Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #351 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-09-07
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Format: NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 92 minutes

Review
Nothing scares the hell out of people like religion, and the Catholic Church, with its centuries of history and arcane rituals, has figured in dozens of horror pictures that seek to exploit the combination of fear and respect that people (non-adherents in particular) hold for its priests. The Sentinel certainly follows in the footsteps of films like The Exorcist which apply a Catholic theological approach to questions of heaven and hell, but the film opens with some stylistic cops from Rosemary's Baby, a more doctrine-neutral occult tale. New York model Christina Raines' new apartment building is populated by a group of eccentric neighbors (including Burgess Meredith as the nosy Ruth Gordon character) who expend an inordinate amount of effort to draw her into their circle. When it's discovered that they may or may not be figments of her imagination, The Sentinel's story finds some nice twists of its own, and ultimately succeeds as a creepy little trifle for those who can accept the Catholic Church as a sinister institution that forces innocent nonbelievers into servitude at the gates of Hell. Star watchers will also enjoy seeing future lead players such as Jeff Goldblum, Jerry Orbach, and Christopher Walken in minor supporting roles. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide

Synopsis
In the wake of such Satanic-themed thrillers as Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen comes The Sentinel. When New York fashion model (Cristina Raines) splits with her fiance (Chris Sarandon) and moves into an old brownstone, she soon discovers she has more than she bargained for in the lease. As luck would have it, a mysterious blind priest (John Carradine) who lives upstairs happens to be guarding the doorway to Hell, and she has been chosen as his replacement. Incidentally, when the door is finally opened, out spills an assortment of deformed humans whom director Michael Winner hand-picked from hospital wards and circus sideshows. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

DVD Menu

• Side #1 --
  • Scenes
  • Languages
    • Spoken Language: English
    • Captioned for the Hearing Impaired: English
    • Subtitles: Espa�ol
    • Subtitles: Fran�ais
    • Subtitles: None
  • Trailer
  • Play

Customer Reviews

Still scary
I remember watching this movie as a kid. It was so eerie and horrifying, and many of the scenes stayed embedded in my head. But I didn't know the title and I had never seen it replayed, or heard people talking about it. It was as if it never even existed. For the last 10 years, I've been going back and rewatching the old horrors I grew up with--like the Omen and Rosemary's Baby--only to be disappointed over and over again (they just aren't scary to me anymore). For years I wanted to watch the Sentinel again, but in a sense I was afraid to ruin the experience I remembered (like seeing the old man stare out the window high up). Finally, after explaining to a friend the five or six things I remembered about the movie, she told me the name of it and I ran to the video store. Surprisingly enough, it was still scary and eerie!

fantastic and very disturbing film
This is definetely the epitome of 70's horror. Most of which is very direct and in-your-face. Sure to be a hit at any sleepover, it's a must for any horror fan's collection!

Good And Creepy
This is a very scary flick, based on the equally creepy book by the same name. In fact, the movie is very faithful to the novel, which was considered fairly shocking for its time frame. This isn't a perfect movie, being choppily made and a bit amateurish in its direction and production, but as far as horror films go, it's very gruesome and creepy.

The cast list features both old and new stars and all of them did a great job. Faded movie queen Ava Gardner is elegant and believable as the realtor who seems clue-free about the horrors contained in her rental property. Jose Ferrer plays the head of a secret brotherhood of priests who select the Sentinel---the poor person who sits at the gates of hell and blocks evil from erupting into the normal world. Eli Wallach is the cynical but willing to be convinced cop who's trying to unravel the bizarre puzzle he's been handed. The great John Carradine---tall, gaunt, with his cavernous voice and arthritis-twisted hands---plays the old priest who is the dying sentinel that must be replaced. Finally, the devil is played to charming and evil perfection by Burgess Meredith.

The newer bunch of faces are good, too. Christina Raines is vulnerable and touching as the girl under spiritual attack from both sides, a pawn in the never-ending battle between good and evil. Chris Sarandon is effective as her caring but ultimately self-centered boyfriend, caught in the grip of unbelief while forced to confront the spiritual reality of the situation he's encountered. There's a group of future stars hidden in the rest of the cast: Jerry Orbach as a jerky TV director; Deborah Raffin, Beverly D'Angelo and Jeff Goldblum as friends of the victimized girl; and Christopher Walken as the junior partner of the veteran cop. Everyone does a great job in pulling off his role and helps carry the story forward.

The special effects are pretty gory for the times and still have the capacity to gross out some viewers. There are some fairly nasty nude scenes, too, especially involving the girl's father and his two ugly whores. The atmosphere of this film is more suspenseful than terrifying, but the psychological drama of a normal person facing unspeakable evil is very well portrayed. The girl is helpless, especially at the end, when confronted by the devil and his minions. Whoever thought to find sideshow freaks to play the fiends around satan was a genius; the effect is very powerful and repulsive. Overall, this is not a modern horror flick with tons of mayhem. It's a more sedate but also more terrifying dip into the realm of evil. Very creepy!