The Oracle (1985)

User Rating:

1.9/10   

Director:

Roberta Findlay

Writers:

R. Allen Leider (screenplay)
R. Allen Leider (story)

Release Date:

May 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Jennifer has seen the future!

Plot:

Murder victim's spirit reaches out from beyond the grave in an attempt to possess the body of a young woman who has moved into his old apartment.

Plot Keywords:

Spirit | Murder | Oracle | Gypsy | Victim

Cast

Caroline Capers Powers	...	Jennifer
Roger Neil	...	Ray
Pam La Testa	...	Farkas
Victoria Dryden	...	Dorothy Graham
Chris Maria De Koron	...	Pappas
Dan Lutsky	...	Tom Varney (as Dan Lutzky)
Stacey Graves	...	Cindy
G. Gordon Cronce	...	Ben
Ethel Mark	...	Dr. Ryker
Alexandria Blade	...	Tammy
Joan Leonard	...	Waitress
Irma St. Paule	...	Mrs. Malatesta
Einar O. Peterson	...	Occult store owner
Lou Bacotti	...	Drunk at Party
James Styles	...	Mr. Graham

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Italy:VM14 | USA:R | UK:18 | Canada:R (Ontario) (cut version) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Reeltime Corporation

Movie Connections:

Features A Woman's Torment (1977)

See it for the DVD extras

I put this in a few days before Christmas and, to my surprise, it is set during the Xmas and New Year's holidays. So I officially have a new entry into my holiday themed horror flicks! Jennifer (Caroline Capers Powers) and husband Ray (Roger Neil) move into a new apartment once inhabited by a psychic medium. Naturally, Jennifer locates a trinket that communicates with the dead and they take her up on the offer. She is contacted by one William Graham, an industrialist who committed suicide some weeks earlier. Jennifer has visions of the true culprits, but no one believes her!

Filmed entirely in NYC, this Roberta Findlay cheapie really doesn't have much going for it. Still, I was entertained for all of the wrong reasons. There is lots of goofy gore and bad acting on display. Lead Powers is attractive and a decent actress, but never made another film (how does that happen?). The real reasons to see this flick are the DVD extras on the Media Blasters release. There is a hilarious half hour interview with Findlay about the film where she covers everything about the film from casting the big lesbian to her love of Jack Daniels to the South's love of horror films ("It's the only good thing about it!"). There is also a audio commentary where Findlay pulls no punches. I love listening to her talk.

What is interesting is that this film came out a year before the more celebrated (and admittedly better) WITCHBOARD. They basically are the exact same film and it makes me wonder if Kevin Tenney saw this and thought, "I can do that a lot better."