The Entity (1981)

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers:

Frank De Felitta (novel)
Frank De Felitta (writer)

Release Date:

4 February 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

There is no escape from something you cannot see

Plot:

Supposedly based partially on a true story, a woman is tormented and sexually molested by an invisible demon.

Plot Keywords:

Attack | Demon | Haunted House | Mirror | Scream

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Barbara Hershey	...	Carla Moran
Ron Silver	...	Phil Sneiderman
David Labiosa	...	Billy
George Coe	...	Dr. Weber
Margaret Blye	...	Cindy Nash
Jacqueline Brookes	...	Dr. Cooley
Richard Brestoff	...	Gene Kraft
Michael Alldredge	...	George Nash
Raymond Singer	...	Joe Mehan
Allan Rich	...	Dr. Walcott
Natasha Ryan	...	Julie
Melanie Gaffin	...	Kim
Alex Rocco	...	Jerry Anderson
Sully Boyar	...	Mr. Reisz
Tom Stern	...	Woody Browne
Curt Lowens	...	Dr. Wilkes
Paula Victor	...	Dr. Chevalier
Lee Wilkof	...	Dr. L. Hose
Deborah Stevenson	...	Intern
Mark Weiner	...	Intern
Lisa Marie Gurley	...	Receptionist (as Lisa Gurley)
Chris Howell	...	Guard
John Branagan	...	Student
Daniel Furie	...	Student
Amy Kirkpatrick	...	Student
Todd Kutches	...	Student
Pauline Lomas	...	Student
Renee Neimark	...	Nurse

Directed by
Sidney J. Furie

Writing credits
Frank De Felitta		(novel)
Frank De Felitta		(writer)

Produced by
Michael Leone	....	executive producer
Andrew Pfeffer	....	executive producer (as Andrew D.T. Pfeffer)
Harold Schneider	....	producer

Original Music by
Charles Bernstein

Cinematography by
Stephen H. Burum

Film Editing by
Frank J. Urioste

Casting by
Barbara Claman		(as Barbara S. Claman)

Production Design by
Charles Rosen

Set Decoration by
Jerry Wunderlich

Makeup Department
Zoltan Elek	....	makeup artist
James Kagel	....	special makeup effects
Christine Lee	....	hair stylist
Stan Winston	....	special makeup effects

Production Management
David Salven	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Cosentino	....	second assistant director
Tommy Thompson	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Gene Anderson	....	assistant property master
Barry Bedig	....	property master
Nigel A. Boucher	....	lead man (as Nigel Boucher)
Frank L. Brown	....	lead man (as Frank Brown)
Richard Eckols	....	construction foreman
Bruce J. Gfeller	....	construction coordinator (as Bruce Gfeller)
Daniel Gluck	....	set designer
Tony Leonardi	....	painter
John Tyrrell	....	painter foreman
Boyd Willat	....	set designer

Sound Department
Willie D. Burton	....	sound mixer
Joel Fein	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert W. Harris	....	cable person (as Robert Harris)
Gregg Landaker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Marvin E. Lewis	....	boom operator (as Marvin Lewis)
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Keith Stafford	....	sound effects editor
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Martin Bresin	....	special effects (as Marty Bresin)
Joe Digaetano	....	special effects
Joe Lombardi	....	special effects
Steve Lombardi	....	special effects
Gary Monak	....	special effects
Robert G. Willard	....	special effects (as Bob Willard)

Visual Effects by
Tom Ajar	....	process projectionist: visual effects unit (as Thomas Ajar)
Allen Blaisdell	....	assistant camera: visual effects unit
Jim Brigham	....	projection consultant: visual effects unit
James Cotten	....	puppeteer: visual effects unit
William Cruse	....	visual effects
Sam DiMaggio	....	camera operator: visual effects unit
Elizabeth Goldsmith	....	production coordinator: visual effects unit
Margaret Goldsmith	....	production assistant: visual effects unit
Mentor Huebner	....	illustrator: visual effects unit
Phil Keil	....	camera technician: visual effects unit
Julie Kelly	....	production assistant: visual effects unit
Norman Markowitz	....	process projectionist: visual effects unit
Francis McConnell	....	optical assistant: visual effects unit
Paul Neilson	....	camera technician: visual effects unit
Hubert Nichols	....	optical camera operator: visual effects unit
George Risko	....	ice sculpture: visual effects unit
Walter Shipley	....	optical coordinator: visual effects unit (as Walt Shipley)
Kim Waugh	....	production assistant: visual effects unit
Bill Wysock	....	electrical engineering: visual effects unit

Stunts
John Ashby	....	stunts
Janet Brady	....	stunts (as Janet Gibbs)
Ron Burke	....	stunts
William H. Burton	....	stunts
Eddy Donno	....	stunts
Kenny Endoso	....	stunts
Donna Garrett	....	stunts
Buddy Joe Hooker	....	stunts
Chris Howell	....	stunt coordinator
Shawn Howell	....	stunts
Tommy J. Huff	....	stunts (as Thomas Huff)
Linda Jacobs	....	stunts
Gary McLarty	....	stunts
Ernie F. Orsatti	....	stunts (as Ernie Orsatti)
Harry Wowchuk	....	stunts (as Harry Wowchuck)

