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Carla Moran is violently raped by a seemingly invisible force. She tried to tell the people around her about what has happened but finds only resistance as her family and friends don't believe her as she didn't see who assaulted her especially when she says that her house was locked up when it happened and the assailant seemingly vanished into thin air.

Frank De Felitta's bestselling book based on a true story (the case of Doris Bither) translates very well to the big screen with Barbara Hershey cast as Carla doing a phenomenal job in invoking the terror of a woman going through something very real but undertaken by someone or something very unreal. Apparently Bette Midler, Sally Field, Jane Fonda and Jill Clayburgh were all offered the role but declined.

Sidney J. Furie's film stands alone as a one-off film of a one-off case that most people will have thought of as too much of a tall story to be true.

Carla not being believed can also be seen as an allegory of something that far too many women (and men) go through when they find the courage and strength to report a rape or sexual assault- that their horror isn't over yet as they try to seek justice whilst being met with an unfeeling and cruel judicial system that views their account with scepticism and disbelief. If it actually makes it to a court of law they will be made to relive their trauma. Those opposing them will try to disprove and belittle the magnitude of what they've been through. Or they will try to convince a jury that it didn't happen at all.

The film all too harrowingly shows the full horror of what Carla goes through when she is raped and does a great job of showing the trail of very disturbing signs when the spirit or entity is approaching (objects shaking, a certain odour that permeates the surroundings Moran is in, a very sudden drop in temperature). Hershey's performance, just like the film in general, never slides into TV movie melodramatics or sensationalism.

There needs to be special mention to Charles Bernstein's insistent, pulsating and truly shocking score that is perfect for the movie and it's subject matter. There are also echoes of the music he would write three years later for a new film called A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Also the special effects for the scenes in which Moran is molested by the invisible force are very effective indeed. For one sequence a body cast of Hershey was made that was manipulated by currents of air to make it look like the invisible entity was touching her. It succeeds eerily well. Stan Winston supervised the practical effects.

The effects also come into their own when Carla meets professionals who actually believe her story and work in the field of parapsychology. But to tell you more about this would make me tiptoe into spoiler territory...

When the film opened it was met with protests from those who thought that such a film was exploiting such a serious topic as rape. Hershey actually defended this claim and voiced that herself and the filmmakers had actually worked hard not to make the film exploitative and to display the true horror of sexual assault and rape.

All in all a terrifying film that still feels underrated and excluded from serious writings regarding 80's horror.

I never heard about the case before (and I'm too lazy to do further research) but if this story, like it claims, is indeed based on factual events, then it really is one of the greatest supernatural mysteries in the history of mankind! Barbara Hershey stars, in what unquestionably is the role of her life, as the struggling mother of three children who gets (sexually) assaulted – repeatedly – by an invisible spirit everywhere she goes. The inexplicable attacks naturally affect Carla's social life and pretty soon her sanity as well. When seeking for help, Carla becomes the desired study-object of scientists in several different branches, but none of them really cares for the woman's growing agony, since they're all defending their own obnoxious "theories". The theme and background of this remarkable film are a bit similar to Steven Spielberg's blockbuster "Poltergeist", but that's pretty much where the comparison stops. The supernatural "horror" in Poltergeist is childish nonsense compared to the genuinely devastating and often disturbing footage featuring in this film by Sidney J. Furie. The scenes in which Hershey's character is defenselessly thrown around the room are truly rough and the sight of her being raped by something you cannot see makes you feel very, VERY uncomfortable. Despite the sleazy-sounding premise that, in the hands of other directors, easily could have resulted in an overly exploitative and graphic picture, "The Entity" is very suspenseful and compelling. I'm not even sure this movie fully qualifies as horror, as it feels a lot more like psychological drama and – at times – even like a portrait of pure feminist power. Carla Moran is such a strong woman and determined to survive this nightmare, whereas all the male characters in the story are either stubborn egoists or insensitive bastards. Their insufferable personalities are brilliantly illustrated by the camera's reluctance to picture them! The male characters in "The Entity" are often just voices off the screen or partial faces in sequences dominated by Barbara Hershey's image, which is a really efficient trick actually. You can't possibly develop sympathy or respect for someone you can't initially see and, by the time they fully appear on screen, it's too late already. The film delivers great shocks, surprises, uncanny music and special effects and the wholesome is overall very tense. Whether truthful or not, the screenplay approaches the bizarre supernatural events with great respect and inserts absolutely no humorist situations or satirical disbelief. It's a little hard to stomach sometimes and two hours of intense substance like this perhaps is too long, still, it's an impressive piece of 80's cinema.

