Writer: Glenn M Benest
Director: Wes Craven
Wes Craven (A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) et al) directs Linda Blair (The Exorcist (1973)) in a film about a sexy teenage witch. What could possibly go wrong?
Just about everything…
Stranger in Our House (aka Summer of Fear) revolves around Rachel (Blair) and her family who take in a teenage relative after the latter’s parents are killed in a car crash. The house guest seems friendly and polite but is in fact a witch who begins to steal Rachel’s boyfriend, best friend and anything else she can get her hands on.
The film is an adaptation (apparently pretty faithful) of a novel by Lois Duncan (who also wrote the novel that became I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)). The story is aimed at young teenagers and simply doesn’t have the bite or sophistication needed for an adult film.
In the hands of a director like Craven this should have been no problem – but here he is restrained to the point of being dull. There’s none of his trademark excesses nor even any of the atmosphere and suspense that reportedly made the original novel so successful.
Then we have the acting. Oh the acting… Allowances have to be made for the fact that this is a 1970s TV movie but even so the standard is dire.
As is the ‘twist’ ending which you’ll spot in the first five minutes.
If I hadn’t known this was a Wes Craven movie I’d certainly never have guessed. It feels more like something knocked up by a group of teenagers wanting to film their favourite book.
Unless you have fond childhood memories of the novel this is one to avoid.