The Other Year: 1972 Director: Robert Mulligan Written by: Thomas Tryon Threat: Schizophrenic Weapon of Choice: Pitchfork Based upon: novel - The Other - Thomas Tryon IMDb page:

Other movies in this series:
None

The tyranist's thoughts
Please, please, whatever else you do, promise me that you will not watch this movie while driving or even shortly before you intend to drive. If not for me, do it for those you love. Or those that love you. Or anyone. Just don't take your life into your own hands that way. It can only bring sadness.
In what can only be described as Little House on the Prairie meets some sicko's psychotic dream, a boy lives in a rural setting and sees tragedy befall those around him. Repeatedly. It mostly seems to be his brother's dastardly influence, but who is to tell.
This was so dry and boring that I struggled to maintain consciousness. There were several moments when I just wanted to tell Rish that I was going to bed and he could let me know how it ended in the morning. Alas, I stuck it out and was completely unrewarded. The movie just wasn't worth it. The initial premise, as is often the case, had promise, but not much more.
View this one at your own risk. Posted: December 27, 2004

Rish's Reviews
Looks like tyranist has left it up to me to really talk about this film. Remind me to kick him the next time he's around.
But he's right: the film was extremely dull and absolutely no fun. Even though it was directed by the man who made To Kill a Mockingbird and Summer of '42, I find little to recommend here. Made in the early Seventies, the pace was unbearable, with endless conversations, monologues, and frolicking scenes designed to cement your eyes firmly shut. Still, there is death by pitchfork, heart attack, falling down a well, fire, and drowning, so that's almost a positive.
The acting was really good, actually. Uta Hagen was good in her role, as was the child actor who played both the twi .. . . wait, there really were twins. What the bloody hell? John Ritter appeared in a smallish role, and I realise that he is one of the few people on this site who earned both Future Celebrity and Former Celebrity Skulls. Poor guy.
There were a couple of extended semi-witchcraft scenes that really went nowhere, and I have to commend the filmmakers on daring to kill a . . .
Well, I can't tell you, can I?
Wait, you're never going to see this movie, are you? I mean, how many Uta Hagen fans can there be? And among those, how many that would watch dull, dry Horror?
Okay, I'll tell you. An infant. They kill an infant.
Happy now?
I'd Recommend It To: Uta Hagen's legions of insatiable fans.
Posted: January 4, 2005

Total Skulls: 10

Sequel
Sequel setup
Rips off earlier film
Horror film showing on TV/in theater in movie
Future celebrity appears		John Ritter
Former celebrity appears
Bad title
Bad premise
Bad acting
Bad dialogue
Bad execution
MTV Editing
OTS
Girl unnecessarily gets naked
Wanton sex
Death associated with sex
Unfulfilled promise of nudity
Characters forget about threat
Secluded location
Power is cut
Phone lines are cut
Someone investigates a strange noise
Someone runs up stairs instead of going out front door
Camera is the killer
Victims cower in front of a window/door
Victim locks self in with killer
Victim running from killer inexplicably falls
Toilet stall scene
Shower/bath scene
Car stalls or won't start
Cat jumps out
Fake scare
Laughable scare
Stupid discovery of corpse
Dream sequence
Hallucination/Vision
No one believes only witness
Crazy, drunk, old man knows the truth
Warning goes unheeded
Music detracts from scene
Death in first five minutes
x years before/later
Flashback sequence
Dark and stormy night
Killer doesn't stay dead
Killer wears a mask
Killer is in closet
Killer is in car with victim
Villain is more sympathetic than heroes
Unscary villain/monster
Beheading
Blood fountain
Blood spatters - camera, wall, etc.
Poor death effect
Excessive gore
No one dies at all
Virgin survives
Geek/Nerd survives
Little kid lamely survives
Dog/Pet miraculously survives
Unresolved subplots
"It was all a dream" ending
Unbelievably happy ending
Unbelievably crappy ending
What the hell?