The Sentinel (1977)

Plot Summary for The Sentinel -
A filthy rich girl turned model decides she needs a break from her over-controlling boyfriend. In an effort not to live on her dead daddy’s money, she opts for a really cheap, massive brownstone apartment in Brooklyn. The catch is that it’s really hiding the gateway to hell. Sitting in the top apartment is “The Sentinel”, the blind Catholic guardian (priest or nun) of the gateway that keeps the minions from spewing forth and being evil. It’s a big hush hush duty kept secret by the Diocese.

The movie stars Cristina Raines as the model Alison. There is a reason you’ve never heard of her – she’s not that effective. On the brighter side is an amazing cast of then relative unknowns at the time which include Chris Sarandon, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Berenger, Beverly D’Angelo and Jerry Orbach. Most have very minor speaking parts, but it’s strange to see them looking so young and well, unknown. The veterans of the cast include Burgess Meredith, Ava Garder, John Carradine and Jose Ferrer.

Memorable scene from The Sentinel:
Not exactly scary, but equally shocking, was a scene in which Alison visits her neighbors – a very strange female couple. Let’s just we have a new viewpoint on Beverly D’Angelo.

The Sentinel wasn’t all that bad – admittedly it had some very creepy scenes and make-up (courtesy of Dick Winston). The story was choppy, however and seemed to try to cover a lot of bases and drop storylines all over the place.

Frightening Fact:
Towards the end of “The Sentinel”, a lot of real people with physical deformities were used instead of simply putting make-up and prosthetics on real actors. The effect is rather shocking.