The Sentinel

Starring: Christina Raines, Chris Sarandon, Ava Gardner, John Carradine, Beverly D'Angelo, Christopher Walken, Burgess Meredith
Written by: Jeffrey Konvitz

Director: Michael Winner
Year: 1977

Rating: * * 1/2    Stars       +       (Fan Bonus -   )  Total: * * 1/2

A young fashion model moves into a posh Brooklyn Heights apartment where the strange goings on only get more frightening.

Wanting to move out of her boyfriends apartment, Alison Parker (Chistina Raines) looks to prove to herself she can make it on her own. After a few misses with the real estate agent, she finally comes across an incredible furnished apartment, low rent and an incredible view. The place is quiet, with a blind, reclusive priest who lives on the 5th floor. As time goes on she runs into other neighbors, such as Charles (Burgess Meredith), a lovable old man with a pet canary named Mortimer and a cat named Jezebel. Two lesbians downstairs, and an elderly woman she meets at a party for Jezebel round out the list. Yet later, when complaining about the noise in the vacant apartment upstairs, the real estate lady tells her that other than the old priest, no one else lives there. She even takes Alison into those apartments where dust and cobwebs suggest no one has been there for years, despite Alison having been there herself just the other day. But things only get stranger from there. She begins having fainting spells, hindering her work. She also confronts her dead father in the room above, stabbing him, yet when the police investigate, the blood turns out to be her own. This all leads to a terrible truth where she is meant to inherit the mantle of Sentinel, a guardian that keeps the forces of hell at bay.

If for any reason, this film is enjoyable simply for the amount of stars in it, especially before they were stars. The film tries to drag out a compelling drama, but the weird and creepy events are scattered apart just enough to keep it interesting. With various sub plots and intrigues, the movie holds itself together well, making for an enjoyable, if not quite memorable addition to the horror genre.

SEE THE TRAILER: The Sentinel