A Reflection of Fear

Plot synopsis:
The film is set in an alienated mansion in Eastern Canada that houses Marguerite, 15, the main protagonist, her mother Katherine and her maternal grandmother, Julia.
Marguerite suffers from what appears to be paranoia as is apparent when she is shown talking to her dolls, especially one named Aaron or an amoeba collected from a pond, or painting unsettling pictures in seclusion. She is also known to take shots on a daily basis, the reason remaining unspecified.
Out of the blue, she expresses her yearning to connect with her father, Michael, a writer, who was estranged from the family for a decade and is now in a relationship with a woman named Anne. Katherine and Julia take issue with Marguerite's desire, but Michael, on the pretext of obtaining a divorce from Katherine, arrives at the hamlet with Anne and feels the need to fortify his relationship with his daughter.
In time, Marguerite's affection for her father turns inordinate and her sense of insecurity escalates as she is seen spying on the members of the household through crevices. "Aaron" murders Katherine in her bed with the aid of a wooden pole and also kills Julia.
Following these incidents, Marguerite is comforted by her father who arranges for an outing to a local beach for Marguerite, Anne and himself. There, it is evident to Anne that the father-daughter relationship between Michael and Marguerite is excessive as is revealed by their immoderate physical contact and Michael's doting on her, even disregarding Anne who walks away dejectedly to be met with a knowing look from Hector, the young man at the inn.
After the picnic, Anne confronts Michael about his questionable behavior towards his daughter, following which they attempt to make love and Marguerite is shown masturbating in her room, crying out for her father when she approaches her climax.
In the events that follow, Hector attempts to make a move on Marguerite and mysteriously, his boat spirals out of control, rendering him dead.
Later, Marguerite, who is intoxicated with the violent element in her personality, attempts to pounce on Anne, who has temporarily left Michael after an altercation ensued, but is rendered safe by an unknown figure.
That night, Marguerite, in the personality of Aaron, carries out repeated attacks intended to kill Michael who pursues her around the house and upon closing in, a recording is played that reveals Michael's call to the hospital in which Marguerite was delivered fifteen years ago when the nurse informed him that Katherine had delivered a boy.

Tags: tragedy, psychedelic, murder, violence, plot twist

Review:
A pretty, but strange teenager(Sondra Locke) is the crucial link in a series of brutal murders..
Mary Ure and Signe Hasso are appropriately sinister as Locke's overprotective mother and grandmother.
Robert Shaw is the disturbed young girl's estranged father who returns home to announce he's going to marry lovely Sally Kellerman.
When I saw this film it was a on the double bill with Columbia's THE CREEPING FLESH, back in about 1973.A FLECTION OF FEAR is a lot like Paramount pictures sadly never released on tape, LETS SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH, and the Canadian picture: THE PYX.
Who is the deranged killer, a boy grounds keeper, a emotionally disturbed girl, her father (Robert Shaw in a pre-jaws role)or a weird sinister doll.
A lot of pretty frightening films were released in the early 70's and I was afraid to walk around in the dark alone for years after seeing this film.
This was especially true in the scenes of Sondra Locke's doll filled room.
When the camera panned around the room showing (dark) close ups of all her dolls somewhat weird looking faces in various states of disrepair or use from age...brr.
And most of all the one life-sized doll sitting silently in a rocking chair with a black cape and grim reaper like hood masking its features.....exactly as the killer is garbed.
THIS is the central mystery to the entire film.Since I saw This film at a pretty young age,I was for years frightened to walk downstairs in the dark in our house.
I kept thinking I saw that weird deaths-head doll in every shadow, and we also had the same type of rocking chair as in the movie and sometimes as I was moving around in the dark the cat would get startled and leap from the rocking chair causing it to rock back and forth!
Sondra Locke stars in this obscure gem as Marguerite, an odd, but very intellectual teenage girl who is kept isolated by her vindictive mother and grandmother.
When her father comes to visit with his new fiancée, a perverted love triangle develops with Marguerite as the other woman.Directed by famed cinematographer William A.
Fraker, this is a solid psychological horror film with an ending that took me by surprise and adds a whole new layer to everything seen prior.
The relationship between Marguerite and her dad, played by Robert Shaw, is quite uncomfortable, especially when he does nothing to discourage her attempts to court him right in front of his fiancée.
