10 Horror Movies Where The Villain Is Never Seen
3. The Entity
A heavy handed but powerfully focussed allegory, The Entity is a film about abuse and trauma that remains highly effective 40 years after its release. Based on a woman’s report of attacks by an invisible figure, it’s a blunt but troubling movie with a terrific, invested lead turn from Barbara Hershey.
Hershey plays Carla, a young woman who is attacked in her home and sexually assaulted by an invisible force. She’s of course traumatised by the experience, but worse still is the unwillingness of anyone around her to take her claims seriously. She’s brushed off, passed around, ignored.
The film’s efforts to deal with both the experience of abuse itself and the aftermath are commendable, and it’s anchored brilliantly by Hershey, who keeps the supernatural tale grounded and relatable throughout.
The Entity isn’t an easy watch at all, but it uses the invisibility of its main threat to hammer home its key theme, which works remarkably well.