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Barbara Hershey's 2011 thoughts on the movie

posted 8 years ago by jeffyoung1
4 replies | jump to latest

On the Internet you can find transcripts of an interview with Barbara Hershey for her upcoming horror movie. The topic moved to her old 1981 (produced)- 1983 (released) horror film THE ENTITY. According to the interview Hershey would have liked to have had more of the 'middle of the movie'. I think I know what she means. The last third of the movie dealt with the overly long, confused, and boring paranormal investigation and attempt to capture the entity, which might have been a demonic presence in which case nothing could capture it. The first two thirds of the movie involved the invisible sexual assaults and her subsequent drama with disbelieving family, friends, and psychologists, trying to make them understand, as much as believe.

REMAKE THOUGHTS

I would ditch the paranormal pseudo-scientific lab investigation and maybe take the direction into the acceptance that it is a demonic entity attacking the woman. This would mean going the route of a paranormal research path which presumes demonic existence and therefore resulting reliance on religious exorcism.
The first two-thirds of the original movie were good and could be the basis for the remake. We're all wondering how the director and producer and special effects are going to tackle the invisible sexual assaults. Will they replicate it? Tone it down? Or go more realistic with advanced 21st century special effects? The special effects used in 1981 were surprisingly low-tech yet effective. It could be reused in 2016 to save costs yet updated for more realism. As a result this movie would be very explicit, on the level of SAW and HOSTEL with its graphic luridness, but instead of the stomach churning violence of the two, more on the explicit nudity and assault of the actress who gets hired to do the role. Fortunately for the future actress, most of the explicit nudity will be portrayed using a realistic polymer mannequin look-alike. This is probably why Barbara Hershey liked The Entity. She didn't have to do real nudity. The rubberized mannequin version of herself had to show the 'skin'.

[–] triumph7 8 years ago

You have to keep in mind that this film was based on the novel which it followed fairly closely. All the paranormal investigations and the liquid helium scenes came directly from the book. If you find fault in the storyline of the film, you'll find fault in the book it was based on.

[–] popedon1 8 years ago

Interesting post. Regarding the scariest parts of the movie, the assaults, I don't know how more realistic her getting thrown around now would be compared to then. They did a good job with that.

I can't think of a remake better than the original. The way things are now, the remake would probably have a guy getting raped by an invisible priest. A black guy. And The Entity would slip on a rubber first. He doesn't know where "homie's" been, yo.

All movies are now is Public Relations propaganda.

[–] jeffyoung1 8 years ago

That is so funny. I always appreciate a sense of humor from people or agree or disagree. It takes a high level of intelligence and emotional maturity to express humor on a subjective, possibly controversial subject.

One poster opined that my suggestion of altering the plot was inappropriate. I'm not offended. He has a point. My counterpoint is that many Hollywood movies of the past elected to deviate from the books they were based upon. There's nothing stopping the producers and director from deciding to deviate or alter the screenplay.

What would be impossible to deviate from the original book is the main character, a young-thirty-something woman being physically and sexually assaulted by some malevolent, unseen sentience, the, 'entity'. I don't see how that main story plotline could be toned down so that it doesn't offend the political-correct feminist sentiments of today. Because the intended REMAKE cannot avoid that main storyline, it shouldn't even try. Any attempt would lead to negative critics reviews that which more than likely focus around the movie being good only for television or direct-to-video.

The producers and director have several options.
1) Duplicate the attack scenes of the original as shown.
2) Duplicate the attack scenes but keep the actress fully clothed.
3) Think outside the box and use today's special effects to exceed the
original's special effects.
4) Film the movie with higher levels of nudity and graphic sexuality.
Later, release the movie in the theaters and in dvd with different
levels of graphic nudity that the viewer can select to watch. This is
the 'R' version and the 'NC17' version. The director could even
produce a PG13 version by being able to remove select nude and sex
scenes in order to show the movie on the SyFy Channel.

[–] vidville 8 years ago

It's about a Poltergeist, not possesion! Exorcism has been done to death.