The Sender (1982)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Roger Christian

Writer:

Thomas Baum (writer)

Release Date:

22 October 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

He has the power to make you live his nightmares... And he's dreaming about you.

Plot:

A disturbed telepathic man is able to transmit his dreams and visions into the minds of the people around him.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Patient | Suicide | Hospital | Explosion

Cast

Kathryn Harrold	...	Dr. Gail Farmer
Zeljko Ivanek	...	John Doe #83 / The Sender
Shirley Knight	...	Jerolyn, the Sender's Mother
Paul Freeman	...	Dr. Joseph Denman, Gail's Boss
Sean Hewitt	...	The Messiah
Harry Ditson	...	Dr. Hirsch
Olivier Pierre	...	Dr. Erskine
Tracy Harper	...	Young girl
Al Matthews	...	Vietnam veteran
Marsha A. Hunt	...	Nurse Jo
Angus MacInnes	...	Sheriff Prouty
Jana Shelden	...	Nurse Reimbold
Manning Redwood	...	Policeman
John Stephen Hill	...	Policeman
Monica Buford	...	Dr. Warren

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:R | UK:18 | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (video rating)

Company:

Kingsmere Productions Ltd.

off-beat early 80's horror film still stands up well

The Sender is about a young man (Zeljko Ivanek), who wakes near a roadway with no memory of who he is, and tries to drown himself in a lake. He's taken to a state mental hospital where a doctor (Kathryn Harrold) tries to help him remember who he is, but no one realizes that he's got something else very strange about him, until he starts to invade their realities.

Apparently the man (John Doe, as they call him) has the ability to share his nightmares & turmoil with others, which makes him what's called "a sender". This is typical of babies up to 7 months, but only between babies and their mothers, John Doe being the first "adult case".

The doctor is rather puzzled because "John Doe's" mother appears, and talks to her about her son, but she also disappears mysteriously and the doctor is rather disturbed about this. Also she's drawn into a few nightmares thanks to the sender's abilities, and it's not making her feel any too good about the situation. The patients in the mental ward are rather wary of John Doe, for the most part, especially one called "The Messiah" that thinks he's Jesus Christ....I think that he might be worried of being upstaged.

There's some decent effects in this, and yet it's all rather low-key and creepy. Don't go into this expecting any "typical" 80's horror film, it's not a slasher, there's no zombies or monsters, it's just very strange and disquieting. A pretty decent effort & worth seeing if you like off-beat films. 7 out of 10, get it on DVD while you can (Legend Films).