Something Evil (1972)

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Of course Steven Spielberg is a very talented filmmaker. He knows perfectly well how to create tension and give you creeps on your spinal cord. He is one of the best. In this one he was helped by exceptional actors. Sandy Dennis is a unique phenomenon, can not be compared to any other, was and remains a great great actress. It's a shame that she died so young! Darren McGavin and Ralph Bellamy are also two very good actors, natural and credible in everything they do and say. It's not one of the greatest movies by Spielberg, the script is very simple, to not say poor, but is very well made. Worth to be seen!

"Something Evil" follows Sandy Dennis and Darren McGavin as a couple who purchase a bucolic farmhouse in the country; the purchase is one they soon come to regret, as both their son and Dennis's character are tormented by unseen forces in the house.This low-budget shocker was the second television film Steven Spielberg cut his teeth on (after the far more popular "Duel" in 1971). At a base level, "Something Evil" is a fairly two-tone haunted house movie that plays with themes and scenarios that are commonplace in the genre, but what really keeps the film intriguing is the stylistic approach and visuals. The narrative is spare and feels half-baked, with some sort of Satanic/demonic presence abounding on the property that is anchored to a bunch of jars that are kept in the house and an exterior barn. The narrative threads never really lead to a satisfying ending, but the fray of it all lends itself well to the frenetic camera-work and overall weirdness of the film. There are some fantastic shots throughout, and several key scenes with Dennis exploring the barn that are truly unnerving and effective. Having Dennis and McGavin involved here certainly helps, and they do commendable jobs with the material given. Overall, "Something Evil," though not an entirely cohesive success, is a genuinely weird and moderately creepy television horror offering. It's not the best of its peers, but it is one of the more memorable; comparisons to "Poltergeist" seem to be frequent, and one can't help but wonder while watching if that film was borne of this film. Worth a look for genre fans, or anyone who is interested in the more obscure of the director's beginnings. 7/10.

Your basic horror story: A family moves into a house and they do not realize it's haunted but will soon become believers and it's haunted by demons. A quote from Marjorie Worden: "Can you believe that I believe that the devil's in my house?" This TV movie was back when they made fun and interesting movies for television. Not all of them were great but they were at least worth watching. When real life society changed, the TV shows and movies changed - I quit watching - but I hear the TV movies today are nothing like these older films and not nearly as good. This particular film is not grand but it's not a bad watch either - mildly entertaining demonic horror.6/10

Early TV movie effort from Spielberg that is rather uneven. I'm not really sure why this doesn't work better. I guess there was little money and a lot of TV people looking over his shoulder that may have not helped the process. Whatever the reason, the location screams that it is a set, so flat and airless. When the spirits arise and the winds begin to blow, I realized why it had been absent, before but surely some sense of heat or rain would have given some sense of life to this clapperboard and cardboard. I also wonder whether using Ralph Bellamy was a good idea, he didn't seem to fit too well but would probably have been difficult to tell. Sandy Dennis is pretty much as she always is and I always like her but here when everyone seems a bit strange we could have done with a more staid central character. Otherwise, reasonable enough and there are scares particularly at the end, even if they are a bit undermined by an early sign of sentimentality creeping in and almost spoiling things.