10 Horror Films That Aren't Talked About Enough
4. Pin (1988)
Pin follows the heavily Psycho-inspired story of Leon and Ursula Linden, two children who are held to an impossible standard by their over-bearing mother and strict, doctor father (Stepfather’s Terry O’Quinn).
They take comfort in their imaginary friend, Pin[occhio]: their father’s life-sized anatomical dummy. Dr Linden uses Pin as a teaching aid for his children, particularly concerning the birds and the bees, and the pair grow up with unhealthy ideas about love and sex as a result. Verging on adulthood, Ursula outgrows her childhood fantasies. Leon, however, does not. When Ursula begins dating, Leon - and Pin - take matters into their own hands.
There have been a fair few horror movies over the years that have taken inspiration from Psycho’s handling of multiple personality disorder, and Pin is the most entertaining of the bunch (Santa Sangre is another solid recommendation). In Psycho, the perverse, oedipal implications add a dirty, uncomfortable element (made more explicit in its sequels and prequel), and Pin creates the same unease with its central brother / sister relationship.
The late 80s, sadly, belonged to the slasher sequel. Genuinely creepy movies like Pin got lost among the Jasons, Freddys and Michaels. The highest-grossing horror film of 1988 was A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, with Halloween 4 and Friday the 13th Part 7 also drawing in the crowds. Interestingly, the second highest-grossing horror movie of that year was another doll-themed flick, Child's Play, which of course spawned one of the genre's most iconic franchises. Damn, perhaps if Pin had been voiced by Brad Dourif...