Jennifer (1978)

[Corner Camping Noob]

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=14435

Sorry if there's an existing thread.

[BrianS]

I'm curious to check this one out. Thanks

[phoenixandrew]

The fact that Bert Convy is in this movie makes it hard for me to take "Jennifer" seriously. I've always viewed him more as a game-show host than a serious actor.

[grim_tales]

That synopsis sounds like a rip-off of Carrie...

[raybestos]

Are any reviews of this up yet? It seems like it wasn't given much love judging by the technical specs, 15 Gig out of 25 Gig used on the disc for the feature. Less than 20 mbps bitrate for the film? Hard to believe Kino wasted 8 gigs of space possible for more breathing room. . . Seems lazy encoding.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by raybestos

Are any reviews of this up yet? It seems like it wasn't given much love judging by the technical specs, 15 Gig out of 25 Gig used on the disc for the feature. Less than 20 mbps bitrate for the film? Hard to believe Kino wasted 8 gigs of space possible for more breathing room. . . Seems lazy encoding.

dvd talk has a review if you want to check it out--

I bought this film, the PQ looks decent for a low budget 70's flick... I thought Kino's "To All A Goodnight" looked pretty mediocre... flat and grainy... Jennifer was fine PQ wise...

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by grim_tales

That synopsis sounds like a rip-off of Carrie...

It was !

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Interesting - Jennifer sounds like it may be worth a rental, but I doubt I would pay good $ for this.

As was said, it definitely sounds like a B-grade Carrie rip-off; since I thought the original novel & '70's film were both masterpieces (also liked the 2013 re-make), I'm sure this won't impress me too much...

[Torchur]

[Nocturnaloner]

Originally Posted by Torchur

...

I have not seen a single one of those. Have anything to say about them?

[inconsistentluddite]

I watched this for the first time a few nights ago (it was a blind buy from Kino's ongoing "While Supplies Last" sale), and I have to say, while it's undeniably heavily inspired by "Carrie," and it's also not the masterpiece that "Carrie" is, I enjoyed "Jennifer" much, much more than I thought I would.

The acting, on average, is not even close to being the cringe-fest that I had slightly feared. Quite the opposite! Lisa Pelikan is very good in the title role, and all of the young female co-stars are memorable in their catty cruelty toward her. One character (other than Jennifer, that is) actually even shows some genuine, affecting pathos at times, but I don't want to go into spoiler territory. Bert Convy (the game-show host in real life), does surprisingly well, too, in a serious role as Jennifer's teacher who is trying to help her. (This movie makes me want to look more deeply into his acting career to see what else he may have done!)

"Jennifer" is not a classic, top-tier horror movie (not like its clear inspiration), but it's still a good one, in my book at least, with some disturbing moments, some spooky moments, and fine performances overall. I'm glad to have it in my collection, and I will be happily watching it again in the future. If you're interested, you should buy it now, as once it completely sells out, it will not be getting renewed or reprinted-- at least not by Scorpion/Kino, and I suspect, not by other companies. It's currently $8.99 on Blu-ray and $4.99 on DVD at Kino's site. I would go for the Blu-ray, which has nice PQ. I do wish that there were some extras, beyond the original trailer that is included, but the movie alone is worth more than $8.99. It's also more, in my view, than just a "Carrie" knock-off alone. It definitely would not have existed without the massive success and inspiration of "Carrie," two years earlier, but the acting in "Jennifer" elevates it, for me, beyond the dismissal, as just a simplistic "Carrie" rip-off, that I was half-expecting to have as my own reaction throughout the movie. I'm glad that I took a chance on this film.

[Jobla]

Bert Convy was also in Corman's A BUCKET OF BLOOD. However, his name might have been spelled as "Burt" Convy back then. I'd have to check on that.

[inconsistentluddite]

Originally Posted by Jobla

Bert Convy was also in Corman's A BUCKET OF BLOOD. However, his name might have been spelled as "Burt" Convy back then. I'd have to check on that.

That makes sense, as "Jennifer" is an API film! Thanks for the information!

I still have not seen "A Bucket of Blood," but knowing that Convy is in it definitely gives me the added impetus (out of sheer curiosity to see his performance) that I needed to put it on my list "to-buy-soon" movies!