'The Entity' is a disturbing account of what are supposed to be true events, obviously they are the usual dramatisation's and alterations to the plot to heighten the viewing experience, but it's still a damn good film.

Barbara Hershey gives the performance of her life as the frightened character of Carla, who grows and evolves as the film moves forward. She is adequately supported by the rest of the cast who all play likable characters, except for the doctor; he just becomes annoying and ultimately ends up looking very stupid.

Unfortunately the special effects have not withstood the test of time very well, they aren't laughably bad by any stretch of the imagination, but they really do look pretty tired now.

Overall 'The Entity' is an under-rated film that is actually one of the best horror movies of the 80's. It has great tension that starts right from the word 'action', it successfully grabs your attention and doesn't let you go and it's very graphic and disturbing in the way a horror movie should be.

8/10 brilliant supernatural Horror

When any film incurs user-comments that are at a 180 degree variance from one to the next, the odds are it is the subject itself which is the catalyst behind the emotion. We have those who admire its technical expertise (at least for 1981) and who recall its fear-factor and professionalism to others who deplore the entire work, branding its laughable script and effects. The truth I suspect lies midway between these inconsistent comments.

To start with there are always going to be a significant percentage of the population who are affronted by the concept of a young girl being sexually assaulted by a ghost for a prolonged period of time....whether it actually happened or not. This, incidentally IS based on a true story that was itself the grounding for Frank De Felita's top selling book. If the notion is a distasteful one, the chances of you liking the film are slim HOWEVER technically adept it is. As it transpires, Barbara Hershey is remarkably good as Carla Moran, the young lady with a problem neither the Police, the Medical Profession or the supposed experts of the paranormal have much luck with. The rapes and sexual assaults are both graphic and quite worrying. Some loopy reviewer likened them to scenes in the SCREAM and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID films! Huh? I think being taken apart by a psycho with a knife or hook is way THIS side of normal compared to being sexually molested in your own bed! but hey, thats just MY opinion!

For its day THE ENTITY was nearer the edge of hard-core horror than many of its contemporaries. I suspect those who claimed to have "laughed" at the entire thing are having themselves on or at least putting up a front for whatever reason. The film was not laughable! I can understand those who believed the film was exploitive and bordering on the distasteful - but hey, so was SILENCE OF THE LAMBS!

I believe you owe it to yourself to find a copy of this film (a) If you have never seen it or (b) If some reasonably heavy-duty horror scenes appeal to you!

All up I would rate this a 6.6 which probably errs on the side of conservativeness.

THE ENTITY

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: 6-track Dolby Stereo

(35mm and 70mm release prints)

A busy single mother (Barbara Hershey) is inexplicably targeted by a monstrous, invisible 'entity' which emerges from nowhere and begins to assault her on a regular basis.

Based on events recounted in Frank DeFelitta's bestselling book, Sidney J. Furie's compelling shocker takes all the dramatic liberties one might expect of a Hollywood production, though DeFelitta's script manages to establish a genuine conflict between intractable science (spearheaded by Ron Silver as Hershey's disbelieving psychiatrist) and open-minded parapsychology (led by warm-hearted Jacqueline Brookes). Furie uses dutch angles and vivid closeups to emphasize the human tragedy at the heart of the story, as Hershey struggles to come to terms with her fantastical situation, only to be torn between Silver's increasingly ludicrous 'rationalizations' (he concludes that her experiences amount to little more than a sublimated incestuous crush on her handsome teenage son, played by David Labiosa!) and the day-to-day reality of her encounters with paranormal forces. Thankfully, despite suggestions of Silver's romantic attraction to Hershey, director and screenwriter keep a tight rein on proceedings, stripping all non-essential business from the central narrative.

Giving one of her best performances, Hershey is deeply affecting as the simple woman caught up in extraordinary circumstances beyond her control, and Furie stages the various supernatural assaults with frightening intensity, underlined by Charles Bernstein's pounding music score which elevates proceedings to a whole new level of horror. Despite the sexual nature of the attacks, Furie resists an urge to indulge the audience's voyeurism, and aside from one brief nude scene (employing a fairly obvious body double) and a full-body appliance (courtesy of Stan Winston) to depict invisible fingers manipulating Hershey's torso, the film is quite restrained in its portrayal of this sensitive material. The climactic visual effects - supervised by William Cruse - are remarkably poor, but this minor blemish isn't enough to weaken the film's cumulative impact. Listen out for the entity's only line of 'dialogue', as creepy as it is obscene.

