Disc Reviews
The Visitor Review
The Visitor is a real curio from the 1970s. Directed by an Italian director of little repute, Giulio Paradisi (billed here as Michael J. Paradise) this is Italian exploitation at its worst. Made at the end of a decade which saw the success of such possessed child horror classics as The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) as well as science-fiction blockbusters as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and for good measure some pseudo-science demonic possession with Exorcist II: The Heretic (both 1977), The Visitor really tries to carry itself on the back of these blockbusters (or in the case of the second Exorcist film, giant turkey) and for good measure throws in Jesus (played by none other than ethereal Franco Nero) and a God-like messenger in the guise of a wise old John Huston, father of Anjelica Huston and some great classic of the 1940s and 50s. Indeed this spaghetti turkey has many of old has been Hollywood has beens washing up in cameos: Glenn Ford as a detective suspecting that the young girl in the film is evil, Shelley Winters taking on as the opposite The Omen’s Billie Whitelaw nanny and even action director Sam Peckinpah appearing as a doctor. There were many sub-Exorcist films made in Italy in the 1970s but this one mostly stands out because of this veteran cast. That it is set in the USA was not usual for 1970s Italian exploitation – Zombie – Flesh Eaters (1979) and The New York Ripper (1982) of course were a couple of many such films filmed and set in America.
The story begins strangely and does nothing to the plot except confuse and belie its low budget status as Nero’s white turtle necked Jesus sends down an emissary suspecting an alien devil is on Earth causing havoc. The Devil/demon figure lives on Earth in the guise of an 8-year-old girl called Katy (Paige Conner). Katy is a strange one. It soon becomes apparent that she has telekinetic powers and is always followed around by her pet hawk. Her mother protects her daughter even after her birthday when Katy unwraps a present – a revolver. Needless to say that the party guests are horrified at this sick prank. Katy is joyous but throws the gun which goes off, the bullet hitting her mother in the spine. A nanny (Winters) is hired but is a plant to spy on the girl and monitor her activities. Her mother is still protective of her daughter her but has tests carried out on her as well as getting her to visit a shrink. But the ‘child’ outsmarts them all with her precocity. Even a detective (Ford) is hired and believes the girl and her hawk are behind a series of deaths. For his curiosity he comes to a sticky end, the highway smash-up being one of the better set pieces of the film. Enter challenging sage-like angel Huston to pit himself against the girl.
Consistent with Arrow’s unearthing or revitalising of many forgotten cult classics and less classics, the label does do a great job in resurrecting such films. Good or bad, the label is to be admired and covers the films well with extras, interviews and booklets. For this The Visitor is little different. Yet as with the case of many of Arrow’s catalogue the film is hit and miss, mostly miss but is never the less a forgotten film from the decade and is not without its merits.
Chris Hick