So there’s no sex and no romantic sub-plot, but the understated nature of the horror makes it a refreshing change from the norm, and its story is as much of a mystery as anything else. But with two concrete lead characters and an array of dazzling practical effects at the time it still won me over by the end. From Saint Maud to The Wicker Man we've rounded up some of our favorite British horror movies that are guaranteed to keep you looking over your shoulder for weeks to come. No danger means no suspense, and no suspense is too much of an obstacle for an already restrained horror movie to overcome. Nobody saw this when it hit theaters a week before Halloween 1982, but it sure had a long life on cable throughout the '80s (and it's still in regular rotation on Epix today). For the first 40-45 minutes, it's solidly one of the most dreamlike films I've ever seen. TMDb First, any hope of substance is boiled down to a crude, painfully pointless religious allegory. Kathryn Harrold Zeljko Ivanek Shirley Knight Paul Freeman Sean Hewitt Harry Ditson Olivier Pierre Tracy Harper Al Matthews Marsha A. A disturbed telepathic man is unable to fully control his ability to transmit his dreams and visions into the minds of the people around him, or even influence reality. Then his creepy mother (Shirley Knight) shows up insisting he be put in her care--but she keeps disappearing. Now, I could be wrong, but even if there weren’t dozens of onlookers who would undoubtedly pull him from the water, the human instinct for self-preservation would pretty much make it impossible for him to succeed in his attempt. Superb use of slo-mo to enhance the effect of the image. Mobile site. Where does it wind up going? Starts strong with serious potential, landing somewhere between Patrick and A Nightmare on Elm St., minus the Freddy figure. That's a shame--it's one of the best of its type. This psychokinetic kid gives Sissy Spacek and Drew Barrymore a run for their money.   |  To anyone. Take a guess. Some interesting ideas but The Sender is lacking in any real interest beyond that. A female therapist tries to help him, but his mother gets in … 24 October 1982, 01 April 2020 With Kathryn Harrold, Zeljko Ivanek, Shirley Knight, Paul Freeman. | Visions that may or may not be real. Or at the same time. We can appreciate the many qualities of The Sender, but we never really get attached to its characters or engrossed in its plot. related…, All the films mentioned by name in Kim Newman's definitive encyclopedia of horror films, Nightmare Movies. After a suicide attempt, amnesiac Ivanek is put in a mental ward and starts "sending" his tortured dreams to shrink Kathryn Harrold, with an electroshock sequence that's one for the ages and a memorable decapitation. Hunt Angus MacInnes Jana Shelden Manning Redwood John Stephen Hill Monica Buford, 91 mins   The contemporary view is that it's a precursor to A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and while its title character (Character Actor Hall of Famer Zeljko Ivanek in his debut) lacks the flashiness of a Freddy Krueger and the storyline gets kinda muddled, THE SENDER does have some kickass moments. It’s difficult to really care too much about either Farmer or her patient, though, and the fact that what John Doe dreams doesn’t actually happen to his targets — they just see or hallucinate what he’s dreaming — means that there’s only limited scope for dangerous situations to be created. It turns out I was missing a delightful slow-burn psychological/supernatural horror gem. Quentin Tarantino‘s favourite horror movie of 1982, THE SENDER plods around a bit and jumps from scene to scene erratically, but it’s money scenes do hit the mark. Arrow Video Revives The American Horror Project, Brings More Italian Horror and Post-Apocalyptic Nuke Films This June. Once there, he fills his jacket with rocks and wades into the water until it closes over his head in full view of everyone there. Well worth a read.…, We're about half way through the Underrated Series and have finally reached one of the big genres. The strongest moments are easily the hallucination scenes - the best of which occurs in a shock therapy sequence and features some nifty slow motion action shots. Kind of blah plot about a douchey young psychic who can basically inception people when they're awake. This is an almost criminally overlooked film!! It's about a young man (Zeljko Ivanek) committed to an institution because he tried to commit suicide. At best, if you're reaching- it's a reverse Carrie: Crazy Mother wants to kill her boy child because she thinks he's been blessed by God rather…. Quentin Tarantino's favorite horror movie of 1982. The 2018 (4th) edition of the list from theyshootzombies.com . It's a very pretty looking film, the cast and plot weren't that engaging to me, but I enjoyed it well enough. R It’s without a doubt a slow-burn that imo affects its pacing. | I expected a much more malevolent "sender" trying to get his revenge for a perceived wrong done to him by the female lead, but instead he's really a random victim the female lead tries to help. I'm not sure if my first idea would have interested me more, but probably. That slow-motion chaos is awesome. Gail Farmer (Kathryn Harold), the doctor assigned to John Doe’s case, thinks his suicide attempt was half-hearted to say the least, and I have to agree: the movie opens with him awakening after sleeping rough in the countryside, then walking to a populous lakeside. Features a very good lead performance from Zeljko Ivanek and controlled direction from Roger Christian. A female therapist tries to help him, but his mother gets in the way. Arrow Video Blu-ray:-Audio commentary by director Roger Christian-Newly-filmed interview with screenwriter Tom Baum-Newly-filmed appreciation by critic Kim Newman-Deleted scenes from the screenplay, including the original ending-Theatrical trailer-Image gallery-Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Insect. A kind psychiatrist (Kathryn Harrold) tries to help him. Then it gets bogged down by the mystery of figuring out the why which leads to a lot of mommy issues and not a lot of what made this interesting to begin with. He spends the rest of the movie walking around with his hands around his own neck to prevent his head from falling off, which is more comical than scary, but at least demonstrates the enduring power of John Doe’s gift. These strange, sudden happenings are an amazing contrast to the quietness. > Film Review: ‘Return to Sender’ Rosamund Pike’s first major role following her numerous accolades and nominations for Gone Girl (2014) sees her playing, yet again, another ambitious, multi-talented and gorgeous woman. Film data from TMDb. This film was released with an glut of really bad horror films in the early '80s and got lost in the shuffle. Visions that affect individuals differently. Unfortunately, this mysterious woman disappears before Farmer can get her to repeat her worrying observations to anyone else, but it’s pretty obvious that something isn’t right about her from the get-go, and her vaguely ominous warnings are clearly designed to encourage Farmer to give her back her boy.