Valerie
Harper, Ruth Gordon
At times amusing in its nastiness but in general pretty bad, this story
of possession in the suburbs is in such poor taste that its plodding pace
and lackluster star (Valerie Harper, sucking the life out
of another wife/mother role like meat from a crableg) are almost forgivable.
Notable moments include when the little boy of the family is shoved off
the roof by the evil spirit (the cut to Harper inexplicably dropping a watermelon
in the kitchen at the moment of impact is deliciously bad), some laughably
inappropriate funeral moments, and of course the highlight of the film,
when the surviving daughter stalks Harper with a pizza cutter, causing her
to tumble down the spiral staircase in pearl-clutching terror. Boasting
a surprising bodycount (essentially everyone dies) and some hilarious improv
on Harper's part (did this women ever read her scripts?!), it's worth checking
out but altogether not one of the best. |
