The Forgotten One (1989)
A man moves into a house that is supposedly haunted. Although he is attracted to his pretty next-door neighbor, he finds himself being seduced by the spirit of a woman who had been killed in his house 100 years previously.
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Cast
Reviews
Powerful
Absolutely Fantastic
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
~Spoiler~ The Forgotten One has been forgotten indeed. And regardless of the praise it has got on here, I was reluctant to watch it. According to the box it's an "erotic thriller." I wasn't sure I was ready to see the great Terry O'Quinn in an erotic thriller. After about 10 minutes or so into the movie, my fears were soon displaced. The Forgotten One starts off on a high note. O'Quinn plays a writer who buys an old house to shut himself up in and get his next novel written. He soon has some blood-chilling encounters with one of the previous owners of the house: a ghost. These scenes are shot brilliantly and creeped the hell out of me. I can't give the director enough praise for his old school approach to raising the hairs on my arms. It really reminded me of a lot of the things we are seeing from Asia right now (Ringu and Ju-on namely). However, the second part of the film is very drama-heavy and loses all of the horror. It's almost like a ghost movie you would find on the Lifetime channel. It's still a good movie, but not the spook classic it could have been. So I can't give it the raving recommendation that others have. I can say that if you enjoy a good ghost story, check it out. Just be warned that it easily could have been a genre classic but fell short.
In the past I thought only the British could make a good ghost story. I was wrong. This is a wonderfully dark, atmospheric movie that thrills, chills and even in moments, sparks a giggle. My only regret is that it's not (yet) available in DVD format. Perhaps that will be rectified. In the meantime if you love ghost stories as much as I do you'll need to add this one to your collection. Kristy McNichol plays an endearing part as a budding writer and possible love interest of Terry O'Quinn who plays a widowed writer who buys a house and is soon confronted by his past ... his forgotten past. It's a really great story and an excellent movie all around. Well written, beautiful photography, and excellent acting which is unusual these days. Hope to see this one on DVD one day!
This movie is a genuine sleeper. Not many know about this one, but it's definetely one of my favourites! Terry O'Quinn (from The Stepfather) is great as a writer who rents an old house, and is haunted by a strange presence in it. The movie is very atmospheric and at times hypnotic in it's handling of the ghost-theme, and has some genuine twists in the story and a great ending!
Writer Terry O'Quinn moves into a house haunted by the spirit of a beautiful woman; with help from brash neighbor Kristy McNichol, he gets to the bottom of the mystery. Straight-to-tape item is a stylish low-budget effort aimed at thinking adults. There are erotic undercurrents that are not explored (curious, since the apparition is mostly seen nude), and relationships that seem half-baked, but O'Quinn is excellent here (with no "Stepfather" overtones). It's also a chance to see McNichol do good work before her youthful retirement. Not especially memorable or thrilling, but patient viewers will find some subtle surprises. **1/2 from ****