The Sentinel

The devil got blamed for everything in the ‘70s: impregnating newlyweds (Rosemary’s Baby), spinning heads (The Exorcist), baby swapping (The Omen), even chasing campers around Texas in a beat-up RV (Ride with the Devil). So creating a new scenario was almost as simple as shuffling a deck of cards and rearranging the plot points. At least, The Sentinel (1977) certainly feels like a film inspired by the satanic cinema trends that came before it, although the book by Jeffrey Konvitz was written several years earlier.

(Spoilers ahead…browse carefully) Here our vulnerable fashion model protagonist, Alison (Cristina Raines), rents a brownstone apartment to prove her independence from longtime lawyer boyfriend, Michael (Chris Sarandon). Her neighbors are a motley crue of misfits, eccentrics and perverts, only too eager to get chummy with the new resident. But when Alison complains to the real estate agent (Ava Gardner), she’s told the entire building is completely empty…except for herself and a blind priest who lives on the top floor.

Concerned for her mental health, Michael begins to investigate; even while he himself is being investigated by a pair of cops (Eli Wallach & Christopher Walken) eager to pin him with the murder of his first wife. Some digging matches names with faces and Alison’s illusory roommates turn out to be deceased murderers and degenerates. Not only that, but Alison herself seems targeted by the Church as a “replacement” of sorts for the old priest keeping watch in the penthouse.

The Sentinel is a bit of a tease, but improves with repeat viewings. There are very few shocks or scares (although Dick Smith comes up with some disgustingly effective make-up) as the viewer ponders Alison’s emotional state. It’s simply a matter of waiting until the conspiracy chooses to reveal itself, which really doesn’t happen until the final minutes. Meanwhile, we’re left to wonder who’s to blame, with Michael as the only real suspect besides Alison’s fragile psyche, which creates visions of her dead father stomping the apartment at night.

With a cast that includes bit parts by over-the-hill A-list actors like Martin Balsam, Arthur Kennedy, Jose Ferrer, and Burgess Meredith (not to mention newcomers Walken, Tom Berenger and Jeff Goldblum milling around), The Sentinel is the horror equivalent of an all-star Love Boat episode…in more ways than one. Director Michael Winner (Death Wish) shoots the film in a flat, broadcast TV style that unfortunately deflates much of the tension.

But even the most mediocre horror films are not without their charms. And The Sentinel earns its spot in cult film history with a pair of controversial scenes. The first being Beverly D’Angelo’s out-of-nowhere masturbation sequence in full view of her obviously uncomfortable guest. And the second, Winner’s hiring of actual deformed “freaks” (flown in from a Florida circus) as part of the demonic legion during the big finale. While neither sequence is exactly politically correct, they give the movie a swift kick in the pants and adds some much needed shock value. In fact, the general idea behind Konvitz’s story was adapted in a much more gory fashion by Italian director Lucio Fulci in a trio of “gateway to hell” movies in the early ‘80s.

After some rather tepid transfers of late, Scream Factory really nails this one with a sharp yet cinematic presentation that, although not without some inherent film damage, looks like it rolled through the projector for the first time. As extras go, the on-camera interview with assistant director Ralph Singleton doesn’t reveal much, but a trio of commentaries pulls in the slack. Writer / producer Jeffrey Konvitz covers the entire process that brought his work to the screen, while director Michael Winner one ups him with a refreshingly honest track that includes dirt on Hollywood executives and star Chris Sarandon (who only got the gig because of his recent Oscar nomination). It’s truly one of the most enjoyable tracks you’ll ever hear. Actress Cristina Raines, who retired from the business in 1991, is a bit too self-conscious for her own good, but kudos for tracking her down. A trailer and still gallery complete what is one heck of an upgrade over the old DVD.