Audrey Rose (1977)

Director: Robert Wise

Starring: Marsha Mason, Anthony Hopkins, John Beck, Susan Swift, Norman Lloyd, John Hillerman, Robert Walden

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Suppose a stranger told you your daughter was his daughter in another life? Suppose you began to believe him? Suppose it was true?

Plot: A stranger attempts to convince a happily married couple that their daughter is actually his daughter reincarnated.

My rating: 5.5/10

Will I watch it again? Nah. Twice is once too many.

So this is my second and final viewing. I first saw it about a dozen years ago and I kind of felt blah about it. Not that bad but not that good. I figured I'd give it one more shot before I passed it onto someone else. My feelings toward the film haven't changed. Both Mason and Hopkins turn in excellent performances. The kid, Susan Swift, has her moments of good and bad much like Linda Blair in THE EXCORCIST (1973) in that they were good when they weren't playing the innocent child. Anyway, the picture moves along nicely, including some effective and tense moments when the kid freaks out, until the trial begins. While is somewhat interesting, it does slow the picture down. And what slows it down even further is the hypnotic regression on the kid. After that piece of business, it's just a few more minutes until the unusual conclusion leads to the credits. It's an interesting film to a point and I'm glad I saw it but I now realize I didn't need to see it again...a mistake I will not repeat. It's not nearly as much of a horror film as the great poster art suggests.