The Sender

An unjustly overlooked paranormal horror film whose existence I probably wouldn't have known if Tarantino himself hadn't praised it several times. It's both a dreamlike variation on Psycho and a low-budget prequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street. The only difference is that the title character doesn't scare people in his dreams, but in his waking state, using telepathically transmitted hallucinations. Moreover, this is not a slasher with a homicidal maniac at all, but rather a procedural medical drama with an uncontrollable telepathic patient. Smart but at times slow and confusing, the film leaves perhaps too much room for the viewer's imagination, which may be a problem for some. Horror buffs who want to see something unusual, on the other hand, will appreciate the strange dreamlike atmosphere that keeps us wondering the whole time whether what we're seeing is real or not. The film also stands out for some imaginatively staged shots and remarkable use of low-budget effects. Right off the bat, you're stunned by an impressive shot that begins on a large swath of a populated beach, shot from a bird's eye view, and ends on a great close-up of the title character's face underwater. One of the most impressive moments, then, is a hallucinatory explosion during electroshock in a mental hospital that is so surreal and disorienting that you won't immediately erase it from your memory. It's quite surprising how The Sender could fit in so well, and that it was directed by Roger Christian, who would later direct the infamous flop Battlefield Earth, which he supposedly got to direct on Tarantino's recommendation (probably because of this film). (15/04/2020)