Stranger in Our House
| Stranger in Our House | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Also known as | 'Summer of Fear' |
| Genre | Horror, thriller |
| Based on |
Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan |
| Screenplay by |
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| Directed by | Wes Craven |
| Starring | |
| Composer(s) | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Micheline H. Keller |
| Producer(s) |
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| Cinematography | William K. Jurgensen |
| Editor(s) | Howard A. Smith |
| Production company(s) |
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| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | October 31, 1978 |
Micheline H. Keller
Stranger in Our House (also released as Summer of Fear) is a 1978 American made-for-television horror film directed by Wes Craven and starring Linda Blair, Lee Purcell, Jeremy Slate, Jeff McCracken and Jeff East. The film is based on the book Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan and premiered on NBC on October 31, 1978.
The story concerns a young woman named Julia (Lee Purcell) who goes to live with her aunt's family after she loses both her parents and their housekeeper in a car crash. Although they haven't seen her in ten years, Julia's aunt Leslie, her husband Tom (Jeremy Slate), her son Peter (Jeff East), daughter Rachel (Linda Blair) and youngest son Bobby (James Jarnigan) are all eager to make the new member of the house feel welcome. Rachel is especially thrilled at the thought of having a girl her age around the house and even offers to split her bedroom with her cousin, but Julia seems painfully shy. The family takes note of her strange accent, as it's not the way most people who live on the east coast speak. Trying to open up a bit, Julia gets a makeover and develops a more sophisticated façade.
One day, Rachel's horse Sundance attacks Julia and tries to trample her. Julia recovers and begins insinuating herself into the family. Rachel's brother and dad seem particularly taken with the fetching young lady in their midst. Odd things begin to happen. After having earlier found a human tooth among Julia's belongings, Rachel discovers a photo of herself missing...and her face breaks out in blotchy hives. She also begins to notice that Julia doesn't always have a reflection in the mirror. The hives render Rachel unable to attend a dance. Julia accompanies Rachel's boyfriend Mike (Jeff McCracken) instead, borrowing a dress that Rachel had made for herself; an arrangement that Rachel should never have agreed to because Mike becomes smitten with Julia and they begin dating. To make matters worse, the cousin also forges a close friendship with Carolyn (Fran Drescher), Rachel's best friend. The next day, Rachel enters into a competition with Sundance, where the horse flips out, breaking its leg in the process and forcing a vet to put it to sleep.
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Wikipedia