One of the best haunting films I have ever seen. Much of what is made nowadays don't even come closer. When I first saw it, I was taken by a grateful surprise. Comparisons not taken for granted, but this one made me feel the same way I did when I saw The Shining for the first time. The atmosphere of the place and the beauty of the ghost woman are way too pleasing. Haven't seen it for a long time now. VHS disappeared from the surface of the earth, but I would certainly like a second try. Does anybody know of any plans for a DVD or even a Blu-ray? I am eager to buy it. Film Studio: think about it! Don't let such a gem get lost in oblivion.

The original story line was of a writer who moved into this supposed haunted house in hopes of sparking an idea for a new novel. He is haunted in his dreams by the ghost of a young girl who lures him into the cellar. Over a period of about a month and creative investigation on the houses history, he discovers that a young girl, who was 15 years old at the turn of the century, became pregnant by her boyfriend. The father was so ashamed and so enraged by his daughters behavior, that he walled her up alive down in the cellar. Nearly a hundred years goes by before her story is learned by our writer. He opens up the wall in the cellar and finds a cavity that has been exposed to the elements. The odd noises he heard during the previous month seems to have been coming from this cavity. He decides its all in his imagination, and that it could make a good book. What he doesn't see is that there is another room off to the side of the cavity that contains a skeleton of a young girl. This movie was based on a short story entitled "The Hidden Truth". And was written by yours truly in 1987.

The always outstanding Terry ("The Stepfather," "Pin") O'Quinn gives a typically vivid, intense and beautifully wrought performance as Bob Anderson, an affable and eccentric novelist who smokes raunchy cigars, wears a fedora and suffers from writer's block because of the recent untimely death of his wife. Bob moves into a creepy, decrepit old Victorian house that's haunted by the dangerously seductive and melancholy spirit of murdered, adulterous 19th century housewife Evelyn James (a fine, sultry debut performance by Blair Parker, a voluptuous, raven-haired brunette beauty who looks quite delectable sans clothes). Evelyn wants the troubled, on edge Bob to kill himself and join her in the after life so she won't be lonely and unloved anymore. Writer/director Phillip Badger does an adept job of creating and sustaining an appropriately brooding, spooky atmosphere, the story may not be especially novel, but it's constantly absorbing throughout, the ever-spunky Kristy McNichol contributes an appealing turn as a concerned neighbor, grossly underused late, great flash-in-the-pan 80's scream queen Elisabeth ("The Howling," "Deep Space") Brooks has a nice cameo as a foxy night club torch singer, the movie offers an almost painfully poignant, trenchant and accurate examination of how maddening loneliness can become, and the startlingly bleak conclusion packs a potent emotional punch. Eerie, erotic and refreshingly offbeat, "The Forgotten One" qualifies as an extremely well-done and undeservedly neglected little fright film sleeper.

This movie is a genuine sleeper. Not many know about this one, but it's definetely one of my favourites! Terry O'Quinn (from The Stepfather) is great as a writer who rents an old house, and is haunted by a strange presence in it. The movie is very atmospheric and at times hypnotic in it's handling of the ghost-theme, and has some genuine twists in the story and a great ending!