Film

The Sender (1982)

Director: Roger Christian

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Having attempted suicide, 'John Doe 83' is taken to the state mental hospital. Involuntarily, he transmits his nightmares into the world where others witness them. In trying to build a relationship with the young amnesiac (Ivanek) and save him from electroshock therapy, Dr Farmer (Harrold) makes herself vulnerable to his night terrors. Not half as vulnerable as us, though: mirrors that bleed, a room full of rats, a head that comes off - and these are child's play compared to Shirley Knight's terrifying performance as John Doe's mother. Ivanek went on to put together a string of appearances throughout the next two decades, including roles in Hannibal and TV's 24, while director Christian would eventually fail the good taste and judgment test by adapting Scientology boss L Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth.

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