Monday, December 6, 2010

The Visitor

The Visitor  a.k.a. Stridulum (1979) - released by Code Red 2010* Note: Alamo Drafthouse have made this available on blu ray and digital as of 2014. 



Where to begin with this Italian-American Omen - The Fury - Star Wars headscratcher? It is too bad the Visitor's awesome Star Wars-like opening announcing John Hustons' Obi-Wan-like Spock dude didn't constitute the vibe and look for the bulk of the film. After this cool moment, we get to my reason for buying this wonky flick:  the one and only Franco Nero as Christ. Just imagine chumming around with Jesus as he tells the legend of 'Sateen' to a room full of bald children. Yep, this serves as the backstory of celestial anti-christisms from the  "moo-tant" Sateen. Neither of those words are  typos (and for the record, that isn't Franco Nero performing his own dub  Strange, since he'd been working in English for over a decade at this point). 


 Seems that Sateen needs a descendant to keep his evil going on earth. Alas, Christ would sit on his particularly handsome duff and let an old angel handle the business at hand.


The business for the decrepit celestial is killing the essence of Sateen within his current descendant (a scowly, foul-mouthed  8 year old Katy) but making sure Katy lives. Two minutes into meeting Paige Conners' nasty little witch you want to drop kick her off the tallest building.  


Katy wants her mother to marry creepy Lance Henriksen (even in 1979 Lance spooked me) so mom can have a boy who will also have the powers of Sateen. 


For some script-determined reason, Katy's mom is one in a billion who can pass on the evil genes of Sateen. Somehow, 8 year old Katy knows this, and wants a brother so they can one day continue the bad bloodline. 




The movie revolves around nudging Katy's mom to comply with the brat's command for a brother, and stopping Katy and her mom from furthering the bloodline. 


If you rent this, the above is enough to get you through. I will say the introduction to John Huston's 'angel' and the revelation of Katy being the spawn of "Sateen" was terrific.  Katy's fate was a good twist too (along with the use of both hawks and doves.) Mister Huston seems to be amused by the part, but stumped when it comes to his Close Encounters of the Third Kind imitation. He does roll off a spot on Spock-like voice.  Sam Peckinpah also appears as Katy's dad. 


All in all, if you can stick through this thoroughly confusing film (I saw a bootleg while on my Franco Nero binge several years ago), you might find a couple of things to like. I liked the science fiction take on good vs. evil and lol the director's "name" being Michael J. Paradise. Sure... ;)


Trailer here

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