine. But the names don't stop there, and Winner has a good eye for up and coming talent as there's Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Dreyfuss thrown into the mix for good measure.However, though the cast is great it's too big. There are too many characters knocking about and this gives the entire film the feeling of being crowded. This would work well in a novel as there's more space to work in. However, in the confines of an hour and a half, it may have been better to reduce the cast to essential characters and built on them a little more, giving them more depth and making the film stronger in the process.That said, I will say this is worth at least one watch, especially if you're an old-school-horror fan who likes the religious good versus evil twist... or if you just want to give zombies and wimped out vampires a miss...

A doubtful story of small credibility, if any at all, is all the same expertly made and told and well worth seeing. Some of the effects go over the edge, but it is certainly better than most films in the genre with few parallels. The only even better one I can think of is "Spellbinder" from 1988 (see my review). Here the occult mystery show is saved by some excellent acting, especially Eli Wallach as the incredulous policeman, the only person in the film with some sober distance and even humour, while Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith, Arthur Kennedy and even José Ferrer add to the stew. Cristina Raines as Alison stand in the center, though, while Chris Sarandon appears strangely callous for a boyfriend of hers, and his character is the least convincing one and not very well constructed. He loves her and yet betrays her, he has some hidden agenda and still acts as her heroic protector - it doesn't quite add up. In smaller parts you see Christopher Walken as very young and even Tom Berenger for a short moment. John Milton and Dante play an important part in quotations, but the main attraction of the film is the mystery plot and legend - it's definitely an occult classic on the same level as "Rosemary's Baby".

There's not many actors who epitomize the '70s more than Chris Sarandon, Christina Raines, and Deborah Raffin and seeing the two gals together as NYC fashion models in a slickly made horror film from the "Me Decade" was both "of its time" eye candy and a nostalgic rush. Christina, fresh out of the clinic after another suicide attempt, rents a too-good-to-be- true apartment in Brooklyn Heights with a closely "guarded" secret of apocalyptic proportions... THE SENTINEL's from an era when religious-themed Armageddon was in fashion and the film has more than a bit of ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE OMEN in its pedigree. The cast has "more stars than there are in heaven" what with Ava Gardner, Arthur Kennedy, Sylvia Miles, Jose Ferrer, Martin Balsam, John Carradine, Burgess Meredith, Eli Wallach, Jerry Orbach, Beverly D'Angelo, Jeff Goldblum, and Christopher Walken popping in and out. Look quickly for Tom Berenger and Richard Dreyfuss, too. It's a fun movie (based on a popular beach read) that's a bit better than it's initial reception would suggest and it made me nostalgic for movies like THE EYES OF LAURA MARS and THE LEGACY before I came to my senses.

Michael Winner's post-Death Wish output is often lambasted for being sensationalist and exploitative trash; for me, that's precisely why his films prove so enjoyable. The Sentinel, Winner's 1977 supernatural shocker, is no exception: it's a schlocky slice of religious themed horror that takes its cues from superior horror hits Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976), delivering wonderfully eccentric characters, sexual perversity, graphic gore and, in the film's jaw-dropping finale, a whole crowd of real-life freaks and disabled extras as the denizens of hell. It's easy to see how some might be offended, and it's not hard to understand why many would dismiss it as tawdry garbage, but I found it hugely entertaining.Cristina Raines stars as emotionally fragile model Alison Parker, who moves into an apartment where her new neighbours' bizarre behaviour begins to concern her, leading her to confront her landlord, who informs her that, apart from the blind priest on the top floor, she is the only tenant! It eventually transpires that the building is a doorway to hell, the other tenants are demons, and that Alison is destined to become a 'sentinel', whose job it is to guard the hellish portal.It's derivative stuff, for sure, but Winner's whacked out script keeps matters interesting: if anything, the film has got to be worth a go for the unforgettable scene where Alison meets her freaky lesbian 'neighbours' (one of whom gives herself an orgasm in front of her uncomfortable guest), and the truly bizarre birthday bash thrown for a pet cat (he looks so cute in his party hat). The Sentinel also benefits from a remarkable line-up of talent, the incredible cast including established performers Burgess Meredith, Eli Wallach, John Carradine, Ava Gardner, Martin Balsam, as well as up and coming stars Tom Berenger, Jeff Goldblum, Beverly D'Angelo and Richard Dreyfuss, while the excellent make-up effects are by none other than industry legend Dick Smith.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.