Stephen Abell Alison Parker (Raines) is a working model who is not yet ready to marry her boyfriend Michael (Sarandon) and who needs to find a place of her own to get her mind and thoughts right. However, the city isn't cheap and Alison is about to give up when she comes across an apartment in an old house. The house and the apartments inside are in the process of being renovated, giving her the opportunity to rent for a reasonable amount. However, once there, things start to get strange... not only are the other tenants peculiar in the way they act and behave towards her... but she starts to get a feeling of apprehension and a sense of being watched... there's something not quite right with this big old house and it may have something to do with the priest in the top apartment; though he's blind he spends every hour sat in front of his window looking out over the city...Michael Winner opted to go the route of the original Rosemary's Baby with this little "Big" horror flick of good versus evil. The entire atmosphere of the film is reminiscent of Polanski. Even the camera work, at times, has a similar feel. However, it's Winner's direction and use of actors that make this a more enjoyable affair. I have to admit I found Rosemary quite boring, though it was nicely shot and had a decent cast. Winner injects a little more action and tries for a more ominous and eerie atmosphere, which he doesn't quite pull off.Another positive is the story, based on a novel by Jeffrey Convitz (which I now want to read as the movie had so many elements that could only be expanded and improved upon in written form), as this has more than a few twists and turns along its way. It would have been nice to see some of these utilised a tad better as it could have made for a stronger movie. Though, back in '77, movies were frowned upon when they went over an hour and a half, which probably meant quite a few bits of celluloid on the floor.As for the actors, well the cast is massive for a horror flick. Granted the big names are in supporting roles, though this is a good ploy by Winner, as the story is mostly revolving around the occupants. We have Burgess "WARK! WARK!" Meredith as the enigmatic and gentlemanly Charles Chazon; Sylvia Miles and Beverly D'Angelo as the uninhabited lesbians Gerde Engstrom and Sandra; and as the omnipresent blind priest Father Halliran we have John Carradine. But the names don't stop there, and Winner has a good eye for up and coming talent as there's Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Dreyfuss thrown into the mix for good measure.However, though the cast is great it's too big. There are too many characters knocking about and this gives the entire film the feeling of being crowded. This would work well in a novel as there's more space to work in. However, in the confines of an hour and a half, it may have been better to reduce the cast to essential characters and built on them a little more, giving them more depth and making the film stronger in the process.That said, I will say this is worth at least one watch, especially if you're an old-school-horror fan who likes the religious good versus evil twist... or if you just want to give zombies and wimped out vampires a miss...

clanciai A doubtful story of small credibility, if any at all, is all the same expertly made and told and well worth seeing. Some of the effects go over the edge, but it is certainly better than most films in the genre with few parallels. The only even better one I can think of is "Spellbinder" from 1988 (see my review). Here the occult mystery show is saved by some excellent acting, especially Eli Wallach as the incredulous policeman, the only person in the film with some sober distance and even humour, while Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith, Arthur Kennedy and even José Ferrer add to the stew. Cristina Raines as Alison stand in the center, though, while Chris Sarandon appears strangely callous for a boyfriend of hers, and his character is the least convincing one and not very well constructed. He loves her and yet betrays her, he has some hidden agenda and still acts as her heroic protector - it doesn't quite add up. In smaller parts you see Christopher Walken as very young and even Tom Berenger for a short moment. John Milton and Dante play an important part in quotations, but the main attraction of the film is the mystery plot and legend - it's definitely an occult classic on the same level as "Rosemary's Baby".

Rainey Dawn Super fun film - very creepy. I quite enjoyed again after years of "no see". The Sentinel or The Messenger in this one is our John Carradine - you won't see him very much in this film because it builds the suspense toward the ending. I think back in 1977 the ending (to actually see Carradine fully) would have come as a surprise to theater goers - these days with internet you can see photos of Carradine as The Sentinel so it will come as no surprise as it would have back in the 70s.The film is full of a great cast - big names in this one and not just John Carradine. Cristina Raines, Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith, Christopher Walken, Beverly D'Angelo, Jeff Goldblum and more! If you like films like The Amityville Horror, Burnt Offerings, The Legacy or The Changeling then you might like The Sentinel - it's a good film for a late night movie.8.5/10

jadavix "The Sentinel" is a ridiculous, tiresome exercise in repetitive shock tactics that are never anything more than laughable.It's one of those tiresome "woman moves into apartment, woman goes crazy" movies that was done so much better in "Rosemary's Baby" and "Repulsion".There are two main problems: one, the lead actress just doesn't really work, has no presence and blends into the screen, and two, the movie is just boring shock tactics that are never shocking in the least.Aside from that, the movie is teeming with characters and character actors, including John Carradine, Ava Gardner, Eli Wallach, Christopher Walken, Beverley D'Angelo, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Berenger...There is so much pointless exposition from these actors about nothing in particular, adding nothing at all to a central story that didn't need these complications.