Marguerite, clearly unhinged from being raised by her man-hating mother, also has hateful conversations with one of her dolls, believing it to be a real person.
This, along with Marguerite's fears of being left in her hell, of her father abandoning her again, eventually leads to a murder mystery.There's strong acting across the board, especially from Locke, who I just saw recently in a similarly off-kilter role in "The Shadow of Chikara".
I can think of at least two later slashers that may have been inspired by it.The film was apparently edited by the studio for no apparent reason, and this shows in the latter half, as scenes seem to end before they've really even begun.
Underrated horror-thriller with an interesting cast, led capably by a young Sondra Locke as a reclusive girl, who yearns for the affections of her absent father (Shaw), as she struggles mentally with inner demons and a strained relationship with her mother (Ure) who she blames for her father's estrangement.
When Shaw visits with new girlfriend in tow (Kellerman), Locke sets out to impress him with her superior intellect and creativity, but love her as he does, he's unwilling to 'rescue' her from her unhappy existence with her mother.
As he prepares to leave again, he's confronted with a series of unexplained events including fatal accidents, murder and twisted sanity.It's the stuff of nightmares; the haunting score, lighting, and especially Locke's performance contribute to a chilling, suspenseful tale that is at times, graphically violent and gruesome.
Shaw delivers another watchable performance as the increasingly concerned father, while Kellerman (aside from being breathtakingly attractive) is equally effective as an innocent bystander and unwilling witness to the unfolding madness.A first rate cast, professional production values and intelligent dialogue all deliver, but somehow, this minor thriller seems to go perpetually unnoticed.
He's been responsible for the look of many of Steven Spielberg's early films, including "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind".
This is also Sondra Locke's first film, and she is frenetic, creepy, spooky.
Fraker has created one of those classic 'old dark house' movies, but it's about way more than that.
You probably won't like the characters, but then, you're not supposed to.
Haunting Gothic psychodrama (adapted by Lewis John Carlino whose THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA covers similarly torrid terrain) which, whilst undeniably owing a shade too much of a debt to PSYCHO (as previously noted by another IMDb commentator), whips up an unsettling and uneasy atmosphere of dread, not all of which is dissipated by apparently heavy censorship cuts made to secure a 'PG' for its original U.S. theatrical release in the early 70s.
Possibly too low-key for popular tastes (which makes it all the more surprising that this was distributed by a major studio and roped in the likes of Robert Shaw) and, although I don't really go a bundle on films which seem to be bending over backwards to conceal their surprise ending (and, yes, I did see this one coming a mile off), this is still a one-off melodramatic curio worth seeking out and which certainly lingers in the mind.
Now, how about a nice DVD transfer (my UK video copy is a nasty full-frame RCA Columbia release from the early 80s which doesn't do justice to what looks like impressive cinematography)?....
A Reflection In Fear tells the story of a wealthy man (Robert Shaw), returning home for the first time in 15 years to see his daughter and to divorce his ex wife so he can marry his fiancé He's devastated to learn his daughter is treated like a prisoner on the estate, locked away from society by a vindictive wife (Mary Ure) and mother-in-law (Signe Hasso).
Marguerite lives in a fantasy world, with imaginary friends named Aaron who seems to come real and gets very jealous of Marguerite.I must say I watched this a while back and I was pleasantly surprised, it was a really interesting watch and I can see that this being from the early 70's has influenced many later slashers such as "Sleepaway Camp" and "Unhinged" I'd like to go into greater detail about this "debt" but doing so would ruin the surprise ending.Sondra Locke who plays the daughter Marguerite gave a mesmerising performance She looks so fragile and vulnerable in her Alice in Wonderland dresses, she really steals the scenes from the other cast members.
Robert Shaw's performance is restrained but it's because his character is supposed to be oblivious to his daughter's sexual advances.
Mary Ure, Shaw's real wife at the time, has little dialogue but is able to convey evil and hatred with just a glance.
Sally Kellerman also gives a strong performance as Anne, a woman who realises her future is crumbling before her eyes.All in all Reflection may be a forgotten gem, but I really liked it and has the presence of a strong cast and a strong story line definitely worth tracking down..
A beautiful but strange teenage girl is kept isolated by her mother and grandmother.
