Search - Summer of Fear on DVD

James B. (wandersoul73) from LINDALE, TX
Reviewed on 6/25/2009...

I very much enjoyed this made for Tv movie. But it wasn't until later that they renamed it and added an R rating.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Nicely done.

Ryan | Greenport, New York United States | 11/24/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"To be truely correct: Wes Craven's "Summer of Fear". Actually, "Wes Craven Presents Lois Duncan's Summer of Fear". 18 year old Rachel Bryant is getting used to the fact that her aunt and uncle have died in a car crash. But mostly, her cousin Julia who was at boarding school at the time. It's summer, and Rachel thinks she can deal with her cousin Julia. But there is something funny about Julia.... Rachel finds strange artifacts in her room that she is sharing with Julia such as a picture of herself with red splotches all over it. Wait a minute....Rachel suddenly suffered from hives a few days ago. And Rachel's horse has acted strangely around Julia until it suddenly had to be put down. And there is a strange figure with her horses hair on it....What is going on with Julia?! I enjoyed "Summer Of Fear" since I first saw it on TV several years ago under the title "Stranger in Our House". It's creepy and some good plot twists help make this a winning horror flick for the ages. RECCOMENDED TO FANS OF:
Witchcraft (1988)
Burnt Offerings (1976)
The Craft (1996) CAST
Linda Blair .... Rachel Bryant
Lee Purcell .... Julia
Jeremy Slate .... Tom Bryant
Jeff McCracken .... Mike Gallagher THE MOVIE: 3.5/4 THE PICTURE QUALITY: 7/10 In 1.33:1 full screen. That's probably the original aspect ratio since it's a tv movie. There is a large amounts of specs and grittyness thoughout the movie. THE AUDIO QUALITY: 9.5/10 You can choose from 5.1 Dolby Digital or 2.0 dolby Stereo. The commentary is in 2.0 Stereo. Great listening! THE SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio Commentary with director Wes Craven and producer Max Keller, director and cast filmographies and sneak peeks. SUBTITLES: English."

Fun TV movie!!!

Mark Twain | 06/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When young Julia's (Lee Purcell) parents are killed in a car accident, she moves in with cousin Rachel (Linda Blair) and her family. At first, things are seemingly normal, but Rachel quickly comes to believe that the distant newcomer is a witch who's out to steal her boyfriend, her father, and her new party dress.The story is based on Louis Duncan's (I Know What You Did Last Summer) well-regarded young adult novel. For Linda Blair, the role marks a transition between her prepubescent "Exorcist" character and the flashy roles she'd play a few years later. In the same way, for director Wes Craven, the film is a huge step away from his early exploitation attempts (Last House on the Left, The Hills have Eyes) and toward mainstream respectability (A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream).Produced for CBS television in the 70's, as A Stranger in the House, standards and practices at the time didn't allow any gore or extreme violence -- a pair of demonic eyes and a car crash or two is all you're gonna get, so don't expect any more than cheesy 70's PG-13 violence. But comparing Wes Craven's early efforts, Summer of Fear is actually his most accomplished film, at least technically. His first feature shot on 35mm, Fear looks slicker, is generally better acted, and comes from acclaimed source material, which it sticks pretty closely to. That's not to say Summer of Fear is an undiscovered classic. The film is very campy, and offers plenty of unintentional laughs. Craven's direction is often rough and amateurish, but he shows some flair with background/foreground compositions and even throws in a few classic Craven-ian dream sequences to appease the Elm Street gang. I also like the fun supporting cast, including an appropriately bitchy Lee Purcell as the bad girl, a young Fran Drescher as Blair's best friend, and even Superman himself, Jeff East, complete with a bad perm.

This is a fun film to say the least, recommended for fans of the novel and those anxious to see Craven's Pre-Scream films. Don't expect anything special and you will have a good time. Thank you Artisan, for releasing this forgotten, but never lost, TV movie."

Beware of Strangers

Ryan | 03/24/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this movie back when I was 10 or 11 years old. This movie is a classic, old-fashioned spooky movie that I could watch during a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon. It was REALLY GOOD. I haven't seen it since it came out back in '78. I don't even think it's been shown on TV much since, either. I'm glad it came back on video. There's not too much to the storyline, but the ending will throw you, especially if you've never seen it before. Watch it and enjoy. Oh! It's good to see Linda Blair in a "good" role versus the "evil" roles like "The Exorcist"."