I saw this movie in the theaters when I was 6. It scared the crap out of me then... Now I am 30 and it still scares the crap out of me. Wow! What an amazing horror/thriller. This movie is what a suspenseful horror film should be. The directing and cinematography are incredible. The story unfolds as it sucks you in and doesn't let go for a second. It's a shame these types of films are rarely made anymore. The atmosphere is nauseatingly creepy, the acting on every front is exceptional and the soundtrack is fresh and original. The fact that it is based on true events only adds to the scares. Why can't Hollywood make movies like this anymore? 25 years after its release it still holds up! If you want to have some serious nightmares watch it alone, at night with the lights off. I dare you...

Hershey is doing some truly amazing/insane acting. I mean... just watch. I can't think of too many actors that COULD or even would be wiling to ATTEMPT to pull what she's doing off. They would feel too silly.

Again... just watch if you can get your hands on a copy of this. It's very difficult to find.

This is the loosely based on facts story of Carla Moran, a woman who was allegedly tormented and sexually molested by an invisible demon.

Regardless of if the facts of the case are fictionalised for impact, or if indeed there is any basis of truth to the attacks in question, The Entity as a film fails to rise above average due to sloppy direction and a very poor script, whilst the score from Charles Bernstein is akin to being hit over the head repeatedly with a blunt instrument.

That said, the film isn't a total wash out, there are genuine moments of dread in the piece, and most of the tension and fear is realised from a very credible performance from Barbara Hershey as Carla. The nature of the beast with this type of picture will always be open to either scoffing or a fear of the unknown, so to get the audience involved with a topic like this you really need your protagonist to be believable, Hershey manages to do this in spite of the character being hopelessly under written. There is no real urgency or understanding of feelings portrayed other than a few rushed sequences, it's kind of like poor Carla saying she's been attacked by a demon and her doctor going, oh OK, lets talk about it.

If you believe in the paranormal etc is irrelevant, that The Entity isn't a terrifying story is sadly just a missed opportunity to not only scare, but to induce thought provoking conversation. 4/10

Actually, "The Entity" isn't a haunted house movie as much as it is a haunted person movie since the ghost or "the entity" only follows the main character around. What makes this movie darker than say "Poltergeist" is that we hardly ever see the demon that causes all the trouble. We only see what it does and that's raping its poor victim without remorse.

A story such as this could easily have become campy, especially since it was made in 1981. Surprisingly, "The Entity" still holds up very well. The performances are convincing, the characters are believable and the special effects are reduced to a minimum. The whole script comes dangerously close to losing its balance when in the last third of the movie a team of parapsychologists turns up and has some "really rad ideas" on how to destroy The Entity. However, thankfully the movie doesn't go too much over the top.

The weak points of "The Entity" are that it's not too scary and too long, both for the sake of maintaining veracity since this is supposedly based on a true story. As a horror movie it could have used better pacing and some jump scenes. The score is minimalist in that it's only a thunderous beat that kicks in as soon as The Entity turns up. What worked well in "The Thing" is a bit too little here. The same can be said about the ending. An open ending can be a good thing, but there should at least come a satisfying climax before it and at the end the main character's situation should have changed for better or for worse. "The Entity" kind of just stops without the heroine achieving anything.

A remake by Hideo Nakata is in the works and it seems to be a good idea to hand the project to an Asian director as the rawness of the story would probably get lost in the hands of an American. Here's one original movie that can be bettered as much as it could be worsened. We'll see what happens.

Carla(Barbara Hershey) is a mother living happily with his sons,when is spontaneously raped ,sexually molested and caught up by a ominous,devilish horror.And now a possessed mother is plunged by a demonic force into supernatural spirit that mistreat and beat her.Meanwhile numerous rare,mysterious things are happening and a parapsychologists try to help her to get the bottom of mystery and vanquish the malignant entity but her psychologist(Ron Silver)doesn't believe her.The movie is pàrtially based on a supposedly true events.

The film contains restless horror as when the invisible being attacks.Tension,creepy atmosphere,genuine chills,suspense is continued and appears lurking and menacing into house,rooms and car .Great loads of screams,shocks,exploitation and terror abound with the usual poltergeists phenomenon caused by the weird entity.It's recreated with magnificent make-up and high grade plethora special effects by the master Stan Winston which are frightening and horrifying the spectator.The eerie music(Charles Berstein) with an excessive utilizing of synthesizer adds sensation to the spooky atmosphere. The original ¨Exorcist¨(Friedkin)film spread a wave of demonic possessions movies that continues unabated nowadays ,¨Changeling¨, ¨Amytiville ¨(Stuart Rosemberg )¨are two further examples of this sub-genre following a great number of sequels,imitations and rip off.This is one of the highest horror movie of the 80s .The writing credits by the terror specialist FranK De Felitta.The motion picture is well directed by Sidney J. Furie

