Product Details

• Actors: Linda Blair, Lee Purcell, Jeremy Slate, Jeff McCracken, Jeff East
• Directors: Wes Craven
• Writers: Max A. Keller, Glenn M. Benest, Lois Duncan
• Producers: Bill Finnegan, Max A. Keller, Micheline H. Keller, Patricia Finnegan
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Live / Artisan
• DVD Release Date: February 18, 2003
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000844IE
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,769 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Summer of Fear" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

From famed horror master Wes Craven comes a chilling thriller starring acclaimed actress Linda Blair! When Rachel's cousin Julia comes to live with the family farm, unsettling things begin to occur. Casting an alluring spell over everyone she meets, Julia slowly lures everyone away from Rachel. Terrifying instances of the occult begin to take place, forcing Rachel to fight for survival against what is revealed to be a horrifying demonic presence!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nicely done., November 24, 2003

By	Ryan "Ryan" (Greenport, New York United States) - See all my reviews

To be truely correct: Wes Craven's "Summer of Fear". Actually, "Wes Craven Presents Lois Duncan's Summer of Fear".

18 year old Rachel Bryant is getting used to the fact that her aunt and uncle have died in a car crash. But mostly, her cousin Julia who was at boarding school at the time. It's summer, and Rachel thinks she can deal with her cousin Julia. But there is something funny about Julia....

Rachel finds strange artifacts in her room that she is sharing with Julia such as a picture of herself with red splotches all over it. Wait a minute....Rachel suddenly suffered from hives a few days ago. And Rachel's horse has acted strangely around Julia until it suddenly had to be put down. And there is a strange figure with her horses hair on it....What is going on with Julia?!

I enjoyed "Summer Of Fear" since I first saw it on TV several years ago under the title "Stranger in Our House". It's creepy and some good plot twists help make this a winning horror flick for the ages.

RECCOMENDED TO FANS OF:
Witchcraft (1988)
Burnt Offerings (1976)
The Craft (1996)

CAST
Linda Blair .... Rachel Bryant
Lee Purcell .... Julia
Jeremy Slate .... Tom Bryant
Jeff McCracken .... Mike Gallagher

THE MOVIE: 3.5/4

THE PICTURE QUALITY: 7/10 In 1.33:1 full screen. That's probably the original aspect ratio since it's a tv movie. There is a large amounts of specs and grittyness thoughout the movie.

THE AUDIO QUALITY: 9.5/10 You can choose from 5.1 Dolby Digital or 2.0 dolby Stereo. The commentary is in 2.0 Stereo. Great listening!

THE SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio Commentary with director Wes Craven and producer Max Keller, director and cast filmographies and sneak peeks.

SUBTITLES: English.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beware of Strangers, March 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Summer of Fear [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I saw this movie back when I was 10 or 11 years old. This movie is a classic, old-fashioned spooky movie that I could watch during a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon. It was REALLY GOOD. I haven't seen it since it came out back in '78. I don't even think it's been shown on TV much since, either. I'm glad it came back on video. There's not too much to the storyline, but the ending will throw you, especially if you've never seen it before. Watch it and enjoy. Oh! It's good to see Linda Blair in a "good" role versus the "evil" roles like "The Exorcist".

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun TV movie!!!, June 22, 2004

By	Mark Twain "Sam" (www.chismetime.com) - See all my reviews

When young Julia's (Lee Purcell) parents are killed in a car accident, she moves in with cousin Rachel (Linda Blair) and her family. At first, things are seemingly normal, but Rachel quickly comes to believe that the distant newcomer is a witch who's out to steal her boyfriend, her father, and her new party dress.

The story is based on Louis Duncan's (I Know What You Did Last Summer) well-regarded young adult novel. For Linda Blair, the role marks a transition between her prepubescent "Exorcist" character and the flashy roles she'd play a few years later. In the same way, for director Wes Craven, the film is a huge step away from his early exploitation attempts (Last House on the Left, The Hills have Eyes) and toward mainstream respectability (A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream).

Produced for CBS television in the 70's, as A Stranger in the House, standards and practices at the time didn't allow any gore or extreme violence -- a pair of demonic eyes and a car crash or two is all you're gonna get, so don't expect any more than cheesy 70's PG-13 violence. But comparing Wes Craven's early efforts, Summer of Fear is actually his most accomplished film, at least technically. His first feature shot on 35mm, Fear looks slicker, is generally better acted, and comes from acclaimed source material, which it sticks pretty closely to.

That's not to say Summer of Fear is an undiscovered classic. The film is very campy, and offers plenty of unintentional laughs. Craven's direction is often rough and amateurish, but he shows some flair with background/foreground compositions and even throws in a few classic Craven-ian dream sequences to appease the Elm Street gang. I also like the fun supporting cast, including an appropriately bitchy Lee Purcell as the bad girl, a young Fran Drescher as Blair's best friend, and even Superman himself, Jeff East, complete with a bad perm.

This is a fun film to say the least, recommended for fans of the novel and those anxious to see Craven's Pre-Scream films. Don't expect anything special and you will have a good time. Thank you Artisan, for releasing this forgotten, but never lost, TV movie.