Have we done a ghost movie yet? The Entity is the story - inspired by real life accounts - of a woman who is tormented, and sexually assaulted by an invisible malevolent force. Apparently, this is about to be remade by the team behind The Conjuring because why not?
Why I Watched It
I heard someone recommend this as a good ghost movie, a subgenre of which I was trying to find more good examples. To this day I think it’s surprising how few classic ghost movies there are, given ghosts are one of the most talked about elements of the supernatural in our daily lives. I found this on VHS one day and picked it up. I have watched the first few minutes of this before, and found it a bit slow. It’s time to give it a proper chance.
What I Thought
Whilst a scary concept, the fear-factor of this film being inspired by true events is diminished by today’s greater discussion of mental illness and conditions such as sleep paralysis, which would seem more likely explanations. I feel as if this is hindered by it’s source material (though without it it the subject matter may be deemed to exploitative) and off-balance blend of supernatural and psychological realities and might even be better served being more ambiguous. However, for what it is The Entity is reasonably solid, attractively visualised, just a lack-lustre realisation of an interesting concept.
P.S. I do feel an intelligent remake removing the source material could have potential to further employ a metaphorical interpretation on the feeling of powerlessness rape victims experience, to powerful effect.
Next: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
