Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- eerie
- paranoid
- late night horror viewing
- 1970s horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and intermittently entertaining but derivative, heavy-handed and weakened by uneven performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The blind priest, church authorities, Hellgate and armies of Hell make religious cosmology the film's defining horror framework.
Alison's new house appears to have unexplained neighbors and ultimately proves to be a site selected for an occult purpose.
Alison's physical problems, sleeplessness and suicide flashbacks blur personal trauma with the house's occult menace.
The film combines a 1970s urban setting with secret brotherhoods, demonic forces and the era's supernatural paranoia cycle.
Films like The Sentinel, and why
Rosemary's Baby
shared supernatural horror, sinister domestic setting, religious conspiracy and escalating psychological dread
The Exorcist
shared demonic horror, religious imagery, possession themes and confrontational supernatural terror
The Omen
shared 1970s occult horror, satanic conspiracy and apocalyptic religious atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Winner
- Release Date
- 1977-01-07
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (238)
Cast
- Cristina Raines
- Chris Sarandon
- Martin Balsam
- John Carradine
- José Ferrer
- Ava Gardner
- Arthur Kennedy
- Burgess Meredith
- Sylvia Miles
- Deborah Raffin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Darkroom
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Sentinel about?
- A troubled fashion model discovers that her unsettling new home is the gateway to a sinister religious design.
- What is The Sentinel like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Sentinel as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Sentinel violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Sentinel as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Sentinel?
- Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and intermittently entertaining but derivative, heavy-handed and weakened by uneven performances.
- Which films are like The Sentinel?
- Films with a similar feel include Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and The Omen.
- How long is The Sentinel?
- The Sentinel runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Sentinel?
- In United States, The Sentinel streams on Darkroom.
