The Visitor (1979)

Directed by Michael J. Paradise. Starring John Huston, Joanne Nail, Paige Conner, Lance Henriksen, Glenn Ford, Mel Ferrer, Shelley Winters, Franco Nero, Sam Peckinpah. [R]

Cosmic Christ (Nero) sends intergalactic emissary Huston to Earth to prevent a child of Zatteen (aka, Satan) from being born and eventually coupling with a naughty telekinetic girl (Conner)—or something like that, based on the bizarre plot details that hardly make a lick of sense. If that description doesn’t pique one’s interest, take a look at the cast list, and rest assured that director Michael J. Paradise is an alternate name for Giulio Paradisi—what actors won’t do for a trip to Italy! (Some of it was shot in Atlanta, so maybe they were also Braves fans?) A film that defies easy categorization beyond aggressive “homage” (ripoff) of a dozen 60s and 70s horror and sci-fi hits before it (The Omen, Carrie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Birds, The Exorcist, etc.). It’s all a grab-bag of incoherent nonsense, of course; assembled as puzzle pieces that rarely fit together and photographed on celluloid periodically laced with LSD. But if appreciated on a so-what-if-it’s-bad-at-least-it’s-not-boring level, there’s some howling fun to be had. Nice use of distinctive locations and architecture; Conner’s sassy but murderous falcon steals all of its scenes.

39/100