As a lover of TV movies and supernatural drama I was hoping for the best with this film.But it must rank as one of the lamest cheapest and just plain stupidest movies ever made.. The script was appalling and Diane Baker,(a fine actress),must surely be embarrassed by allowing herself to get involved in such nonsense. The parents were clearly a pair of compulsive liars who needlessly and nastily scared the life out of their children, to make a few bucks from their book. Janet Smurf comes across as a chain smoking mental case.And whats with all the praying when if anything it appeared more like the work of a poltergeist?.They even mention it getting it's power from the girls some of whom are entering puberty.I'm not sure whether it was the film or the actual family who were getting confused from all the hysteria and deceit. I gave the film a 2. But if you view it as a comedy it deserves an 8!!..

this film really scared me the horrors that come out today are to Hollywood this was real and gritty i liked the way the film was made it made it feel more real the parts that scared me the most were the voices that janet heard the rape scene and of course the scene when the smurl family had gone on there camping trip and the neighbours saw the all the activity in the house the banging the screaming the strange lights its like nothing I've ever seen before. i have tried for a long time to get a copy of this film without any luck if any body knows where i can get a copy please can you let me know. i just hope Hollywood doesn't get its hands on and try to remake it

Not only is this a weak haunted house story (although based on a true life story), but the acting and direction is downright foolish and unconvincing. The special effects are possibly the worst feature of all, with the demons completely lacking any sort of evil presence and simply shapeless blobs.You have to wonder how someone like DIANE BAKER got talked into doing this turkey. She's just one of a series of people who try to rid the house of demons at the request of homeowners JEFFREY DeMUNN and SALLY KIRKLAND. Kirkland's awkward handling of cigarettes, together with her over-the-top performance, is distracting, to say the least. Of all the adults in the cast, DeMunn is the most competent.But nothing happens that hasn't been featured in a dozen other stories about haunted houses in normal looking neighborhoods. This shows its made-for-TV origins in every scene and compares unfavorably to many other stories told on any number of cable stations dealing with real tales of haunted homes.Not recommended--nor does it have a satisfying ending--merely a message on the screen that a few years later a better exorcism was sanctioned by the Catholic Church and this time it was successful.

It's sad that this movie was doomed by a made-for-TV budget which apparently kept it from being shot on location in Pennsylvania. A California craftsman home and L.A.'s distinctly painted curbs add a note of inauthenticity to this story. Unfortunately not the only such note.The opening is intriguing. When Janet Smurl hears her mother's voice calling, and realizes that it's a disembodied voice, we're off to a chilling start. An array of creepy phenomena draws us into the story, but soon it bogs down in a plodding script, made slower by boring fades and unnecessary time-date stamps.The performances are all good, but the characterizations are marred by cheesy teased and sprayed hairstyles. No matter how intense the action, not a hair flops out of place or absorbs a drop of sweat. Every character, male or female, has mannequin hair.When the supposedly Catholic family begins singing "Amazing Grace" to ward off the evil, it's borderline laughable. Later, the hymn "Ave Maria" is used, much more appropriate and to better effect.The last half is where things really fall apart. The narrative breaks down into clumsily constructed, poorly paced episodes. Characters come and go, without much story progression or dramatic build-up. Ironically, this film probably worked better with commercials breaking it up.Most surprising about this movie is that the cinematography was nominated for a Golden Globe. It's generally uninteresting, with awkward group shots and flat lighting which fails to disguise the cheesier effects. As in the kitchen drawers flying in and out scene. A badly executed steal from The Exorcist.The best scene is undoubtedly the succubus scene. It's nicely set up and perfectly cast and made-up. It just makes you wish the director had more time or energy to rock the rest of this movie. And that he had a better script to work with.