Pin (1989)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

A Masterpiece!

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

"Pin" is an anatomically correct, see-through mannequin. His interests include tutoring, chocolates and terrorizing young ladies. Pin speaks with a slow, thin, whispery voice. His educational expertise includes math and sex. He also enjoys listening to incestuous poetry and creeping quietly in the dark. Pin's story is destined to become a cult classic. The strength of this movie lies not in direction, nor necessarily in acting, but in story. Pin is one of the strangest movies you'll watch. Scenes include a skinless mannequin giving a private sex lecture to a young brother and sister, a man giving his daughter an abortion, and a nurse who uses Pin as a sex doll when she thinks no one else is watching.This neglected gem is an example of 1980's horror at its most creative. Its not a gory film by any means, but it will chill you to the bone, as its a superbly crafted psychological study into the mental disintegration of a fragile mind. The most disquieting scenes of course involve Pin, whether its involving Leon, or just when another character is alone in the room with the mannequin. It seems to exude a threat even when Leon is not around to carry out Pin's 'bidding'. At the heart of this film is a superb performance by David Hewlett as the adult Leon. He gives a very sympathetic performance of someone whose mind has been unbalanced by the maladjusted childhood he has gone through. Cynthia Preston is also very good as the grown up Ursula, who tries to get her life back together, whilst also coping with the increasing demands of Leon/Pin. Don't expect anything too exploitative or overly sensational, as 'Pin' builds up the tension and the scares by telling a good story and providing proper character development. A fascinating film!!Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

Just a heads up.... the full plot synopsis on IMDb stupidly gives away the whole story so try not to read it. I wish they wouldn't do that it ruins so many movies.Anyway - back to my review - which contains NO spoilers at all.Although it does lean towards drama more than horror it still delivers in a similar way to Hitchock's atmospheric style. This is a superbly crafted chiller and even more so given it was a low budget offering in the middle of the 80's horror flick bonanza. There's no gore, excessive violence or cheap thrills in this baby. A fascinating tale refreshingly free of cliché or predictability and beautifully directed with excellent acting add up to a must see movie. Although those looking for the slash & scream/giggle end of the horror genre might be disappointed. I loved this. And I think you will too. Why is it always so hard to find these gems?

Director/screenwriter Sandor Stern (who you might remember also adapted the book The Amityville Horror for the silver-screen in 1979) brings another book to the screen, in this case one by Andrew Neiderman, who penned a book that would later be a tad more popular the Devil's Advocate, perhaps you've heard of it.Leon (David Hewlett of Stargate: Atlantis and Scanners 2) and Ursula (Cynthia Preston, the voice of Zelda in the Lenged of Zelda) are living on their own in their parents mansion after they die in a car accident. Leon is a tad off to say the least and chooses to have Pin, a life-sized anatomically correct medical dummy that his father (the legendary Terry O'Quinn) had used as a ventriloquist doll, as his best friend. When Leon feels threatened be it from an aunt that the siblings don't particularly care for or an admirer of Ursula that Leon gets jealous of (yes Leon's slightly incestrial, I neglected to mention that), bad things start to happen.This film comes off like a slightly more twisted version of Psycho, with the dummy providing stand-in for Norman's deceased mother. It's never a question of Leon being very mentally ill, but the movie is just provides a morbid and tense enough atmosphere to stand on it's own right. There are a few plot points that don't go anywhere (both Urusula's abortion & the strange nurse who gets off on Pin are no sooner mentioned as they are forgotten, the latter being a particular WTF moment, although that experience could've contributed to young Leon's mental state in retrospect), but overall it's a tightly told tale that I found myself happy to watch. Just don't go into the film expecting a scare-fest, as it's much more concerned with the psychological terror.And to think if I hadn't saw this on Instant Netflix via Xbox 360, I would not have given it a chance. That would truly have been a crying shame.Eye Candy: Helene Udy gets topless My Grade: B+

"Pin" has a strong, troubling, psycho-sexual undercurrent -- that's why I like it. I didn't mind the Andrew Neiderman novel, either, which presented the character of Pin from a totally realistic perspective. The atmosphere director Sandor Stern conjures here reminded me of the Virginia Andrews novel,"Flowers in the Attic", though not the ghastly film version. The children's world is enclosed and corruption of some kind is inevitable. In this, Pin is a life-size medical mannequin who is used as a parental surrogate for two children whose parents are too screwed up and occupied with their own affairs to see the folly of their decisions. The film is dark and moody, sexually loaded, and awfully grim in parts. The "voice" of Pin is disturbing in the extreme and his mere presence in each scene is fascinating but unnerving. Directed with enormous skill and beautifully acted. A treasure.