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The Sender

Play trailer Poster for The Sender R Released Oct 22, 1982 1h 31m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 34% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A suicidal amnesiac (Zeljko Ivanek) sends rats, flames and other nightmares by telepathy to his psychiatrist (Kathryn Harrold).
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The Sender

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Anton Bitel Little White Lies left to the viewer to determine whether what is unfolding is more like Psycho or Carrie, given how much of what we see in the film proves to be an unreliable merger of a concealed reality, the protagonist's psychic interference & fugue-like denials Jun 17, 2019 Full Review Alan Jones Starburst See The Sender if you want evident intelligence behind such facets as scripting, directing and acting. Aug 1, 2022 Full Review Jason Shawhan Nashville Scene This is a weird and beautiful film with one of the greatest slow-motion effects shots in the history of cinema - you can see the Chris Cunnigham/Aphex Twin visual aesthetic being born here. Sep 10, 2021 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia A strange and intriguing psychological thriller. Jun 14, 2019 Full Review James Sanford Kalamazoo Gazette Clever idea, not-so-great execution Rated: 2/5 Dec 30, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (24) audience reviews
Audience Member The mind can be very fragile but also dangerous We wonder how much of it can be trusted A very young Zeljko Ivanek plays John Doe #83, an amnesiac that attempts suicide Once he's brought in for treatment though at a mental hospital he has no recollection of it The more the doctors try to repair his memory the more he starts unlocking what's inside him John turns out has telepathic powers making others see the stuff of nightmares These powers could be potentially dangerous to him and everyone else including the other patients Transmitting his dreams and visions to others may be out of his control His main doctor Gail wants to understand what happened to him but is she in danger too? It's hard to tell what's real or not given the trauma John has been through This plays like 'Carrie' or 'Shining' messing with our perception of reality but also dealing with repressed memories and scars There's some interesting imagery and impressive slo-mo shots Not very scary but unsettling in a psychological sense Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/30/23 Full Review Alan M Found this on one of the BFI lists (overlooked British horror from the 80s) so gave it a shot. Worth a watch - good storyline and performances decent overall. Not ‘scary' as such. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review jon c The mind can be very fragile but also dangerous We wonder how much of it can be trusted A very young Zeljko Ivanek plays John Doe #83, an amnesiac that attempts suicide Once he's brought in for treatment though at a mental hospital he has no recollection of it The more the doctors try to repair his memory the more he starts unlocking what's inside him John turns out has telepathic powers making others see the stuff of nightmares These powers could be potentially dangerous to him and everyone else including the other patients Transmitting his dreams and visions to others may be out of his control His main doctor Gail wants to understand what happened to him but is she in danger too? It's hard to tell what's real or not given the trauma John has been through This plays like 'Carrie' or 'Shining' messing with our perception of reality but also dealing with repressed memories and scars There's some interesting imagery and impressive slo-mo shots Not very scary but unsettling in a psychological sense Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member It was great until the ending. The suspense and mystery were built up well, but the explanation to the mystery was incoherent as an understatement. It wasn't just ambiguous. The combination of events are contradictory and do not make any sense. I had to rewind it and watch the "mystery explanation" again. While that helped me understand the literal words I missed the first time(because they were said quickly and you couldn't hear them well), the explanation was too ambiguous and, more importantly, all of the possible interpretations were not believable. What did the mother want? If it was just to "have her son back," then why does she want him back home in a specific place *if she's already dead / a ghost*? Why would the location matter to her? Was she the cause of the hallucinations? And if she was and if she just wanted him back, then why did she try to kill him in the previous scene? If she wasn't the cause of the hallucinations / torment, then why did he leave the hospital by lying about being "cured" while as soon as he gets in his truck (her truck? he never drove this truck to the hospital; who drove it there?) he sees his dead mother. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member There's a decent story at its core, but it's not really executed all that interestingly. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Very well done horror/thriller of a suicidal amnesiac in a mental hospital under observation. It turns out he is telepathic and can force his delusions on others. Lots of suspense, and very well acted. The ending was predictable but satisfying. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Sender

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A suicidal amnesiac (Zeljko Ivanek) sends rats, flames and other nightmares by telepathy to his psychiatrist (Kathryn Harrold).
Director
Roger Christian
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 22, 1982, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 13, 2017
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
Surround
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