The Sentinel (1977 film)

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The Sentinel
US movie poster
Directed by	Michael Winner
Written by	Jeffrey Konvitz (novel/scr) Michael Winner
Starring	Chris Sarandon Cristina Raines
Music by	Gil Melle
Cinematography	Richard C. Kratina
Editing by	Bernard Gribble Terry Rawlings
Release date(s)	January 7, 1977
Running time	92 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Sentinel is a 1977 horror film starring Chris Sarandon & Cristina Raines. It is based on the same-named novel by Jeffrey Konvitz who also co-wrote the screenplay with director Michael Winner. It has nothing to do with the 2006 thriller of the same name.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Trivia 4 External links

[edit] Plot

Alison Parker, a beautiful but severely neurotic high-fashion model (Raines) moves into a gorgeous New York City brownstone house that has been divided into apartments. The house is inhabited on the top floor by a reclusive blind priest (Carradine) who spends all of his time sitting at his open window. Alison begins having strange physical problems, and has trouble sleeping at night, and has some nasty flashbacks of her attempted suicide. She complains to the real estate agent of the noise caused by her strange neighbors, only to be told that the house is only occupied by the priest and herself, and ultimately discovers that she has been put in the house for a reason. Things only become more unreal when she discovers that she and the neighbors are not the only inhabitants in the house, and they may not be of this world.

[edit] Cast

• Chris Sarandon as Michael Lerman
• Cristina Raines as Alison Parker
• Martin Balsam as Prof. Ruzinsky
• John Carradine as Fr. Francis Matthew Halloran
• José Ferrer as Priest of the Brotherhood
• Ava Gardner as Miss Logan
• Arthur Kennedy as Monsignor Franchino
• Burgess Meredith as Charles Chazen
• Sylvia Miles as Gerde Engstrom
• Deborah Raffin as Jennifer
• Eli Wallach as Det. Gatz
• Christopher Walken as Det. Rizzo
• Jerry Orbach as Michael Dayton
• Beverly D'Angelo as Sandra
• Hank Garrett as James Brenner
• Jeff Goldblum as Jack
• Nana Visitor appears in an unnamed part at the end of the film (billed as Nana Tucker)

[edit] Trivia

• The film became controversial when it was revealed the director used actual disfigured people to represent demons during the climax.
• This film was #46 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
• William Hickey (actor) plays the shady locksmith named "Perry", who helps Michael Lerman gain entrance to The Brotherhood's historical archives.
• Martin Balsam and Deborah Raffin both appeared in director Michael Winner's Death Wish 3 (1985), and Jeff Goldblum appeared in Winner's Death Wish (1974).
• Tom Berenger appears at the end as one of the possible tenants looking at the apartment to move in.
• This film is mentioned in the 1989 Tom Hanks film The 'Burbs.

[edit] External links

• The Sentinel at the Internet Movie Database