The Hand (1981)

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers:

Marc Brandell (novel)
Oliver Stone (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 April 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

It lives. It crawls. And suddenly, it kills.

Plot:

Jon Lansdale is a comic book artist who loses his right hand in a car accident. The hand was not found at the scene of the accident...

Plot Keywords:

Hand | Accident | Comic Book Artist | Comics | Murder

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Jonathan Lansdale
Andrea Marcovicci	...	Anne Lansdale
Annie McEnroe	...	Stella Roche
Bruce McGill	...	Brian Ferguson
Viveca Lindfors	...	Doctress
Rosemary Murphy	...	Karen Wagner
Mara Hobel	...	Lizzie Lansdale
Pat Corley	...	Sheriff
Nicholas Hormann	...	Bill Richamn
Ed Marshall	...	Doctor
Charles Fleischer	...	David Maddow
John Stinson	...	Therapist
Richard Altman	...	Hammond
Sparky Watt	...	Sergeant
Tracey Walter	...	Cop

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (1982 rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Norway:16 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Michael Caine said in a TV interview that the only reason he did this film was to earn enough to put a down payment on a new garage he was having built.

Quotes:

Stella: I'm kind of old-fashioned. I like to make it in bed, okay?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Soundtrack:

Union City Blue

The sound of one hand strangling...

Very interesting and pretty effective psychological horror stars the always wonderful Michael Caine as the creator of a fantasy-based comic strip who is having some pretty strained relations with wife Anne (Andrea Marcovicci). Well, his life takes a horrific turn when, in a bizarre traffic accident, his drawing hand is severed. As Jon Lansdale (Caine) goes to live in solitude with a new gig as a college professor in California, the missing hand seems to have taken on a "life" of its own, murdering everybody who makes Jon angry.

I severely under-rated this one upon first viewing a few years back. I now realize what the intent here was, and the film works quite well, drawing us into the increasingly unstable and paranoid mind of Jon. Caine does a highly creditable job in this role. It's a dark and moody tale, well realized by future Oscar-winning film-maker Oliver Stone, in this early directorial effort. Stone also gets good performances out of the supporting cast, which also includes adorable young Mara Hobel - the young Christina Crawford in the same years' "Mommie Dearest", Rosemary Murphy, Annie McEnroe, Bruce McGill, Charles Fleischer, Pat Corley, and Tracey Walter.

Carlo Rambaldi supplies the many different hand effects, James Horner contributes a solid score from the early years of his career, and King Baggot is the excellent cinematographer. Stone has a very good crew to work with here.

In contrast to the psychological aspects of the story, Stone doesn't shy away from the red stuff when it's time. The severing of the hand is a good and gruesome set piece. For the most part, though, it's a subtle piece of work.

Although the final scene doesn't seem all that necessary, the picture does end on a memorable final note. The final freeze frame of Caines' face just says it all.

Overall, it's an under-rated shocker worth looking into for the curious.

8/10