"The Entity" is a well made horror film about a supernatural phenomenon tormenting a woman by sexually attacking her repeatedly. The thing that strikes me interesting about this movie is that it's supposedly based on fact! Barbara Hershey gives a very strong performance as Carla Moran, the woman who one night has her life turned upside down when she's raped by an unseen mass. And this invisible visitor has no intentions of leaving her alone! She seeks help first from a psychiatrist (played by Ron Silver) who she feels ain't helping her. Then she runs into a group of parapsychologists who think have a solution to get rid of this entity. "The Entity" is quite scary in certain spots helped occasionally by an eerie and overbearing music score. There are some scenes that are kind of laughable, but for me "The Entity" provided more scares than laughs. Hershey gives a terrific performance in an early film role that could have been demeaning but isn't. The nude scenes are either the use of a body double or a make-up puppet. And when you watch this scenes, you can see it can't be Hershey's body your looking at. "The Entity" has a few silly moments, but all-in-all it's an effective horror film.

*** (out of four)

An underrated and incredibly creepy horror gem- The Entity proves to be a film ahead of its time- scary and grounded with some great performances all around. I knew very little about this film going into it, but after seeing it, I can see so many future horror films taking inspiration from it. What this film desires isn't body counts, or gratuitous deaths, like so many other 80's horror flicks. What it instead does, is provide a rich and sinister atmosphere, and prove to be a rather intense although at times slow little supernatural thriller that you will be engaged with until the very end. I love the cinematography in this film, proving to be very grounded and yet nostalgic. The characters are also rather grounded, with Barbara Hershey providing an excellent performance in the lead role. Some special effects can be obvious by today's standards, but others throughout the film are extraordinary and truly ahead of its time. The film can be a bit of a slow burn, I feel maybe they could have shaved off about 10 minutes somewhere in there. However, the film makes up for its careful pacing with its truly scary antics, proving to be one of the scarier films i've ever seen. In the end, The Entity is a horror film that not only deserves more praise, but was truly ahead of is time. A strong vision from Frank De Felitta, this classic horror is one not to be missed. My Rating: 9.25/10

Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey) is a single mother with two young daughters and teen son Billy. Her boyfriend Jerry Anderson (Alex Rocco) is often away. One night, she is raped by an invisible force. Her friend Cindy recommends psychiatrist Dr. Sneiderman (Ron Silver). He thinks it's her delusion. More attacks happen. Her kids and Cindy witness and believe her. She encounters two parapsychologists at a bookstore who start doing research on her. They study under Dr. Cooley from the same university as Sneiderman. Sneiderman fears that Carla's delusions are becoming mass hysteria.

This is Poltergeist except more rapey. The sexual violence is quite brutal reminiscent of grindhouse horrors. Hershey is a compelling lead. The violence gets scary at times. The special effects are not as good as Poltergeist. One thing I would change is to leave the attacks more ambiguous at the beginning. It would allow the audience is accept Sneiderman's diagnosis. There would be tension of whether this is real or this is all in Carla's head. This is a memorable horror.

Single mom in southern California is repeatedly attacked by a violent sexual predator--one who is a poltergeist. Frank DeFelitta adapted his own bestseller, allegedly based on a true account, which has pedantic medical diagnoses in the first-half and monster-movie overtones in the second. Barbara Hershey, lovely and freshly-scrubbed like an elfin flower-child, takes on the difficult leading role with casual detachment; her delicacy is welcomed actually, as a role (and a movie) such as this can really go overboard without much effort. The script is a big handicap because the dialogue isn't as smart as the characters or the actors, and when Hershey is asked at key moments to describe her circumstances, she suddenly starts babbling like maybe she really does need a team of doctors. The effects are iffy, too (particularly in one sequence involving a nude body, which doesn't quite convince). However, the intensity of the situation and Sidney J. Furie's tricky direction provide both suspense and morbid amusement, and the film's bombastic finale is tolerable only because the plot really had no place else to go. **1/2 from ****

This is a rather different take on the ghost story. Supposedly based on a true story, this one though is highly unbelievable. Not only that, but there isn't really all that much too it. A woman is stalked by a force that seemingly assaults her. That is about all there is to it. A guy tries to help her out with different approaches, the most unique being trying to freeze the ghost in a mock room at a university. Could have been better if they would have added a bit more scares and such, but other than beating up the gal, this entity doesn't do all that much. Which makes me think the real life woman simply had an abusive boyfriend or husband and this was the story they came up with to explain the wounds. At least it was an original idea, eh?

