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Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, David Labiosa, George Coe, Margaret Blye ... see more see more... , Jacqueline Brookes , Richard Brestoff , Michael Alldredge , Sully Boyar , Chris Howell , Amy Kirkpatrick , Curt Lowens , Alex Rocco , Natasha Ryan , Raymond Singer , Lee Wilkof , John Branagan , Allan Rich , Melanie Gaffin , Paula Victor , Mark Weiner , Tom Stern

Another "true story" of dubious authenticity, The Entity concerns a libidinous invisible presence. This unseen force repeatedly rapes poor Barbara Hershey, who can't get anyone to believe her stories ... read more read more...of sexual assault. Frankly, she doesn't believe them herself until she undergoes therapy conducted by experts in both psychology and the supernatural. The entity, a great, hairy blob, is ultimately tricked into materializing, an act of revelation that proves to be its downfall. The Entity was adapted by Frank de Felitta from his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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38% want to see it

9,302 ratings

R, 2 hr. 5 min.

Directed by: Sidney Furie, Sidney J. Furie

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DVD Release Date: May 3, 2005

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Flixster Reviews (546)

  • adammahler1
    April 21, 2011
    adammahler1
    I asked myself, could this really be good or just weird exploitation?
    Scorsese likes it. Maybe because the heroine is like a martyr for everyone who only has to live through traumas that can be explained without reference to the spiritual. It's as though she's been chosen for th... read moreis miserable, unremitting, incurable fate from among her fellow mortals, chosen to be punished from the beyond, while the punishing force savors her mortal helplessness. In this case, the punishment coincides with all her vulnerabilities as an underprivileged single mother.

    The movie would have been ridiculous without Barbara Hershey's sensitive performance and Stephen Burum's camera angles and perfect framings. They both must have put in a lot of energy. The movie's horror is unisex, since the evil entity has no clear limits in a way the genre hasn't prepared us for. The evil is free to leave her bedroom and follow her around, basically stalking her, threatening her at every turn, seemingly capable of killing or torturing her at whim, with no definite intention. Not sure about the outrageous line of dialogue the ghost had... It seems like a gift to Molly Haskell's thesis about women in the movies. The Entity is a good symbol for the patriarchy though, the invisible, ubiquitous rapist interfering with the progress of a woman's life, while very few believe her.
  • ceWEBrity
    March 1, 2011
    ceWEBrity
    Okay, so. Barbara Hershey gets raped by a ghost. It's sinister and unnerving and really, really works, between the bizarre industrial soundtrack (which basically sounds like a machine operating very loudly and in two-second bursts) and her appropriately horrified performance. As ... read morewe learn more about Carla Moran's troubled past, a sexual abuse victim turned wild child who is literally unable to escape the ghosts of her past, the sense of mystery heightens. Her clashes with her psychiatrist, an unlikely alliance forged with a duo of parapsychologists, and her own financial and motherhood struggles promise a multilayered narrative full of conflict.

