The Entity

The Entity is a 1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Sidney J. Furie, and starring Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, David Labiosa, Maggie Blye, Jacqueline Brookes, and Alex Rocco. The film follows a single mother in Los Angeles who is raped and tormented by an invisible poltergeist-like entity in her home. It was adapted for the screen by Frank De Felitta from his 1978 novel of the same name, which was based on the 1974 case of Doris Bither, a woman who claimed to have been repeatedly sexually assaulted by an invisible assailant. Bither's case was documented by doctoral students in the now-defunct parapsychology department at the University of California, Los Angeles. Principal photography of The Entity took place over a ten week-period in Los Angeles and El Segundo, California, in the spring of 1981. Despite being completed and planned for a release later that year, the film went unreleased until the fall of 1982, when it was acquired by 20th Century Fox and given a theatrical release in the United Kingdom. It was released in the United States on February 4, 1983. The film grossed over $13 million at the box office against a $9 million budget and received moderately favorable critical reviews as well as acclaim for Hershey's performance. It has gone on to receive further praise from contemporary film critics. In addition to its paranormal elements, the film deals with themes of female sexual victimhood, sexual repression, and the family dynamics of single-parent households. It was met with some controversy from women's rights and feminist organizations during its original release due to its graphic depictions of female sexual assault.