Communion *** (1989, Christopher Walken, Lindsay Crouse, Frances Sternhagen) – Classic Movie Review 6,152

The spooky 1989 sci-fi horror film Communion is based on the book by Whitley Strieber, and stars a haunted Christopher Walken as Strieber, facing his alleged real-life encounter with extra-terrestrials. 

Director Philippe Mora’s 1989 autobiographical horror thriller film Communion stars Christopher Walken as the real-life author and writer Whitley Strieber, who decides to set off from Manhattan with his family and friends for his remote forest vacation home.

He then has a shocking dream, or perhaps an actual occurrence, that he has close encounters with little monsters when is abducted by aliens in scary UFO activity. They all return to New York but Strieber finds himself afflicted by recurring nightmares and visions of alien beings. Strieber then understandably consults a psychiatrist, Dr Janet Duffy (Frances Sternhagen), who uses hypnotic regression to find out whether he was actually abducted or has gone crazy.

This weird, gripping and spooky paranoia film derives from the bestseller by Whitley Strieber, who adapts the screenplay from his own 1987 book chronicling the encounters he says he had with extra-terrestrials.

An outlandishly haunted performance from the admirable Walken dominates Mora’s involving, creepy little movie. It is a very attractive performance, the film’s main appeal. But more of everything – detail, power, style and class – would have been even better. For all its rough edges and shortfalls, though, it remains in the interesting category.

Though it is padded out to an overlong-seeming 109 minutes, and certainly strains the credulity at times, Mora manages to inject the proceedings with a palpable sense of menace and a nightmarish atmosphere.

Also in the cast are Lindsay Crouse as Anne Strieber, Joel Carlson as Andrew Strieber, Frances Sternhagen as Dr Janet Duffy, Andreas Katsulas as Alex, Terri Hanauer as Sarah, DeeDee Rescher  as Mrs Greenberg, and Basil Hoffman as Dr Friedman.

Communion is directed by Philippe Mora, runs 109 minutes, is made by Allied Vision, Morgan Creek Entertainment, Pheasantry Films and The Picture Property Company, is released by New Line Cinema (US) and Vestron Pictures (non-US), is shot by Louis Irving, produced by Philippe Mora, Whitley Strieber and Dan Allingham, is scored by Eric Clapton, and is designed by Linda Pearl.

Strieber decided to work with his friend Philippe Mora on the basis of him writing without interference and Mora similarly handling the direction. Strieber had the film produced independently to avoid his character-led story being turned into a visual effects horror film. Of course, if they’d gone with a major studio there would have been more box office.

Mora met Strieber in London in the late Sixties. After Mora made Death of a Soldier (1986), he again met Strieber, who told him of his recent abduction experiences. Mora said let him know if he wrote about them.

It was shot at Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, and Running Springs, California, from June 20, 1988 to August 15, 1988.

It was released on November 10, 1989. It cost between $5 million and $7 million (estimated) and took only $1.92 million at the box office, though video rentals and sales must have helped. Time has been kind to it and it has attracted a small cult following.

Strieber disliked the film because of its non-factual portrayal of him. Allegedly, Strieber told Walken that he might be portraying him as a little too crazy, and Walken replied: ‘If the shoe fits.’

Crew members apparently scoffed at and made fun of Strieber’s encounters with extra-terrestrials. Strieber said: ‘Some people who work on movies are nice people; some people who work on movies are jerks. We had the usual mix on this crew.’

The opening shots of New York City are done by an independent cameraman in a helicopter using a time-lapse camera.

An alternate version with extra or extended scenes is shown on Fox network TV.

Strieber’s other filmed works include The Hunger and Wolfen.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6,152

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