Bay Coven (1987)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

A Masterpiece!

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Successful businesswoman Linda (a winningly spunky performance by the highly fetching and appealing Pamela Sue Martin) and her unhappy husband Jerry (a solid performance by Tim Matheson) are new arrivals in the sleepy small coastal community of Bay Cove. However, Linda suspects that something is amiss with the townspeople in the area. Director Carl Schenkel, working from a compact script by Tim King, relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, does a fine job of creating and sustaining an appropriately spooky and mysterious atmosphere, grounds the fantastic premise in a credible everyday reality, makes good use of the picturesque bucolic setting, and pulls out all the exciting stops for one doozy of an eerie climax. The ace acting by the excellent cast of familiar television show faces keeps the film on track: Martin and Matheson make for charming leads, with sound support from Woody Harrelson as affable skeptic Slater, Jeff Conaway as the laid-back Josh McGwim, Barbara Billingsley as sweet little old lady Beatrice Gower, James Sikking as the friendly Nicholas Kline, Susan Ruttan as Linda's loyal gal pal Debbi, and Inga Swenson as the cheery Matty Kline. Shuki Levy's shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. Jacques Steyn's slick cinematography provides a pleasingly polished and stylish look. Worth a watch.

"Bay Coven" is a 1987 TV film also known as "Bay Cove" and (God knows why) "Eye of the Demon." It stars Pamela Sue Martin and Tim Matheson as a couple that move to an island off the coast of Massachusetts where they run afoul of a coven of witches. Woody Harrelson of "Cheers" is also on hand as a friend of the couple.The story is engrossing, mysterious & creepy and the cast is fabulous. The witches all attempt to present themselves as normal neighbors but fail completely -- there's just something NOT RIGHT about them. The island locations are also a highlight.Pamela Sue Martin is very alluring as the one who slowly unravels the mystery, which is fitting since she used to play mystery-sleuth Nancy Drew."Bay Coven" has been called the TV version of "Rosemary's Baby" and, to some degree, "The Amityville Horror", but -- believe it or not -- although "Bay Coven" is not as good on a technical level due to it's TV budget, it's actually better as far as plot, story and locations go. It's just more engrossing. It also has been compared to "The Devil's Rain," but let's just say it wouldn't take much to be better than that piece of crap.On the downside, the final act is cartoony with its overt depiction of the coven, but that's almost always the case when films attempt to show witches or satanists and their diabolical doings. Look no further than the final scenes of "Rosemary's Baby." Still, most everyone who signs on for a film like this do so with the understanding that they'll see a group of weirdo occultists and the film provides this, cartoony or not. GRADE: B+

I bought this at the store for a $1.50 expecting absolutely nothing, but actually this is not at all a bad film, and rather interesting. It is slow paced, which is a good thing, the tension builds up as the film moves along and it gets more and more interesting until the climax. This is a suspense film, and a well done one, many movies about witches fail but this is one that does it pretty well. The acting is pretty decent also, good acting from Tim Matheson and Woody Harrelson. Not much gore but it doesn't need it, it was made for TV so most profanity and gore and nudity is absent but it works with the film. This one is recommended to buy for a $1.50 if you want a pretty decent suspense film.

Bay Coven or Bay Cove is a good film that has a good cast includes Pamela Sue Martin, Tim Matheson, Barbara Billingsley, Jeff Conaway, Woody Harrelson, Susan Ruttan, James Sikking, Inga Swenson, and Nigel Bennett. The acting by all of these actors is very good. Martin is really good in this film. Mathesson is good and Harrelson is very good. I thought The mystery is good and some of it is surprising. The movie is filmed good. The music is good. The film is quite interesting and the movie really keeps you going until the end. This is a very good and thrilling film. If you like Pamela Sue Martin, Tim Matheson, Barbara Billingsley, Jeff Conaway, Woody Harrelson, the rest of the cast in the film, Horror, Thrillers, Mysteries, and interesting films then I strongly recommend you to see this film today!