Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Console best movie i've ever seen.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

stevencarthur This movie messes with your head- in all the right ways. It'll make you guess if what you're seeing is real. This movie surprised me- for I had never even heard of it. A unique hospital/psychiatric ward type of horror movie-- with interesting characters-- and a mystery that keeps you on your toes. Recommended.

lost-in-limbo Never really heard of "The Sender", but it turned out as quite a surprise. A solid refined production with dependable performances and an innovative concept with jarring psychological tension and grisly haunting imagery. A young man is admitted to a mental hospital after attempting suicide and the doctors know nothing about him, due to him having no memory. Dr Gail Farmer becomes his doctor and soon discovers that he has uncontrollable telepathic powers that begin to affect the minds of his fellow patients and the hospital staff. This happens whenever he seems threatened, hurt or upset by transmitting those visions. Farmer goes about seeking answers and these might lie in John Doe's #83's mother. A warm-hearted Kathryn Harrold brings a functional sense to her character Dr Farmer and Zeljko Ivanek creates an uneasy presence by shrouding his character with brooding mystery ("Why can't I control it?"). Accessible performances by Shirley Knight and Paul Freeman add some class. The narrative is completely offbeat and slow-boil, manipulating its characters and the suspenseful/mind-scratching situations they find themselves in. The harrowing mother and son relationship is interestingly staged and running through it is an ambiguous edge. Atmospherics are sombre and clinical with an excellent musical score by Trevor Jones. It's melodically eerie and unhinged with its cues… like the striking opening sequence with its elegant camera-work. A chilling, under-seen little supernatural horror gem from the 80s.

Vomitron_G More people should really seek out and watch THE SENDER. And the less you know about this film before going into it, the better. All you need to know about the plot, is the set-up. The film begins with a skillfully crafted, ominous scene in which a man (John Doe #83/The Sender) tries to commit suicide (how, you just have to see!). He doesn't succeed, and gets submitted to a mental hospital. From there on, the doctors have to find out who he is, and what his problems are. And rest assured, the more they discover, the creepier things get. This is a rather unique film, worthy of a bit more recognition. A bit slow in pace to some, perhaps, but for me the pace and rising tension were perfect. If any of you enjoyed films like Richard Franklin's PATRICK (1978) or Douglas Trumbull's BRAINSTORM (1983) - this one's maybe a bit of a stretch, as it's more sci-fi/thriller/drama orientated - then THE SENDER comes highly recommended.Aside from the steady pace of lingering creepiness & mystery, I found that there were at least two real "WTF?" moments in this film. Two scenes that took me by surprise in a way I didn't know whether to cheer or be terrified. A very good (psychologically tinted) horror film, indeed! Yes, I'm rating it highly, but compared to some of the trash I watch on a regular basis, this film deserves some extra praises. And Paramount should really make an effort to release a worthy DVD edition of this film, adding a commentary track by director Roger Christian and maybe some other fine special features. Their 2008 release features only the film and nothing more.

Lucien Lessard An mysterious young man (Zeljko Ivanek) tired to kill himself by drowning in a lake. He's been sent to the Mental Hostipal... supervised by his Psychiatrist Dr. Gail Farmer (Kathryn Harrold). Gail is starting to experienced strange things and the young man transfer his horrific nightmares to his doctor, other doctors and the patients in the hospital.Directed by Roger Christian (Battlefield Earth, Masterminds, Nostradamus) made an intriguing, solid, suspenseful horror/fantasy film. This has effective performances by Ivanek, Harrold, Paul Freeman and Shirley Knight. This is probably forgotten by now but it sort-of went on to be a Cult Classic. The DVD from Legend Films (Which is a division from Paramount). DVD has an fine anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an good Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound. There's no special features on the DVD. Director Christian certainly has an eye by creating genuine shocks and suspense but too bad... his later films never topped his first one, which is this picture. Slow going at times and confusing but certainly an well made movie. (****/*****).