Right before Barbara Hershey landed a prominent role in 1983’s critically acclaimed The Right Stuff, she found herself in a very different kind of project. Based on a true story, 1983’s The Entity saw Hershey in a supernatural horror tale.

One evening Carla Moran (Hershey) finds herself sexually assaulted by an invisible force. When she discusses this with various authorities, none believe her, as they chalk it up to psychological delusions.

More of these bizarre attacks occur. Desperate for assistance, Carla seeks the help of parapsychologists as they attempt to rectify her situation.

Martin Scorsese recently created his list of the 11 scariest movies of all-time. Along with known classics such as Psycho and The Exorcist, Scorsese included The Entity.

In his blurb to discuss this choice, Scorsese stated that “the banal settings, the California-modern house, accentuate the unnerving quality.” I might understand this impression if the same era didn’t produce another horror film along the same lines: 1982’s Poltergeist.

And I’d argue Poltergeist handled the material in a more effective manner, though my history with the two films creates a sort of apples/oranges deal. Whereas I watched – and enjoyed - Poltergeist during its summer 1982 theatrical run, I never viewed Entity until this 2019 Blu-ray arrived.

This makes it tough for me to interpret the Poltergeist vs. Entity comparison in a genuinely objective way. I just have too much of an attachment to the former to contrast the two in a truly “fair” manner.

Nonetheless, when I try to put on my “Mr. Objective” hat, I think Poltergeist becomes the more satisfying exploration of the subject matter. Entity comes with some good moments, but unlike the consistently effective Poltergeist, it loses steam and becomes less impactful as it goes.

During the film’s first act, Entity operates pretty well. It involves us in Carla’s story and creates some genuinely unnerving moments, especially when the supernatural force rapes Carla in the bathtub.

Before too long, though, Entity loses much of its impact, partly because it eliminates the mystery. The movie makes matters so literal that we no longer wonder if the terror remains in Carla’s head, and without that question, the story becomes less effective.

That’s largely because so much of Entity continues to focus on the “is it real or is it Memorex?” side of the narrative. We get seemingly endless scenes of various doctors as they pooh-pooh Carla’s concerns, but once the audience views the supernatural elements for themselves, these moments feel superfluous and pointless.

This particularly occurs due to the pervasive presence of Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silverman), the psychiatrist Carla initially consults. I guess the filmmakers felt his relentless protests and intervention would add tension and drama, but these moments seem unnecessary.

After all, we follow a story about a woman being raped by some sort of spirits. Why do we need a whiny psychiatrist to add to the impact?

We don’t, and these choices flop along with other tension-damaging decisions. Various plot digressions detract from the narrative and just make the movie less focused and less involving.

At least Hershey adds some power to the tale. No matter how absurd the story becomes, she manages to ground the movie and she never “acts down” to the increasingly silly events around her.

Hershey can’t fully redeem the project, though. While The Entity works pretty well for a while, it fades as it progresses and becomes mediocre by the end.

The Entity appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. I’ve seen better, but I’ve also seen worse than this generally positive transfer.

Sharpness appeared generally adequate, and most of the movie seemed acceptably clear and accurate. However, wide shots often came across as a little soft and fuzzy, with less-crisp definition than I'd expect.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and edge haloes remained absent, but print flaws caused distractions. I witnessed specks and small marks through the film. These didn’t become a major distraction, but they cropped up on a persistent basis.

Entity went with a semi-amber/brown palette that the disc replicated in an acceptable manner. While the colors didn’t excel, they seemed fine given the nature of the visual choices.

Blacks looked deep for the most part, and low-light shots came across as fairly clear and smooth. The source flaws and the softness left this as a “C+” transfer.

The movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack fared better, as it brought a reasonably engaging mix. Though much of the audio felt subdued, the supernatural scenes brought out the elements in a vivid manner.

This meant the different spooky components popped up around the room and blended together in a satisfying manner. The score also used the various speakers nicely and meshed well.

Audio quality was perfectly acceptable. Some speech sounded a little edgy, but the lines were usually natural and concise.

Though effects tended to show their age, they were reasonably accurate. I noticed little in the way of distortion, and they offered fairly nice low-end response.

Music became the most dynamic aspect of the track, as the score pounded home during the louder scare moments and also appeared smooth and clear for the quieter moments. Though the mix showed its age, it still held up pretty well.

The Blu-ray comes with a mix of extras, and we launch with an audio commentary from film historian Daniel Kremer. The biographer of director Sidney J. Furie, Kremer offers a running discussion of Furie’s life and career as well as details related to Entity.

In a formal sense, Kremer gives us a screen-specific chat, but in truth, that doesn’t pan out. Kremer refers to the on-screen action maybe four or five times during the commentary, so he mostly sticks with information that doesn’t correspond to the action.

For the most part, Kremer gives us notes about Furie’s career, so Entity specifics become less dominant. I’d prefer a more balanced chat, especially because Kremer occasionally lurches into fairly superfluous tangents, but he still offers a reasonably good talk.

A few video programs follow, and we get an Interview with Actor Barbara Hershey. In this 19-minute, 29-second piece, Hershey examines her role, her performance and other aspects of the film. Hershey provides a very good look at the topics and seems honest and informative.

A co-star appears via an Interview with Actor David Labiosa. The reel spans 13 minutes, 31 seconds and presents Labiosa’s thoughts about his career and his experiences during the Entity production. The actor offers an enjoyable take on his work.

Next comes an Interview with Composer Charles Bernstein. During this 16-minute, 59-second piece, Bernstein examines his score for the film. Bernstein brings useful insights into the music and his choices.

We also get an Interview with Editor Frank J. Urioste. This goes for 12 minutes, eight seconds and offers information about the movie’s editing as well as some spooky experiences along the way. This becomes a less substantial chat than the others, but Urioste still gives us some good notes.

The Entity Files lasts 27 minutes, 30 seconds and features parapsychologist Dr. Barry Taff as he talks about the case that inspired Entity. I’d prefer a view from someone other than a self-described psychic, but Taff’s close involvement in the story makes his point of view worthwhile.

With Trailers from Hell, we get a two-minute, 19-second clip with filmmaker Luca Guadagnino. He comments as he watches the trailer for Entity. Guadagnino offers a few decent thoughts, but the segment’s too short to mean much.

Some Blu-ray staples flesh out the disc. In addition to the film’s trailer, we get two TV spots and two radio spots.

Finally, the set provides a Still Gallery. It shows 27 images that mix shots from the film and ads. It becomes a mediocre compilation.

Martin Scorsese may find The Entity to offer one of the scariest movies ever made, but I can’t agree. While the film starts well, it gets less and less effective as it goes, all as it builds toward a fairly ludicrous climax. The Blu-ray brings adequate visuals as well as pretty good audio and a mix of largely informative supplements. Though The Entity comes with some good moments, Poltergeist provides a much more effective version of its themes.