THE
SENTINEL (1977)Director: Michael Winner
Universal
THE
SENTINEL (1977)Another
example of a major studio trying to milk another EXORCIST or OMEN out of the genre,
albeit unsuccessfully, THE SENTINEL was Universal's answer to the demonic horror
craze of the 1970s. British director Michael Winner, who had previously helmed
THE NIGHTCOMERS and DEATH WISH, manages to blend some stylish creepiness with
outright gore and exploitation to deliver a sometimes boring, sometimes lively
genre pic that has its share of scares and sleaze, but oh, what a cast!
In Italy, Catholic holy men Arthur Kennedy and Jose Ferrer smell danger, which just happens to be brewing in Manhattan. Popular fashion model Alison Parker (Cristina Raines) rents a brownstone from real estate lady Ava Gardner, who tells her that a blind old priest (John Carradine), who lives on the top floor, constantly stares out of his window. Alison is immediately taken back by the other eccentric tenants, including a gnome-like Burgess Meredith and often-nude Beverly D'Angelo and Sylvia Miles as a couple of touchy-feely lesbians in ballet leotards. This is all made worse by the sounds of pacing from upstairs in the middle of the night, as well as the ghostly image of her recently dead father who she mutilates with a knife. When Alison goes to tell the realtor to complain, she is told that no one has lived in the building for the past three years besides the blind priest. Her lawyer boyfriend, Michael (Chris Sarandon) does some investigating which leads to a long history of suicide attempters who end up guarding the upstairs room, which in actuality is the doorway to hell!
Based
on the novel by Jeffrey Konvitz, who also wrote the screenplay with Winner, THE
SENTINEL seems to toss in nearly every horror movie device--conventional and unconventional--including
lurid dream sequences, tragic flashbacks, and surprises lurking out from behind
the shadows. The film has a slight feel of the unmatchable ROSEMARY'S BABY, and
its heavy-handed plotline and "twist" ending, while somewhat intriguing,
seem clichéd by today's standards. The climatic depiction of the Gates
of Hell comes off quite disturbing, using real circus freaks on screen (some you'll
recognize from other films like THE MUTATIONS) in an unforgettable sequence, and
the graphic effects by make-up maestro Dick Smith still manage to send some chills
up 
the spine. But for all its unevenness, THE SENTINEL plays now more as a curiosity
piece than anything else, with an incredible cast that also includes Eli Wallach,
Jerry Orbach, Martin Balsam, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger,
Hank Garrett, Deborah Raffin and William Hickey.
Universal's DVD of THE SENTINEL gives us a noticeable improvement over the out-of-print, full screen, open matte version issued by Goodtimes back when the studio had a deal with them. The film is now presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with anamorphic enhancement, and compositions are now visibly improved. Colors are vivid with nice fleshtones, and detail is very sharp, with solid black levels and very little grain. The sound is also improved over the Goodtimes release, as hiss apparent in that version is now overcome by a strong Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track that effectively delivers the dialog, sound effects and music. The only extra is the battered theatrical trailer, and their are optional Spanish and French subtitles. (George R. Reis)