The Sender
| The Sender | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for The Sender | |
| Directed by | Roger Christian |
| Produced by | Edward S. Feldman |
| Written by | Thomas Baum |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Trevor Jones |
| Cinematography | Roger Pratt |
| Edited by | Alan Strachan |
| Distributed by |
United International Pictures (UK, theatrical) Paramount Pictures (USA, theatrical) |
Release date | 1982 |
Running time | 91 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Sender is a 1982 British horror film directed by Roger Christian and written for the screen by Thomas Baum. It starred Kathryn Harrold, Shirley Knight, Paul Freeman, and Željko Ivanek; this last was making his feature film debut.
Plot
A young man is admitted to a state mental hospital after he attempts suicide at a public beach by filling the pockets of his clothes with rocks and walking into the water in hopes that he will drown. As he shows no signs of being able to remember even his own name, the doctors call him John Doe #83.
Soon after his arrival, Dr. Gail Farmer is assigned to him. But before long, she begins seeing and hearing things around her that have no explanation. Soon she begins to make the terrifying connection the things she has been seeing and hearing have to her amnesiac patient.
Cast
- Kathryn Harrold as Dr. Gail Farmer
- Željko Ivanek as John Doe #83 / The Sender
- Shirley Knight as Jerolyn, the Sender's Mother
- Paul Freeman as Dr. Joseph Denman, Gail's Boss
- Sean Hewitt as The Messiah
- Harry Ditson as Dr. Hirsch
- Olivier Pierre as Dr. Erskine
- Tracy Harper as Young girl
- Al Matthews as Vietnam veteran
- Marsha Hunt as Nurse Jo
- Angus MacInnes as Sheriff Prouty
- John Stephen Hill as Policeman
Release
The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by Paramount Pictures in October 1982. It grossed $1,054,328 at the box office.[1]
Paramount Pictures licensed the film to Legend Films for a DVD release in 2008.[2]
On the commentary track for the DVD release of Hot Fuzz, Quentin Tarantino described The Sender as his favorite horror film of 1982.[3]
References
- ↑ "The Sender". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
- ↑ "The Sender (DVD)". dvdempire.com. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
- ↑ Cole, Andrew (14 January 2008). "Every film mentioned by Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino in their Hot Fuzz commentary track". Tysto. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
Further reading
- "Returning to Sender" by John Nicol, Fangoria magazine #318, November 2012, pages 64–66. Interview of director Roger Christian. Three-page article has seven photos. In the interview, he says he would be interested in doing a remake and discusses Quentin Tarantino's interest in the film.