A young girl named Marguerite (Sondra Locke) lives with her mother and grandmother in New England. Marguerite lives a disturbing life with several things daily haunting her. She also has conversations with a mysterious person who lives in her bedroom. But while life is not pleasant for Marguerite, things are about to become more challenging when her father decides to seek a divorce so he can marry the woman he truly loves. It’s been some time since Marguerite saw her father, and shortly after he arrives even more disturbing events begin to occur, including various murders. But who is committing all these murders? Is someone lurking around the house, or is one of the members of the home the killer?
Many mysteries are introduced within the first act alone, and many unsettling moments occur throughout the film. While the answer to the biggest mystery may seem obvious at first, I’ll admit, I still found myself fairly invested in finding out the truth. In the end, I found some moments to be predictable and some mysteries to be quite surprising.
The pacing is fairly slow and drawn out. The film relies on slow moments filled with tension or unsettling occurrences. This type of thriller would have worked well when it was originally released, but sadly in the present day, it feels pretty outdated and lacks the same tension and scares the film once would have had. Performances, for the most part, are fine. Robert Shaw as Marguerite’s father was great, and Sondra Locke delivers some great moments as Marguerite too (even if her character’s voice is slightly annoying).
Thanks to the Australian Distributor Imprint Films , the film has been restored on Blu-ray with a high-definition transfer. While the transfer is pleasing, the film still shows its age at various moments. Those who love bonus features will be treated to an Audio Commentary by the author/critic Lee Gambin and Audio Interviews with actress Sondra Lock and actor Gordon Devol.
Overall, this is a classic slow-burning horror film with moments of thrills and suspense. At first, it seemed highly predictable, but the movie did manage to surprise me with its outcomes. The scares and image quality do feel outdated and weaker compared to its first initial release. That being said, I do feel the film still delivers an unsettling experience for those who have never seen it. Performances are generally fine, with Robert Shaw and Sondra Lock being the biggest highlight from the cast.
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