[MacBlayne]

THE ENTITY

A single mother, Carla Moran, is violently attacked and raped in her own home. And again and again. She is unable to report her attacker because it is invisible.

Sidney J. Furie’s The Entity is based on a real-life case involving Doris Bither, who claimed to be have been sexually assaulted by a demon. While the real-life case has been blamed on delusions based on Bither’s history of sexual abuse and poverty, Furie’s film has the demon. And while that pushes it in danger of being tasteless, The Entity is surprisingly thoughtful about the way society handles abuse towards women.

The film is defiantly unambiguous – Moran is being raped by a demon. But nobody believes her. All the people she reports it to are men, and they brush off her cries for help as delusional. They go for the quick, easy solution – checking her into a mental clinic. Even Moran’s family are dubious until they get attacked.

It's a credit to Barbara Hershey’s performance that the film is quite as effective as it is. Hershey’s Moran is not fodder for the camera, but a living, breathing woman pleading for help that never comes, and possibly representing the fears and frustrations of many women who suffered under real monsters. The Entity is more alarming film post #MeToo.

But if one were to just watch The Entity as a horror film, it is a damn scary one. Furie was a journeyman filmmaker, but he’s firing on all cylinders with this one. His camerawork (cinematography by Stephen H. Burum) is one that creates unease. He very slowly tracks in on his subject, before suddenly employing rapidly-edited Dutch angles and loud crashing sound effects when the terror hits. He throws the audience into a state of mass-confusion during the assault scenes. We want to help, but cannot. Where is this thing striking from. We do not know.

My only main complaint is the climax. It goes into action film overdrive, and feels like something out of The Blob. But it does provide the film with a sad note. Even though the proof is undeniable, the doctor pretends to claim they saw nothing. They don’t deny it happens. They say they didn’t see it. For denying it would require an equal amount of proof as Moran had to provide. Acknowledging it would mean having to help this woman. Easier to say they saw nothing, and move on. That way they can fool their conscience.

The final scene is brilliant. One of the most terrifying sounds you will ever hear. It is the voice of a million abusers, and will send a shiver down your spine. But this final moment is not one of pessimism, but one of hope. Moran walks past it defiantly. This thing will not control her. It will not define her. She is her own free woman, and she will live out her life no matter what.