Jennifer (1978)

I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

From my favorite movies..

Boring, long, and too preachy.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Considering how blatantly this movie imitates "Carrie", it's more entertaining than it really has any right to be. Key to its degree of success is the effectiveness of its protagonist and antagonist. You sympathize with our title character and are very put off by the cruelty of her nemesis. In fact, the acting is generally good, the filmmaking adequate. There is a certain amount of cheesiness on display, at least in the big finale where Jennifer unleashes Hell on her tormentors. Some of the special effects are pretty damn laughable.Lovely Lisa Pelikan plays Jennifer, a rural type who's earned a scholarship to a lavish private school. She lives with her widowed father Luke (legendary acting teacher and character actor Jeff Corey), a very religious pet store owner. At school her situation is dire, as snot nosed spoiled rotten jerks led by Sandra (Amy Johnston, "The Buddy Holly Story") ostracize Jennifer mostly just because she's not from their social circle. Fortunately for Jennifer she has an ability that will eventually serve her well: the ability to control deadly snakes.The cast of familiar faces includes Bert Convy as nice guy science teacher Jeff Reed, Nina Foch (who, like Corey, had success as both a performer and an acting teacher) as snooty headmistress Mrs. Calley, John Gavin ("Psycho" '60) as Sandras' politician father, Louise Hoven as overweight sad sack Jane Delano, Ray Underwood ("Massacre at Central High") as cruel jock Dayton, and Wesley Eure as "Pit", one of Sandras' and Daytons' friends. Pelikan as Jennifer is appealing, while Johnston is just so damn perfect - easily rivalling Nancy Allen in "Carrie" for vindictive, mean-spirited bitchiness - that the viewer relishes waiting for her comeuppance. Corey plays the role of the Bible thumping parent with a lot more subtlety than Piper Laurie did before him; he's good, but nowhere near as memorable. Only Eure tends to get under utilized.The movie comes complete with an unsubtle condemnation of upper crust types who think that they should be allowed to do anything that they want. It's all worth it just for that hilarious closing moment, as we hope to see *something* happen to a certain someone.Seven out of 10.

Jennifer is a Carrie clone in one sense. The other sense is it's a dull, not much happening, kind of film. Lisa Pelican as the taunted outsider Carrie type, is great, where Bert Convy's performance, as a concerned teacher, who befriends her, ironically kind of fits the dullness and sombre air of this film. These real posh bitches, an almost intolerable sort, steal the show, who keep taunting, new scholar, Jennifer, who receives less than a warm welcome at this upper class school, where she's rural, and of a lower class. They just keep coming at her until she finally breaks. I did like that continuity, and that did work. I was so waiting for Jennifer to break, and return forth vengeance on her taunters with her special gift. I wonder if you can guess what this is. Unlike Carrie, Jennifer, I'm afraid is just a time passer, one car on fire scene, resembling the one in Carrie's. Pelican is the only one, who's been done wrong here.

Jennifer is a recluse at an all girl's boarding school. Unlike her fellow peers, she is from a poor farming family and because of that and her smarts, she is humiliated over and over again. When her life is threatened, she taps into an old power she once had, the power to conjure up the serpents (a few of them larger then Godzilla) to ensure her survival.A lot of reviews have been calling Jennifer a Carrie clone, however the movie goes in its own direction. Jennifer is a lot more outgoing then Carrie, who practically was a mute. When Sandra, the queen bee, accuses her of providing the answers to a test, she blatantly denies it. The parental figure of both Carrie and Jennifer are both religious zealots in their own way. Carrie's mother is more violent, while Jennifer's father goes on drunken rants.For a 1978 film I think the pacing was good up until the climax which was a mere seven minutes long. With a low budget and technical limitations, we were given hand puppets with missing eyes versus actual demonic looking snakes. The musical score hit the beat, and the cinematography was decent. This story definitely deserves a remake, in my opinion.I give it an eight out of ten, because the acting and plot were in order.The Bannachecker - Horror Encyclopdia

I only saw the last half-hour of this film. I have been looking all over the four corners of the earth and finally found it available for order on the internet. When I see the whole thing, I'll make additional comments. I'm tired of maudlin films with reprehensible characters who get killed or suffer misfortune, only to have the other characters weeping or remorseful over the misfortune that character deserved to get. But that's not the case with Jennifer. It is uncompromising and doesn't pull any punches when exacting revenge on many of the film's vicious characters. Some of you have criticized the effects, but be understanding that without today's digital and computer effects, they were limited in what they could do. A good effort, with some reasonably well-known stars adding spice to the film.