Horror Movie Review: The Visitor (1979)

The Visitor is a mish-mash of well established horror & science fiction themes wrapped up inside a visual style that borders on trippy at times. It’s got a unique art house style but filled with ideas that have been played out in far better movies.

Sateen is an evil inter-dimensional force that is looking to reign over all. On Earth, a shady group have been planning for his arrival for some time. They have supplied a man called Raymond (Lance Henriksen) with wealth & power so that he would help father a child with his girlfriend, Barbara (Joanne Nail). That child would then mate with Barbara’s daughter from a previous relationship allowing Sateen a route in.

Barbara is unique. Her womb possesses the power to transmit Sateen into human form. Her daughter, Katy has powers already but she is encouraged to use them for evil.

Another group are sent to try & show Katy the path of good, a path where her powers can be used to help. By doing so they hope to be able to stop Sateen’s evil plan.

Details on Sateen are pretty light, the being is simply described as a force of evil that has been at conflict with the forces of good for all eternity. It doesn’t make for a particularly thrilling enemy especially when the film then chooses to focus more on Katy & the tug of war regarding her alignment.

She is the biggest draw. Played by Paige Conner, she exudes a real innocence mixed with threat. It’s just a pity that she comes across a bit too similar to The Exorcist’s Regan MacNeil before the demon had really taken hold of her.

The Visitor draws inspiration from a number of horror movies such as The Bad Seed, Carrie, Rosemary’s Baby & The Exorcist. It’s got a unique look, well produced & competently acted. It’s not as silly as it sounds. It takes itself incredibly seriously even though it often has dialogue that is very laughable.

The biggest problem surrounding the movie is just how boring a lot of it is. It’s incredibly forgettable at times with only the more trippy visual moments standing out. An extended light sequence near the end particularly stands out.

The film ends with a bit of a whimper unfortunately. However it is different to see good effectively win out over evil for a change.