Her long absent father arrives with a new fiancé in tow, and asks for a divorce.
as Marguerite, Locke is all bug eyes, long hair and mini-dresses as the disturbed teenager, wafting around, talking to a seemingly imagined friend and enduring alarming mood swings.
Hasso and Ure (in her last film) are given rather thankless roles as her sinister guardians (and given the apparently Canadian setting - references to Charlottetown, Georgetown - there's no particular explanation for Marguerite having a Swedish grandmother and an Anglo-American mother...
Robert Shaw was a fine actor (and he was married to Ure at the time), but here seems to sleepwalk throughout the movie, despite the slightly incestuous nature of his character, and Kellerman was a curious and strange choice for the 'straight' role of Anne, especially if you consider her other more wacky roles of this period (M*A*S*H, SLITHER, LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS and BREWSTER McCLOUD).In keeping with a movie-making trend of the period, much is made of Locke's pubescent sexuality (see also BABY LOVE, TWINKY, Sally Tomsett's character in STRAW DOGS), and even with the apparent editing, the murder of at least one character has a grainy, improvised and rather nasty look to it.
For a really minor film from the 70's, for some reason this one sticks with me - even this long after I saw it at a horror festival in the late 80's.
Maybe it's the idea that we all have secret urges and thoughts that could manifest themselves in the world, if we give them a vehicle.Sondra Locke does a great job of being a too-mousy-for-reality girl who has a BIG secret, of which I'm not sure even SHE'S aware.Cool ending, as well, with enough still remaining from the cuts for the viewer to get the idea.Catch this one, if you can.
Sheltered young woman, home-schooled and possibly quite gifted, harbors a disturbed, overly-emotional side which comes to the surface after her absentee father pays her mother a visit, asking for a divorce.
Fraker, this ill-titled psychological thriller falls into the trap that most films helmed by directors of photography find themselves in: each shot is composed for the utmost style, but at the sacrifice of fluid pacing and a tight, gripping narrative.
Robert Shaw and Sally Kellerman (as Shaw's fiancée), two of the most interesting actors of the 1970s, manage to cut through the plastic overlay and are quite compelling despite the jagged editing (which turns their scenes into little bits of half-realized business).
Sondra Locke, another interesting screen personality, seems cast for her resemblance to Catherine Deneuve in "Repulsion".
Fraker allows Locke's freak-out scenes to go on and on, while Shaw (looking terrifically debonair) is put in the impossible position of playing touchy-feely daddy to her.
Once I realized that Sondra Locke was going to be in this picture, I knew she would give an outstanding performance as Marguerite, "Ratboy",'86.
Marguerite is a young girl who is very clever about many things and just simply stays in the house and talks to her dolls who seem to her as being real people who can talk to her and advise her what to do.
Marguerites father is Robert Shaw,(Michael),"Jaws",'74 who has not seen his daughter in many years and was never around when she was born into this world.
Michael meets Sally Kellerman,(Anna),"Ugly",'04 and wants to marry her, but he has to get permission from Marguerite's mother.
Marguerite finally sees her father after so very long and becomes overly attached to her father and practically smothers him with her over powering love and affection.
Sondra Locke put her heart and soul into this role and showed her great ability as a very dramatic actress.
Bill Fraker and Sondra Locke were there to talk about it.
I really admire this film on many levels, visually it is quite amazing, filled with haunting pastel images and eerie dark shadowy lighting.
It had look and feel [and content] of a film made around the 1970-71 period as opposed to '73, and sure enough that was indeed the case.
(the film was shelved for 2 years before the studio did something with it) This is yet another interesting example of the kind of strange and bold and brilliant and unconventional film that could have ONLY been made in that time.
(and surely the filmmakers of the time were not aware of it--as this was just the reality of the era)In the same kind of haunting and lonely ambience this film created, I felt depressed that these works are still so overlooked.
"A Reflection of Fear" is a moody and stylish murder mystery about a strange and disturbed teenage girl named Marguerite(Sondra Locke)whose father Michael suddenly arrives.Michael wants to divorce her mother so he can marry his mistress.Locke has a special kind of friend,a creepy doll named Aaron.A series of brutal murders is set in motion.The first victims of a mysterious hooded stranger are Marguerite 's mother and grandma...Dreamy and bizarre horror movie with sluggish pace and solid acting.The performance of Sondra Locke is brilliant;she plays a haunted,beautiful,a ravishing 'innocent.'If you liked "Psycho","La Residencia","Sleepaway Camp" or "Repulsion" give this one a look.8 out of 10..