Camera and Electrical Department
Leon Ayres	....	grip
Ben Beaird	....	grip
Dustin Blauvelt	....	first assistant camera
Emmett Brown	....	key grip (as Emmett A. Brown)
John Englert	....	best boy (as John D. Englert)
Jon Timothy Evans	....	gaffer
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer
Robert E. Gaynor	....	dolly grip
John R. Hamilton	....	still photographer
Dennis M. Kuneff	....	grip
Joe R. Marquette Jr.	....	camera operator (as Joe Marquette Jr.)
Michael R. Marquette	....	second assistant camera
W.J. Randall	....	grip
J.B. Richner	....	best boy (as Jonathan B. Richner)
Gary Stark	....	rigging gaffer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Judy Courtney	....	casting associate
Vince Liebhart	....	casting associate
Tom O'Shea	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Darryl M. Athons	....	costumer
Nancy McArdle	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Derek Brechin	....	assistant editor
Mark Eggenweiler	....	assistant editor
Robert Raring	....	color timer

Music Department
Ken Wilhoit	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Jerry F. Johnson	....	transportation captain (as Jerry Johnson)
William Hogue	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Other crew
Ed Begley Jr.	....	additional voice
Jerrold T. Brandt Jr.	....	production representative: ACP
Kathy Breen	....	assistant: Mr. Furie
Mickey Chonos	....	caterer
Carol DeBeau	....	assistant auditor
Robert Eggenweiler	....	location manager
Lyla Foggia	....	unit publicist
Leigh French	....	additional voice
Kerry Gaynor	....	technical advisor
Merrill Grinnell	....	production assistant
Marcia Karr	....	stand-in
Gene Kraft	....	title designer
Hal Landaker	....	video consultant
Renee Neimark	....	first aid
H. Bud Otto	....	script supervisor
Jane Prosnit	....	production coordinator
Todd Schneider	....	production assistant
Arlene Singer-Gross	....	studio teacher
Barry Taff	....	technical advisor
Ann Tait	....	production controller
Mark Weiner	....	stand-in

Production Companies

• Alleanza Cinematografica Italiana (A.C.I.)
• American Cinema Productions
• Pelleport Investments
• Pellport

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hachette-Fox Distribution (1983) (France) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (video)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Stan Winston Studio

Other Companies

• Creative Mobile Studio  location services
• Custom Looping  additional voices
• Goldwyn Sound Facility  re-recording facilities
• Modern Film Effects  titles
• Susie's Casting Service  extras casting
• Village Recorder, The  music recorded at

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California, USA

Company:

Alleanza Cinematografica Italiana (A.C.I.)

Trivia:

Robert MacNaughton auditioned for a role for this film, after being asked because the casting director saw him in an off-Broadway play, in New York.

Quotes:

Carla Moran: I mean I'd rather be dead than living the way I've been living. Do you understand that?
Phil Sneiderman: Yes, I can understand that. Yes. I also understand that I care very much what happens to you. Very much. And I know that in your heart you know the difference between reality and fantasy. Carla, look at me, Carla - our reason, our intelligence:That's the only thing that distinguishes us between any other species of animal...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Edited into Dream Work (2002)

Soundtrack:

Saturday Nite's All Right For Fighting

Hair-raising shocker, based on true events

THE ENTITY

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: 6-track Dolby Stereo

(35mm and 70mm release prints)

A busy single mother (Barbara Hershey) is inexplicably targeted by a monstrous, invisible 'entity' which emerges from nowhere and begins to assault her on a regular basis.

Based on events recounted in Frank DeFelitta's bestselling book, Sidney J. Furie's compelling shocker takes all the dramatic liberties one might expect of a Hollywood production, though DeFelitta's script manages to establish a genuine conflict between intractable science (spearheaded by Ron Silver as Hershey's disbelieving psychiatrist) and open-minded parapsychology (led by warm-hearted Jacqueline Brookes). Furie uses dutch angles and vivid closeups to emphasize the human tragedy at the heart of the story, as Hershey struggles to come to terms with her fantastical situation, only to be torn between Silver's increasingly ludicrous 'rationalizations' (he concludes that her experiences amount to little more than a sublimated incestuous crush on her handsome teenage son, played by David Labiosa!) and the day-to-day reality of her encounters with paranormal forces. Thankfully, despite suggestions of Silver's romantic attraction to Hershey, director and screenwriter keep a tight rein on proceedings, stripping all non-essential business from the central narrative.

Giving one of her best performances, Hershey is deeply affecting as the simple woman caught up in extraordinary circumstances beyond her control, and Furie stages the various supernatural assaults with frightening intensity, underlined by Charles Bernstein's pounding music score which elevates proceedings to a whole new level of horror. Despite the sexual nature of the attacks, Furie resists an urge to indulge the audience's voyeurism, and aside from one brief nude scene (employing a fairly obvious body double) and a full-body appliance (courtesy of Stan Winston) to depict invisible fingers manipulating Hershey's torso, the film is quite restrained in its portrayal of this sensitive material. The climactic visual effects - supervised by William Cruse - are remarkably poor, but this minor blemish isn't enough to weaken the film's cumulative impact. Listen out for the entity's only line of 'dialogue', as creepy as it is obscene.