This was the scariest film I have ever seen. And I have seen pretty much, every horror film made in the last 20 years. As a woman, the thought of an unseen entity consistently sexually abusing you is about the most horrifying thing I can think of. The scenes where she was being touched by the unseen being in bed next to her husband or in front of other people still haunt me today. And that first rape scene was horrifying. I still get the chills every time I think of this film. And after 20 years to still remember most of the scenes in detail is pretty incredible. There are not many films I can say that about. I sometimes think I might want to watch this film again, but then again, maybe not.... at least the images have faded a bit now after 20 years.

In reviewing The Entity, you must remember that the film is an adaptation of a supposedly real and horrific experience. I think the material is handled as best as it can, considering that the entire plot revolves around a woman getting raped by a malevolent ghost. This film could've been an instant disaster if it weren't handled with the sensitivity it was given. Movies about rape are emotionally charged, let alone a movie about being raped by a ghost. The acting is appropriate, particularly by the lead actress Barbara Hershey. The movie is essentially a balancing act between keeping it a creepy ghost story while at the same time maintaining a "realistic" rape-story. I think the movie succeeds in both tasks.

At base, the movie is a ghost story. It has all the elements of a creepy movie. I cannot call it a monster-movie because it doesn't focus on the monster, but rather the effects of the ghost on the victim, the trauma of the assaults, and the attempt to understand just what this spirit is. It's about as creepy as Poltergeist in that the movie's ghost is certainly felt as an invisible ominous force that can potentially harm people. And the fact that it doesn't degenerate into a monster-movie adds to the creepiness - you never really get to see the ghost (actually, you do but only in the form of light effects), and you never really get to understand what it is. That's part of any good horror movie - not entirely understanding what the monster is. And fear of the unknown is properly the basis of a good scary horror movie.

The rape of the victim is not, by any means, gratuitous. And that is another reason I cannot call it a monster-movie. Monster-movies relish in gratuities, and in this film, there aren't any. The subject matter is handled rather realistically and sensibly in a way that is convincing. Though there is nudity, it is brief (and I believe in some scenes, the nudity was actually fake props - I don't believe those were really her breasts, but rubber hollow replicas used in the "groping" scenes). The movie focuses on the effects of the assaults in a way that makes it a rape movie with a supernatural twist. But the emotional pain and trauma of the victim is explored and handled realistically (she seeks out counseling until she is convinced herself that she's not crazy).

All in all, I found this to be a creepy movie. It's not on the same level of horror as the Exorcist, but it does have its creepiness that, to me, makes it a successful ghost story.

Supposedly based on a true story, "The Entity" recounts the alleged ordeal of Carla Moran (Hershey), who was consistently being beaten and raped by an unknown entity. After realizing that the professional help by Dr. Sneiderman (Silver), a psychiatrist, was entirely pointless, she turns to parapsychologists for assistance. In the end, they "prove" that she in fact is being pursued by a ghost, and despite their best efforts the film ends by informing us that the real Carla continues to be haunted by this entity.

The film failed me completely on two counts: First and foremost, I flatly refuse to believe in ghosts, demons, witches, and other inventions of the human mind which tries to explain phenomena that it cannot or does not want to understand. Unfortunately, even in the 21st century, many people are all too ready to believe things that defy any kind of logic, instead of trying to reconstruct what has really happened in terms of reason; if they did, they would realize that all those "paranormal" events are either fakes fabricated by people, or things that have a simple, natural explanation. I do not know the real Ms. Moran and what has happened to her, but I am almost certain that if she truly had such a bad experience, it could definitely be explained in more prosaic and mundane terms. Likewise, if the film kept open the possibility of a more natural interpretation of events, it would be much more appealing than the way it was presented in which it wanted us to believe that all this was about a ghost with wild urges...

The second reason for which the film could not get a pass grade, is that the way the story is presented is rather boring. The focus is continuously kept on the entity's nearly identical attacks to Carla, for the most part of the movie; it would be much more interesting for the viewer if the script-writer and director allocated more time in other themes, such as the investigation of what is really happening. This theme appears only in the very last part of the film, and even then it leaves the viewer largely disappointed.

Despite the above grave shortcomings, I would count Barbara Hershey's decent performance on the plus side of the movie. The rest of the cast delivers an average performance.

Finally, the fact that the effects are rather poor can be explained largely the release date of the film (1981).

The film could do better, but it didn't. 4/10.