"The Entity" is one of those movies where, even if one doesn't really buy into the kinds of ideas presented, it still provides for interesting, fascinating entertainment. It's officially based on a novel by Frank De Felitta, who also scripted, the novel itself inspired by a notorious real life story that's one of the most bizarre in the history of paranormal research. The beautiful Barbara Hershey, giving a performance of conviction and grim determination, plays Carla Moran, a single mother of three who starts to be raped by an unseen antagonist, a crazed force of frightening strength and persistence. She is victimized in her bedroom and the bathroom; the thing also takes control of her car and does a lot of damage as the story plays out. A psychiatrist named Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver) stubbornly insists that the "phenomena" has to be brought on by Carla's own psychological and sexual baggage (she does admittedly have a melodramatic background),but before long outside parties - including Carla's own children - are able to verify that Carla couldn't be doing this herself. Eventually a team of parapsychologists at a university formulate a plan to bait and hopefully trap the thing. One element the viewer notices quickly is how intent director Sidney J. Furie is at utilizing close ups and some very steep angles. The angles are certainly disorienting and lend a weird perspective to a story that is of course quite fantastic to begin with. The tone definitely leans towards the sensational as the thing is absolutely insatiable and refuses to leave poor Carla alone. (It would be hard not to feel sympathy for this person, especially as she desperately tries to put the experience in some sort of realistic context.) One scene, featuring knockout effects by Stan Winston and James Kagel, just takes the breath away as it features the fondling of Carla's flesh by these invisible fingers. Other visual effects are very well done without going the truly cheesy route and Charles Bernstein's creepy music, pounding away hard during the attack scenes, is perfect accompaniment. Supporting performances are all solid, including David Labiosa as Carla's older child Billy, as well as George Coe, Margaret Blye, Michael Alldredge, and Allan Rich; Alex Rocco has one of his kinder screen roles as Carla's loving current boyfriend, and Jacqueline Brookes, Raymond Singer, and Richard Brestoff create some entertaining characters in the form of the parapsychologists. The movie is riveting through and through, with a fine forward momentum and a memorable finale with Carla made to wait inside a reproduction of her own home. The coda, in particular, is chilling in what it reveals. And one should also check out the accompanying documentary "The Entity Files" that is featured as an extra on the Anchor Bay DVD as it lends a respectable insight into the "true" story that inspired this whole thing. As was said before, it's fascinating stuff. Eight out of 10.

The Entity has an extremely sloppy script. First of all, it basically repeats itself a dozen times. Each attack is more or less identical. The biggest problem has to do with the psychologist. He thinks it's all in Carla's head. It would have been nice for the filmmakers to give us the possibility for interpretation, but we see these attacks outside of Carla's point of view. The audience knows for sure that what is happening is real. And then there are half a dozen witnesses. When they corroborate her story, the psychologist still refuses to believe them. Jerry (Alex Rocco) swears that he saw Carla's body being manipulated by an unseen force, and Dr. Sneiderman still believes it's all just in her head. What this does is make him the bad guy throughout the film - we know that, because of him, Carla's attacks are going to go on without a chance of relief. And the script wants us to feel a romantic connection between the two of them. A lot of the film is told from his point of view, trying to get us to believe he is a helpful force, and all we can do is despise him as if he were a weasel taking advantage. This, more than anything else, stops the film dead in its tracks.

However, there are a couple of positive things that save the film and make it worth a watch. Barbara Hershey is absolutely excellent as the frightened victim who gradually grows stronger. The rest of the acting isn't bad, either, but only her performance stands out. Also, the special effects, even though they are very cheap, are enormously effective. Well, the lightning wasn't, but this film goes to show you that a simple rattling mirror is worth so much more than a million dollar CGI ghost.

...and wait until the final moments of the film. I don't think ANYTHING has made me shiver as violently as that moment after the door slams closed. Also, I've rarely been as proud of a character after Carla opens it right back up.

Barbara Hershey gives a fiery, outstanding and wholly sympathetic performance as Carla Moran, a willful and fiercely self-sufficient young single California mother of three kids who's brutally and relentlessly raped by an evil amorous apparition. Carla seeks the aid of earnest, but incredulous psychiatrist Phil Schneidermann (nicely played by Ron Silver) and several of his fellow disbelieving shrinks, who all try to convince Carla that the whole Stygian ordeal is self-inflicted. Carla balks at their supercilious, coldly pragmatic theories and enlists the help of a group of eager, open-minded parapsychologists in order to rid herself of the maleficent lascivious spirit's unwanted attention.

Most film critics tend to gleefully trash "The Entity" as a particularly absurd piece of crudely sensationalistic fright flick foolishness, but I personally think it's a fine, engrossing, refreshingly off-beat and often genuinely frightening (the frequent phantasmagoric sexual assaults are quite violent and upsetting, realistically capturing the true horror and demeaning nature of rape itself) supernatural horror thriller. Sidney J. Furie's tight, proficient direction effectively creates and sustains a tense, menacing, claustrophobic mood (Furie's constant use of taut close-ups which usually center on Hershey do a bang-up job of forcefully rendering Carla's profound sense of dread and alienation). Insanely prolific unsung B-movie composer Charles ("Invasion of the Bee Girls," "Cujo") Bernstein's wired, driving score (I absolutely love the wickedly wailin' guitar!),Stephen H. ("Something Wicked This Way Comes," "Body Double") Burum's fluid, mobile cinematography, and Stan ("Aliens," "Pumpkinhead") Winston's typically stand-out make-up f/x contribute greatly to the picture's deeply unsettling potency. The themes of skeptics vs. true believers, science vs. psychology, and especially how difficult it is for a woman to be assertive and independent in a male-dominated society are keenly observed and neatly integrated into the compact, absorbing narrative ("The Entity" at its extremely confrontational and provocative core is essentially a true feminist horror film about the many ways society tries to keep women in their place, with the ghost representing misogyny and male oppression at its most savage and unmerciful). Although not without its flaws (at a rather bloated 125 minutes it's much too long and hence drags in spots),"The Entity" nonetheless overall makes the grade as a superior spectral spookshow.