Horrorfest 2017: The Entity

Now for another favorite of Martin Scorsese, the 1983 ghost story THE ENTITY. The movie doesn't waste much time getting to the scares. Within a few moments of meeting single mother Barbara Hershey, who works an office job and takes night classes, a malevolent poltergeist attacks her in her own home. The attack comes out of nowhere, and is over almost as quickly as it began, but here's the worst part: it's clearly a total violation – a rape.

On one hand you might say the idea of a horror film in which the protagonist is repeatedly raped by a ghost is the stuff of cheap exploitation. But I think the majority of the movie plays as a metaphor for real-life sexual assault. Aside from dramatizing all of the feelings of helplessness, insecurity and post traumatic stress, the film also covers the territory of friends, family and even medical professionals not believing the victim – telling her it is in her head, or she dreamed it, or it's a mental problem that is only manifesting itself because of something she may have done in the past – say with her father, or with a previous boyfriend or husband.

One of the medical professionals, a doctor played by Ron Silver, starts out as a sympathetic character. He's personable, seems smart, takes a special interest in Hershey. As the film develops, he ends up alienating her because while he wants to help her he can't accept that ghosts, entities and poltergeists are real. There must be a rational explanation. If this was real life, I'd agree with him. But this is THE ENTITY, and his attempts to support Hershey while also mansplaining to her and victim blaming are exactly the kind of things "nice guys" do to women all the time.

There is real satisfaction when Hershey's constantly attacked and disbelieved character finally has proof of what is happening to her, and has people on her side who both believe her and want to help her. The movie had me going the whole time, and was almost perfect, except they bungle the ending a little bit. I guess this movie is based on a "true" story (forgetting that ghosts aren't real), so it has an unsatisfying ending as a result. I'd rather see a version where Hershey is not only at peace with herself but also gets the best of these asshole entities.