Jennifer

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Jennifer (1978) is practically drooling over Brian De Palma’s Carrie. The details are tweaked just enough to avoid a lawsuit, but the story follows the same general trajectory: mousy outsider is teased relentlessly by a gang of mean girls at an elite prep school until a psychic powered rampage evens the score. Only this time, the telekinetic connection is between a girl and her snakes!

Despite the copycat plot, Jennifer works remarkably well until the big finale. Actress Lisa Pelikan has the same sort of timid appeal as Sissy Spacek (and even manages a Southern accent) while the cast of bullies, led by Amy Johnston, is wonderfully despicable. There’s a reason so many films rely on the tortures of high school social status: because no matter how ridiculous the hazing gets, it’s still sickeningly believable.

There’s no pig’s blood here, but Jennifer suffers from plenty of nasty frame-ups, dead pets and even nude photos of herself sent around school. Director Brice Mack ups the ante by making the school headmistress an incurable snob who preaches that “rich is always right” and willfully ignores all the increasingly bad behavior. Jennifer’s only defender is a sexy substitute teacher played by The Love Boat / Fantasy Island veteran Burt Convy who gives a surprisingly good turn. Meanwhile home life isn’t much of an escape with her ultra-religious father always bringing up her tent revival past.

By the time the snake-filled vengeance comes around, the audience is firmly in Jennifer’s corner and hungry for a venomous comeuppance. But the foam rubber effects and stylized photography are lacking in almost every respect and sends the film out on a rather ridiculous note.

That shouldn’t deter the curious from checking out this obscure ‘70s thriller, which is a super-schlocky good time in almost every other respect, including the soft-rock title theme song. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray, newly remastered in HD, looks spot-on although there are no extras included other than the theatrical trailer.