Tuesday Terror: The Visitor (1979)

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It’s obvious what this movie is about from the poster, right? Let me help…

A woman is an unwitting pawn in a struggle to keep an ancient evil, Sateen, at bay. She already has one child – a daughter – tainted by unholy influence; a second chid would burst the gates of hell wide open. Will the corporate cult who is ready for the ultimate hostile takeover get it’s way or will an unusual visitor (John Huston) thwart their plans?

thevisitor2Let’s Get Barbara Pregnant – that should be the name of this movie. Barbara is out here trying to live her best life. A divorced mother of one, she wants neither another husband nor another kid. Her boyfriend (Lance Henriksen) is ready to take their relationship to the next level and her kid is pestering her for a little brother.

Barbara is a carrier/host of an ancient evil that periodically is reincarnated on Earth. She’s not possessed herself – but any children that she has will be full of wickedness. Unfortunately, she has no clue why her life has suddenly come a series of harrowing events.

The title character is an otherworldly fellow who has tangled with Sateen in the past. He wants to protect both mother and daughter but the little girl isn’t really interested in being saved.

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The Visitor has a lot of influences: The Omen, The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, The Birds and probably more. Despite this, it’s a bit of fun with lots of unexpected twists. In fact, there’s so much happening visually, it is easy to lose track of the plot. Recommended but don’t ask any questions; just let it wash over you.

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Tip: Beware little girls with pet birds.

Tuesday Terror: Rings (2017)

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The poster pretty much tells the whole story. Anywho…

In Rings, the third movie in the series, people watch a cursed video and get timely visits from Samara. To add a little spice to the plot, our lady of the well has hidden brand new images in the old video. Can Julia, our hero, figure out what they mean before her time runs out?

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The professor with his vcr.

This movie feels like two or three scripts spliced together. There’s the story of a professor who gets students to watch the video for an unethical/illegal research project. Then, there is the story of Julia – a girl who voluntarily watches the tape to save her boyfriend. The boyfriend is the bridge; he’s a student of the naughty professor.

The intermingling of the stories is very clunky. As a viewer, I had questions about the research project. How many students died on the 7th day? How many are being haunted at any one time? Are there variations in the terrorizing? One will never know. Instead of two parallel tales throughout the film, the professor angle ends abruptly and we are left with Julia’s story.

Unfortunately, the new clues lead to very familiar territory. Julia has interesting eyebrows though; they are trying to tell their own tale. My response to the big reveal at the end: “Oh.”

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Tip: Your lover is going away to college and leaving you at home? Save yourself trouble and break up with them.

Tuesday Terror: Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (1971)

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To aid in her recovery from a nervous breakdown, Jessica and her husband ditch hectic city life for a quiet town. Along with a friend, they move into a big house with a bit of a history. When a beautiful drifter shows up on the property, Jessica invites the woman to stay a while. This is a mistake.

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Let’s Scare Jessica To Death is a bit of a slow burn. Weird things and people abound, but they create a atmosphere of creeping danger. Jessica is fighting to keep her sanity and her marriage. As darkness closes in around her, she’ll have to fight for her life.

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The interesting thing about Jessica is that when the movie opens, she seems preoccupied with death. The trio is traveling together in a hearse and she’s riding in the back where the coffin would be. Before they arrive at their new home, they stop at a cemetery so she can run out and get a quick grave rubbing. Naturally, when a harbinger of death shows up to entice Jessica—death loses it’s attraction.

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If a creaky old house and eerie townspeople appeal to you, grab a hot cocoa and cheer Jessica on.

Tip: Two is company, three is a party…four can be deadly.