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The Sentinel

Play trailer 2:31 Poster for The Sentinel R 1977 1h 32m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
45% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 44% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
A New York City model with a troubled past, Alison Parker decides to make some changes in her life. Breaking up with her boyfriend, Michael, Alison relocates to an apartment in a brownstone building where the only other tenant is a withdrawn blind priest. After experiencing strange occurrences, Alison begins to realize why the holy man is present -- the building has an evil presence that must be kept in check at all costs.
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The Sentinel

Critics Reviews

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David Pirie Time Out 09/28/2018
The only frightening thing about The Sentinel is its director's mind. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety 09/28/2018
The Sentinel is a grubby, grotesque excursion into religioso psychodrama, notable for uniformly poor performances by a large cast of familiar names and direction that is hysterical and heavy-handed. Go to Full Review Kristen Lopez AwardsCircuit.com 09/28/2018
The scene stealer, though, is Burgess Meredith as Alison's neighbor, Charles Chazen. Go to Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast Dec 8
3/5
A lot of really interesting ideas are executed rather sloppily, albeit entertainingly, among an all-star cast. Go to Full Review Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast Dec 5
3/5
At times illogically plotted, this religious thriller boasts a stacked cast and a few dynamite set pieces. It just too often feels hampered by weird adaptation choices from the source material. Go to Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 04/08/2025
1/5
…if you want to know why, a decade after his death, Michael Winner is still remembered as one of the worst directors in cinema history, The Sentinel is waiting for you… Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Vincent S @Vin_E_At_The_Movies Mar 21 This is terribly written junk with corny, bad performances and not one scare at all. It is an unintentionally funny embarrassment with a terrible and predictable ending. The actors all look like they don't want to be there, and I heard the shoot was a nightmare. A terribly directed failure and those that think it is a cult classic. Really? Bad, bad! See more Jason W @Thejasonwatts Nov 19 Starts a little slow, but once it gets going it is a decent movie, filled with a litany of well know actors. It's not without its flaws, but a lot of fantastic special fx in the blood and gore department. The climax was great. See more Daniel C @indymann1212 Nov 5 A scary and mysterious plot that keeps you guessing. Beverly D'Angelo, Christopher Walken, and a beautiful Cristina Raines make for a compelling ensemble cast. A great 70's horror thriller! See more Luis Otavio F @RT47579327 01/05/2025 The plot is really innovative, but the development is weak and lacking in charisma, unfortunately a complete waste of time, both for them (actors) and for us (viewers). See more D. Hunter P @RT01359631 11/25/2024 This movie did have some creepy moments and both some alarming social horror and sexual elements. The finale fell a little bit flat, but the last scene as a new couple is being moved in by the real estate agent was a nice touch. See more 11/18/2024 One of the weirdest horror films from 79’s. Though film was off-the rails nuts, It was fun watching the amazing cast in such a campy horror film. See more Read all reviews
The Sentinel

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Cast & Crew

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Michael Winner

Director

Chris Sarandon

Michael Lerman

Cristina Raines

Alison Parker

Martin Balsam

Prof. Ruzinsky

John Carradine

Fr. Francis Matthew Halloran

José Ferrer

Priest of the Brotherhood

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The Sentinel

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The Sentinel

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Movie Info

Synopsis A New York City model with a troubled past, Alison Parker decides to make some changes in her life. Breaking up with her boyfriend, Michael, Alison relocates to an apartment in a brownstone building where the only other tenant is a withdrawn blind priest. After experiencing strange occurrences, Alison begins to realize why the holy man is present -- the building has an evil presence that must be kept in check at all costs.
Director
Michael Winner
Producer
Jeffrey Konvitz, Michael Winner
Screenwriter
Michael Winner, Jeffrey Konvitz
Distributor
GoodTimes Home Video [us], Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 7, 1977, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 18, 2016
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)