Cast: Uta Hagen, Diana Muldaur, Chris Udvarnoky, Martin Udvarnoky, Norma Connolly, Victor French, Jenny Sullivan, John Ritter
Director: Robert Mulligan
Writer/Screenplay by: Tom Tryon
Plot: Set in bucolic 1935 Connecticut, this chiller follows identical Perry twins Niles and Holland as a string of tragedies befalls their family. With the Perry clan still reeling from the untimely demise of the boys' father, their mother ends up paralyzed, and a corpulent cousin is impaled on a pitchfork. But Niles soon begins to see a link between Holland and the "accidents."
This film was one I had never seen nor even heard of until recently. It is a dark movie, dealing with the dark side of childhood imagination and despair. Once you understand what is going on, it is hard not to sympathize with all who suffer here.
The children who play the twins are quite good, the boy playing Niles in particular. He comes off as a real boy dealing with situations beyond his ability to understand.
Hagen is also great in the role of the twins' grandmother, dealing with the darkness she thinks she has controlled, and soon realizing she has underestimated the problems of those around her.
Muldaur has a relatively small role as the boys' mother, lost in her own grief and soon trapped within her own body. I have never seen her look more beautiful than she does at the beginning of this film.
Recommended, for fans of thrillers and mysteries.
Tom Tryon would also go on to write the novel Harvest Home, which was made into a great mini series which starred Bette Davis and Roseanna Arquette.
ReplyDeleteI just read that John Ritter has a small in role in that. Netflix!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this, but I'm going to check it out...thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for the trip down memory lane. I saw this as a kid and it scared the crap out of me. Really looking forward to watching it again.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Hi! Wings...
ReplyDeleteNot only have I never watched this film, but you have throughly, scared me to...death with this post!
I know that I want be going in the family cellar
tonight! Flashlight or no Flashlight!
Thanks,
DeeDee ;-(
As someone has said, this is the kind of film that does not speak, but never forgotten. A scary story of two twins - one good and one bad - and what happens one summer.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing like a classic horror film. Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteA good little Gothic ghost story, I like The Other, but I always wanted more out of it. Maybe in The Other 2: The Revenge??
ReplyDeleteSad news: Heart in a Jar reports that Chris Udvarnoky, who played Niles, dies earlier this week.
ReplyDelete