There is a misconception that this is a horror film. Certainly, it has many elements of horror and can easily be compared to other films that deal with either reincarnation or possession. It is a complex film that some audience members will consider to be convoluted. Certainly it is perplexing that there is no actress credited to be playing Audrey Rose, the young girl killed in a horrific car crash in the opening seen, possibly possessing the young Ivy Templeton (Susan Swift), daughter of Marsha Mason and John Beck, and the subject of the stalking Anthony Hopkins. Why is he following them around, being seen in the oddest of places at the strangest times? Why does he wait until he shaves his beard until he contacts them? Why would he think that he has any right to become involved in Ivy's life simply because he believes that Ivy is a reincarnation of his late daughter? These perplexing questions will have you thinking about a lot of legal and spiritual issues by the time they face off in court and especially when Ivy is hypnotized to discover what is at the root of her behavioral problems.
It's a strange film for Robert Wise, the director of "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music", but considering that he started off as a film editor for Orson Welles and later directed some Val Lewton horror films, it seems more appropriate that he would return to an avant garde subject. Anthony Hopkins, then simply a respected British stage and film actor, hadn't become a major star, but with the films "Magic" and "Silence of the Lambs" ahead of him, he seems like the perfect choice to play a character who is initially creepy but wins over sympathy when the elements of his grief and reasons for his actions come out. The audience gets a glimpse at first of the happy life of Mason, Beck and Swift as they begin their new life in New York (filled with some glorious vintage location footage all over Manhattan), but it changes quickly to the point where Mason grabs husband Beck's whiskey for a sip when she learns why Hopkins has been following them.
Certainly in a legal sense, Hopkins has no right in stalking them, let alone revealing his creepy beliefs. This creates an unfaxible conflict in Beck and Mason's marriage as their differences in opinion of Hopkins' presence becomes a barrier between them. For Swift, the alleged possession by Audrey Rose means that the child has some truly terrifying moments, screaming in horrific fear throughout the film and at another point, transfixed by a bonfire she attempts to walk into. The hypnosis scene is also really scary and the panic on the nun principal's face yelling out her window is definitely the type of image you'd see in a 1970's horror film. The horror here comes through a different kind of an element of the unknown, and the results are tragic to say the least. This is not the type of film to watch over and over, but even with just one viewing, I find it has many different thoughts going through my minds that bring more questions than answers, and unfortunately, that is how life is sometimes.
It's a strange film for Robert Wise, the director of "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music", but considering that he started off as a film editor for Orson Welles and later directed some Val Lewton horror films, it seems more appropriate that he would return to an avant garde subject. Anthony Hopkins, then simply a respected British stage and film actor, hadn't become a major star, but with the films "Magic" and "Silence of the Lambs" ahead of him, he seems like the perfect choice to play a character who is initially creepy but wins over sympathy when the elements of his grief and reasons for his actions come out. The audience gets a glimpse at first of the happy life of Mason, Beck and Swift as they begin their new life in New York (filled with some glorious vintage location footage all over Manhattan), but it changes quickly to the point where Mason grabs husband Beck's whiskey for a sip when she learns why Hopkins has been following them.
Certainly in a legal sense, Hopkins has no right in stalking them, let alone revealing his creepy beliefs. This creates an unfaxible conflict in Beck and Mason's marriage as their differences in opinion of Hopkins' presence becomes a barrier between them. For Swift, the alleged possession by Audrey Rose means that the child has some truly terrifying moments, screaming in horrific fear throughout the film and at another point, transfixed by a bonfire she attempts to walk into. The hypnosis scene is also really scary and the panic on the nun principal's face yelling out her window is definitely the type of image you'd see in a 1970's horror film. The horror here comes through a different kind of an element of the unknown, and the results are tragic to say the least. This is not the type of film to watch over and over, but even with just one viewing, I find it has many different thoughts going through my minds that bring more questions than answers, and unfortunately, that is how life is sometimes.