Stranger in Our House (1979)

This October 31,2008 will mark the 30th anniversary of "Summer of Fear"/"Stranger in our House"(which ever you prefer).A young girl named Rachel (played by the Exorcist's Linda Blair)is visited by her cousin Julia(Lee Purcell)after Julia's parents are killed in a car accident.Everyone likes Julia and is taken by her at first. That is until strange things start to happen that only Rachel notices and strange objects that Rachel finds that leads her to believe that her cousin may be a witch. No one believes Rachel's accusations and thinks she's just jealous of Julia.It's up to Rachel and her neighbor Professor Jarvis(played by MacDonald Carey,Days of our Lives)to expose Julia for what she is.This movie also stars Jeff East(Huckleberry Finn,The Day After)and(a unknown at the time)Fran Drescher who later gained fame with the hit series"The Nanny".This movie does have some scary moments.

Any horror movie starring Fran Drescher sounds petrifying to me, I don't care whether she stars as the supreme witch of a coven or simply appears in an insignificant supportive role. Growing up with a sister who insisted on watching that stupid show "The Nanny" over and over again, I've come to dread this unholy woman's quacking voice more than I dread all the serial killers in the entire world. My main motivation to watch "Summer of Fear" actually was the devilish bit of hope to witness Drescher die painfully on screen, but alas, this is a TV-movie so there's really not that much suffering going on. "Summer of Fear" is a modest, well-intended and remotely atmospheric little thriller, but it's far too tame to satisfy real horror fans and it honestly would have ended up in oblivion long time ago already if it weren't for the names of Wes Craven and Linda Blair parading the DVD-cover. Craven had already built up a solid reputation with the genuine 70's shockers "Last House on the Left" and "The Hills Have Eyes", and Linda Blair was undeniably one of the genre's best-selling faces since her unforgettable role in "The Exorcist". These three titles definitely qualify as rough and mature horror movies unsuitable for squeamish viewers, but here Craven and Blair team up for a "soft" story about a teenage girl who's the only one to realize her enchanting niece is really a deceptive and malignant sorceress. Sounds macabre enough, but the script actually spends most attention to the daily struggles of a prototypic teenage girl dealing with jealousy, (boy)friends, parents, sport competition, strict parents and flamboyant 70's hairstyles. The happy happy joy joy Bryant family welcomes an unexpected guest when cherubic niece Julia moves in after the sudden death of her parents in a tragic car accident. Rachel quickly suspects Julia of practicing witchcraft, but the rest of family thinks she's just jealous because Julia filched her lover and best friend and because Julia's butt isn't too fat to fit in a homemade dress. The competitive and notably hostile on screen chemistry between Linda Blair and Lee Purcell keeps the wholesome endurable – and even a bit entertaining – but "Summer of Fear" is overlong and unexciting. The conclusive 15 minutes or so are surprisingly effective (even including a bit of an unexpected twist) and suspenseful, but still they don't compensate enough for the disappointing foregoing. The infamous Fran Drescher stars as Rachel's (and subsequently Julia's) best friend Carolyn and, just in case you're wondering, that hyper-irritating nasal voice sound has been there since the late 70's already.

After reading SUMMER OF FEAR by great author Ms. Lois Duncan, I had discovered this little film. It took me forever to find it until one day I was at the video store and found it hiding away with the old used up VHS'S. And so I picked it up and brought it home. The film for the most part stays true to the novel, with the exception of a few minor changes. The acting is what I like to call 'Made for TV' in which it is not really great, but it is not really terrible. The script lacks a tad bit, but over all this film is highly entertaining. Sure it is no where near Craven's SCREAM or A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET but it is a good movie. The special effects are dated, but it is not like this film is an Oscar winning picture. The climax is a fun traditional cat fight and the ending is good. This movie makes me feel like Im watching one of those lifetime network films...but in a good way. I really do like SUMMER OF FEAR. It's enjoyable and entertaining. Worth a watch!

I really REALLY like this film. I first seen this on , what do you know , public TV around Halloween time. Although I did not see it in its original release - I still found this enjoyable and spooky and the fact that Linda Blair is in this made it so much more enjoyable to watch. I seen it was on last year , around Halloween time on public TV - and I hope they decide to play it again this year.... Good Halloween fun. Not so scary but a bit creepy. Also , the ending is the best part. These days it also seems a bit funny at times. But I see it also as believable. PEACE & Happy Halloween to you and yours :)