Considering that in the decades of the 1970’s and 80’s the horror genre was all the rage thanks to films like (in no specific order of preference or date) Jaws, The Exorcist, Halloween, The Wicker Man, Alien, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Suspiria, Possession, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Shining, Don’t Look Now, Videodrome, and so many more that could fill the entirety of this article, it is ridiculously easy to overlook some of them if -by any chance- you happen to be thinking about horror history.

One of those films I fear has been sometimes slightly forgotten is Sidney J. Furie’s The Entity. Considered by Martin Scorsese as one of the best and scariest horror films, it is centered on the real life story of a woman (played brilliantly by Barbara Hershey in one of her best performances), who is repeatedly and inexplicably haunted and sexually abused by an invisible force.

Despite being inspired by a real story, the actual film is based on a novel of the same title by Frank De Felitta, who is in charge of the script and is also the author of a novel titled Audrey Rose, previously adapted to the big screen by Robert Wise, starring Anthony Hopkins. De Felitta’s script, though not perfect, bounces between horror and a psychological thriller/drama as Hershey’s character finds herself unable to escape from the malevolent entity and its continuous abuses whilst she also has to deal with the incredulity of those around her -the only character who believes her, Dr. Sneiderman (Ron Silver), is generaly shot in threatening odd angles and close-ups that appear to undercut his sympathy towards her-.

Upon its release the film was received with protests and negative reviews, in part due to the raw and by no means subtle way in which the issue of sexual abuse is explored. However, taking aside the controversy, Furie -who years later stated that he did not believe that The Entity should be considered as a horror film- uses the familiar terms of the horror genre, exemplified by the tension that surrounds those bleak scenes, in conjunction with a domestic setting to make us witnesses of the brutality of the attacks; witnesses who have no possibility to act, only to close our eyes and imagine the worst. It is a shame, though, that the film ends up losing steam, reaching its third act and denouement focused on hackneyed scientific experiments which put a more conventional and sudden end to the ferocity of everything that has taken place before.

Furie’s direction aside, the film should be remembered mostly by Hershey’s central performance. Although she initially regretted having accepted the role, her acting is key for the film to work as well as it does. Appearing in the majority of the scenes, Hershey’s commitment is mesmerizing, not only does she excels at whatever the script throws at her, but also she never fails to capture the essence of a woman in charge of her children who becomes a victim of unexplained abuse – only to struggle in her quest to find people (mostly men) who believe her, ending the film as a guinea pig of sorts to prove the veracity of the attacks, though never losing her inner strength.

Slightly lost in a sea of horror films, not all of them being much better, The Entity feels both timely yet outdated in equal measure. On the one hand, it is remarkable, as it focuses on an issue like sexual abuse in which the victim has to do anything and everything to prove her credibility. On the other hand, it is a shame that its rawness and lack of sensibility can put audiences off Furie’s work, as The Entity is still a thrillingly disturbing horror film that can scare you beyond the expected jumpscares, echoing the worst fears of a society that, despite the recent shifts towards equality and the birth of the #MeToo movement, is still infected by abusers.