Audrey Rose [Blu-ray]

Director: Robert Wise Robert Wise

Overview

Audrey Rose is a "thinking man's" horror film, which in a way is unfortunate, since it tended to be ignored amidst the many spell-it-all-out scarefests of the late '70s. Marsha Mason and John Beck play Janice and Bill Templeton, a happily married couple, the parents of well-adjusted preteen Ivy (Susan Swift). Their family security is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger, Elliot Hoover (Anthony Hopkins). At first mistaken for a potential child molester, Hoover explains that his obsessive interest in young Ivy is actually paternal. It is Hoover's contention that their daughter is the reincarnation of his own child, who died in a horrible accident. This information is dismissed out of hand-and then strange things begin happening. Directed by Robert Wise (who had previously helmed the psychological thriller The Haunting), Audrey Rose was adapted by co-producer Frank de Felitta from his own novel.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/08/2022
UPC:	0760137113751
Original Release:	1977
Source:	Arrow Video
Language:	English
Time:	1:53:00
Sales rank:	14,439

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Marsha Mason	Janice Templeton
Anthony Hopkins	Elliot Hoover
John Beck	Bill Templeton
Susan Swift	Ivy Templeton
Norman Lloyd	Dr. Lipscomb
John Hillerman	Scott Velie
Robert Walden	Brice Mack
Philip Sterling	Judge Langley
Ivy Mones	Mary Lou Sides
Stephen Pearlman	Russ Rothman
Aly Wassil	Maharishi Gupta Pradesh
Mary Jackson	Mother Veronica
Richard Lawson	Policeman
David Wilson	Policeman
Tony Brande	Detective Fallon
Elizabeth Farley	Carole Rothman
Ruth Manning	Customer in Store
Stanley Brock	Cashier in Store
David Fresco	Dominick
Pat Corley	Dr. Webster
Eunice Christopher	Mrs. Carbone
Karen Anders	Maria
Ivy Jones	Mary Lou Sides
Michael Small	Composer

Technical Credits

Frank De Felitta

Robert Wise	Director,Producer
Frank De Felitta	Screenwriter,Producer
Joe Wizan	Producer
Michael Kohut	Sound/Sound Designer
William McCaughey	Sound/Sound Designer
Aaron Rochin	Sound/Sound Designer
Tom Overton	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Part of the 1970s horror cycle caused by the enormous success of The Exorcist, Audrey Rose is a more intelligent, nuanced example of the genre, which is both its blessing and its curse. Robert Wise has directed in a relatively understated manner, yet still provides a fair share of chilling moments. Working from a script that is far too wordy -- and, to its credit, tries to rationally discuss the concept of reincarnation while maintaining a horror framework -- Wise shrewdly makes the wordiness an advantage. He keeps the focus on the dialogue -- or, often, monologue -- while subtly overemphasizing ordinary movements onscreen to create tension or suspense. Wise also gives the film a visual style, and the snowman scene at the school is particularly well done. He is helped by Anthony Hopkins' intense, sorrowful performance, as well as Susan Swift's impressive turn in the title role. Ultimately, the script's pretensions and its stuffiness keep it from being the first-class thriller it could have been, but it's still a decent alternative to better-known thrillers.