The Forgotten One

One of the best haunting films I have ever seen. Much of what is made nowadays don't even come closer. When I first saw it, I was taken by a grateful surprise. Comparisons not taken for granted, but this one made me feel the same way I did when I saw The Shining for the first time. The atmosphere of the place and the beauty of the ghost woman are way too pleasing. Haven't seen it for a long time now. VHS disappeared from the surface of the earth, but I would certainly like a second try. Does anybody know of any plans for a DVD or even a Blu-ray? I am eager to buy it. Film Studio: think about it! Don't let such a gem get lost in oblivion.

The original story line was of a writer who moved into this supposed haunted house in hopes of sparking an idea for a new novel. He is haunted in his dreams by the ghost of a young girl who lures him into the cellar. Over a period of about a month and creative investigation on the houses history, he discovers that a young girl, who was 15 years old at the turn of the century, became pregnant by her boyfriend. The father was so ashamed and so enraged by his daughters behavior, that he walled her up alive down in the cellar. Nearly a hundred years goes by before her story is learned by our writer. He opens up the wall in the cellar and finds a cavity that has been exposed to the elements. The odd noises he heard during the previous month seems to have been coming from this cavity. He decides its all in his imagination, and that it could make a good book. What he doesn't see is that there is another room off to the side of the cavity that contains a skeleton of a young girl. This movie was based on a short story entitled "The Hidden Truth". And was written by yours truly in 1987.

I had never heard of this film, and didn't think this would be too great. But this movie was pretty damn good. Who knew? I am a little biased, because I really like Terry O'Quinn (from those good old "Stepfather" movies). But I'm also biased in the other direction, since I really dislike Kristy McNichol. In this film, a recently-widowed writer moves into a house in Denver, only to find it haunted by a blood-curdlingly scary (at first) ghost. When he collects enough courage to investigate, he finds that the ghost is actually a blood-warmingly hot woman, who died in the house. His neighbour (McNichol), first believes him crazy, then tries to save him as he falls in love with the occasionally bare-naked and occasionally homicidal ghost. The first half was very scary, and by the end, it actually got pretty sweet. In the end, I was very glad I watched it, and a pleasant surprise is the best surprise of all.

My review was written in June 1990 after watching the film on Academy video cassette.

Sketchy scripting sinks "The Forgotten One", an initially promising erotic ghost story with a decent cast. Film went the direct-to-video route.

Terry O'Quinn is a most unlikely choice to portray a guy who's irresistible to women but plays it straight. He moves from Kansas City to a lonely house in Colorado to get some privacy while writing. A beautiful ghost (Blair Parker) starts bugging him and things get out of hand when his new girlfriend (Kirsty McNichol) also sees the ghost.

O'Quinn, after his "Stepfather" films, has this role down pat, and McNichol is a welcome sight as his down-to-earth pal. Elizabeth Brooks, who got a sexy showcase a decade earlier in Joe Dante's "The Howling", is wasted as a night club singer.

Writer Terry O'Quinn moves into a house haunted by the spirit of a beautiful woman; with help from brash neighbor Kristy McNichol, he gets to the bottom of the mystery. Straight-to-tape item is a stylish low-budget effort aimed at thinking adults. There are erotic undercurrents that are not explored (curious, since the apparition is mostly seen nude), and relationships that seem half-baked, but O'Quinn is excellent here (with no "Stepfather" overtones). It's also a chance to see McNichol do good work before her youthful retirement. Not especially memorable or thrilling, but patient viewers will find some subtle surprises. **1/2 from ****