    Aaaand it all goes downhill from there. She gets raped again. And again. In front of her kids. In her friend's house. She gets ghost-fondled while her boyfriend's around, in a scene which is quite clearly aiming for titillation, which is absolutely repugnant. I mean, really, did we HAVE to see her breasts being pushed upon by invisible fingers? I started getting the feeling more and more as The Entity went on that it was just a lurid B-movie, feigning its interest in Carla's psychology insofar as that it lets it film her getting raped some more. I think rape has its place in cinema as a narrative device, but this movie exploits that, and watching it started to make me feel really dirty. Even outside its potentially sordid intentions, the story itself absolutely falls apart. There's simply nowhere for it to go, let alone for two fucking hours. Her psychiatrist turns into an unbelievable douchebag, the kind you see in movies that is obtuse and stubborn and cruel solely to keep the plot moving. Her children become unimportant, her job falls by the wayside, and by the time we get to the ridiculous ending, nothing really seems to matter anymore. Apparently The Entity was based on a true story, in which case it was a terrible story to pick; if this is a cinematic sensationalization, I can't imagine how little there was to its factual base. Hershey's efforts are noble, but she can't buoy this, and after an intriguing first half hour The Entity flies off course. Skip it.
  • WrenchLT
    January 12, 2011
    WrenchLT
    Well I didn't exactly expect to have the crap scared out of me when I put this in my DVD player but that's exactly what happened! This fact-based supernatural drama is kind of a cross between The Exorcist and Poltergeist and if watched seriously you'll likely find this a scary, h... read moreair-raising frightener. But there are some cheesy effects that may cause you to chuckle. If you enjoy supernatural flicks than this is worth a watch... in the dark!
  • ajv2688
    January 10, 2011
    ajv2688
    A powerful true story of paranormal activity, I loved this movie, and I highly recommend it.
  • RCCLBC
    April 17, 2009
    RCCLBC
    As a kid I read the book and saw the film and was thoroughly freaked out by them both.

    As an adult with a much better grasp on what the term "based on a true story" actually means, I it wasn't nearly quite a traumatic.

    Having said that, there are still some pretty shock... read moreing scenes here and sexual/violent content as well. That coupled with the (Argento-esque) music is really effective in gettng the pulse racing.
  • kiriyamakazou
    September 18, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    Entity is one horror is is very affective at creating the chills and uncomfortable atmosphere a horror should have. The rapes Hershey goes through are brutal and sudden. One of the best parts of this film is Hershey's acceptance that she may indeed be crazy. Unlike other horror f... read moreilms where the lead blubbers on "I'm not crazy, I saw something" Hershey seeks psychiatric help. However when it becomes apparent that she isn't crazy it becomes annoying at her narrow minded doctors conviction that she is crazy. I really hated him and could only sigh whenever he showed up. It may have been a much better psychological drama where we don't see the attacks so that it really is up in the air about what is real and what isn't. Since we are shown the attacks in all their glory, it simply means that the film takes ages to get to where we as the audience already are. The ending also goes for a big action set piece instead of something more secluded and creepy, and don't get me started on the music. It consists of literally one note during the ghostly attacks. Dom Dom Dom Dom...AAAAHHH it's infuriating. Still this is mostly a very well handled and difficult film.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    September 25, 2007
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Barbara Hershey naked.
  • garyX
    July 14, 2007
    garyX
    Creepy ghost story about a young woman who is stalked by a poltergeist, based on the urban legend of "entity rape". A palpable sense of genuine menace is produced, and to this day I can't figure out how some of the inventive effects were done.
  • drblood
    June 24, 2007
    drblood
    Very exploitive and probably miles away from the supposedly true story which inspired it but still very creepy and effective.
  • 76Majikat
    May 30, 2007
    76Majikat
    A much older film than I'd expected it to be and not scary like people had made it out to be, however the story through the eyes of the main character is a frustrating one trying to prove that the events are really happening and dealing with the situation at the same time. What'... read mores even more amazing is that this is apparently based on a true story. Worth the watch.

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Critic Reviews

David Nusair
October 14, 2010
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...underwhelming and frequently dull... Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
October 27, 2005
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

The A-list cast and very good dialogue by Frank De Felitta helps a great deal. Full Review

Richard F. Shepard
August 30, 2004
Richard F. Shepard, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Lori Hoffman
June 12, 2007
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly

No review available.

January 26, 2006
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Entity Trivia

  • What was the name of the film in which a young mother is attacked by an evil spirit?  Answer »
  • ***An Evil Entity, Freed From A Crate in A Basement, Goes On A Killing Spree Whilst Searching For His Gold. Name The Film....***  Answer »
  • Name the movie in which a woman ( mother of Three) is sexually assaulted constantly by a ghost/spiritual being and is based on a true story.  Answer »
  • What was Tina Turner's character's name in the movie "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome"?  Answer »
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