Yes, I Know You’ve Likely Seen The Exorcist, The Omen, And Rosemary’s Baby, But Have You Ever Watched This ’70s Supernatural Horror Movie?

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If you enjoy classic supernatural horror films from the 1960s and 70s, you’re probably familiar with titles like The Exorcist, The Omen, and Rosemary’s Baby. But there’s another great film from that era you might have missed: The Sentinel, released in 1977.

It’s understandable if you haven’t heard of this movie. Unlike popular horror films like The Exorcist, The Omen, and Rosemary’s Baby, The Sentinel hasn’t gained the same level of recognition or a large following.

If you enjoy this type of story, I highly recommend checking out The Sentinel. There are several reasons why it’s worth your time—and I’ll explain those in a moment. Let me highlight a few of them now.

The Movie Is About An Apartment That’s Also A Gateway To Hell

Many great movies are based on even greater books, and The Sentinel is a perfect example. I actually think it’s a stronger story than the novel that inspired The Exorcist, and I truly mean that.

While the movie isn’t quite as good as The Exorcist, it does follow the same basic storyline as the book. It just needed a little more polish in how it was made.

The film centers around Alison, a model played by Cristina Raines, who rents an apartment in an old brownstone building. Her only other neighbor is Father Halliran, a blind priest portrayed by John Carradine, who spends his days staring out the window as if watching over something. After Alison settles in, she begins experiencing strange and unsettling dreams, and the situation escalates as more tenants move into the building.

The situation is actually much more complicated, as I’ll explain shortly. But the key thing to understand is that the priest is protecting the world from hell, and the entrance to hell is located inside the apartment. It’s a pretty amazing concept, isn’t it?

It’s Just As Much A Mystery As It Is A Horror Movie

What’s great about many horror movies is that they also work as mysteries. Films like Se7en and Get Out are prime examples – I’d even call them some of the best horror movies ever made. The Sentinel also has a lot of intriguing mysteries: Who exactly is Father Halliran? Are the people Alison sees in her apartment building real, or are they just in her imagination? And what connection does the Catholic Church have to the building itself?

Eventually, everything becomes clear, but the real strength of this story lies in how the information is revealed. We gradually learn about the people living in the building, and also about Alison’s history, which isn’t immediately obvious at the beginning.

The story gets complicated by the involvement of the police, the church, and a menacing neighbor – who is so awful, he deserves a separate discussion. As the mystery unfolds, the film leans into psychological horror, much like Rosemary’s Baby, and we realize the strange events aren’t happening by chance.

The story is captivating, and the added mystery makes it even better.

Rocky And Batman Great Burgess Meredith Plays A Bizarre Neighbor

When you think of Batman’s Penguin, you probably picture Danny DeVito from Batman Returns or Colin Farrell from the HBO series (and hopefully we’ll get a second season, even if Colin Farrell isn’t interested!). But the first Penguin I think of is Burgess Meredith, who played the character in the 1960s Batman TV show.

Meredith is also well known for playing Mickey in the Rocky movies, and fans of The Twilight Zone might remember him from the classic episode “Time Enough at Last,” as well as the more unusual “Mr. Dingle, the Strong.” Overall, Meredith had a fascinating career filled with strange and daring roles, and his performance in The Sentinel perfectly captures that mix of oddity and bravery.

Meredith plays a peculiar character named Charles Chazen, and in one memorable scene, he’s throwing a birthday party for his cat – complete with dancing and singing, though it feels unsettling. It’s later revealed that Meredith actually lives in Hell and is trying to convince Alison to join him there.

The movie is surprisingly unsettling. While Meredith is generally energetic and lively throughout, there’s a hidden undercurrent of darkness to his character, making this one of his most compelling and distinctive roles.

There Are Some Truly Spooky Visuals In This Film

If you’re curious about the most frightening moments in classic horror films, for me, the scariest scene in The Exorcist is the spiderwalk down the stairs – surprisingly, it wasn’t originally in the movie! In The Omen, it’s undoubtedly the chilling “It’s all for you!” scene, which is too disturbing to even share. And when it comes to Rosemary’s Baby, the moment with the “Hail, Satan!” chant is the most terrifying.

With The Sentinel, it wasn’t any one specific scene that scared me, but a collection of unsettling images that built tension throughout the film. Like when Alison hallucinates her deceased father – those moments weren’t just frightening, but also really strange and disturbing, which made them truly creepy.

Burgess Meredith delivers a disturbingly effective performance, and the creepy priest adds to the unsettling atmosphere. Though blind, he seems to perceive the evil surrounding him – a characteristic shared by all the watchers, as revealed later in the story.

Finally, let’s talk about the movie’s climax. It actually doesn’t deliver any scares, and honestly, I found it quite offensive – here’s why.

The Climax Is Quite Controversial, However, And Is Definitely The Worst Part Of The Movie

I recently wrote about the 1932 horror film Freaks, which was notable for featuring real performers from sideshows – including a man born without limbs and several little people. While the film caused controversy for using these performers, its core message was about their humanity and highlighted how the true villains were those who sought to take advantage of them. It was surprisingly forward-thinking for its time.

It’s surprising that a film from 1977 could be so insensitive. Near the end, when the gates of Hell open, the director, Michael Winner, chose to portray demons using people with amputations and disabilities. This choice feels particularly jarring and problematic today.

Honestly, it’s disturbing and exploitative to use depictions of people with disabilities or amputations for shock value. It really takes me out of the story and ruins the movie experience.

Overall, the movie is quite enjoyable. You can currently watch it on Netflix, so if it sounds appealing, check it out while it’s available.

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2025-10-21 00:12