Although the other reviewers probably do like this film for various reasons, I found myself bored with it in the first 10 minutes.
I immediately put this film in the "One Time Watch" category.I can't reveal too much of the film without giving away the plot, but much of the film involves an over bearing mother and her daughter (played by Sondra Locke) which, obviously, the crazy is leaking out.
The director tried to intersperse mysterious happenings throughout the film which were blamed on local townsfolk, however, it was quite obvious who was responsible.
(Once again I don't want to say too much for those that wish to watch this film.) The only "shocker," and I use that term loosely, was at the ending which I had pretty much guessed except for a minor detail.You can find a crisp clean copy of the transfer with very few flaws for a film from the 70's.
The editing was a little choppy and I believe that a few more details for some of the scenes would have helped the flow of the story.Bottom line, for me this film was one of those films you would watch (back when we only had 12 channels) only because absolutely nothing else was on at the time.
I was never a Sondra Locke fan.
In fact, like many others, she will always be remembered as Clint Eastwood's long time fling.
Pale, fragile and appearing like a waif in almost everything, in this mystery thriller, she is given the role she was born to play.
Her mother keeps a tight lid on her whereabouts, actions and her whole life which pretty much takes place on the household estate.In comes her estranged father and fiancée played by Robert Shaw and Sally Kellerman.
He tries to mend a relationship he never had while asking the mother for a divorce in the most frank, blunt and unemotional way I have ever seen in a movie.
Save your time, because this is a slow paced mystery with lethargic acting, elliptic dialogue and a lead character who never seems to break out of that zombie like gaze while uttering poetic lines with that lilting voice.
Sondra Locke is definitely unique, She can look beautiful, putrid, sickly, freakish and sometimes too nubile to be taken seriously.
Robert Shaw gets caught between the jealousy of his fiancée and his daughter which limits his already stiff and anal performance.Reflections of Fear takes too long to tell us what happens what we already knew all along..
Daddy's little girl is pretty  disturbing!.
The very least you can say about "A Reflection of Fear" is that it is a moody and atmospheric thriller!
The story might feel familiar (especially when you watch a lot of obscure cult/horror movies) and somewhat predictable, but the tone of the film remains unsettling throughout thanks to the slow pacing and extremely integer acting performances.
Always a shame when that happens Marguerite Sterling is an isolated and quite eccentric teenage girl that lives with her mother and grandmother in a remote land house.
She has long and embittered conversations with a doll named Aaron and gets ecstatic when she finds out that her estranged father Michael is coming to visit.
Officially he's coming to ask his ex- wife for a divorce, so that he can marry with his new fiancée Anne that he brought along, but when he notices how socially incapable his daughter Marguerite is, he wants to stay.
And then a mysterious killer dressed in black visits the premises Like I said already, it's a shame about the (not-so-) subtly camouflaged taboo themes.
The most disturbing yet simultaneously powerful sequences in "A Reflection of Fear" are those in which young Marguerite tenderly embraces and kisses her daddy while his new fiancée jealously observes.
The film is kind of reminiscent in atmosphere and events to a handful of great classics, including "Psycho" and "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane", but director William A.
With her rather odd facial structure and pale skin, Sondra Locke is ideally cast as the naturally uncanny Marguerite, but also Robert Shaw is exquisite as Michael.
Shaw usually depicts robust and macho characters, like in "Jaws" for example, but here he impresses as the calm father figure.
A REFLECTION OF FEAR (1973) ** Robert Shaw, Sally Kellerman, Mary Ure, Sondra Locke, Signe Hasso, Mitchell Ryan, Gordon Devol.
Haunting yet problematic thriller based on Stanton Forbes' novel "Go To Thy Deathbed" about a young woman (Locke, who gives a tenderly troubled performance) who finds herself reuniting with her long-estranged father (Shaw wholeheartedly stalwart) while her eerie 'chats' with her 'friends' (read: dolls!) proves to have some truth to the eerie goings on including murder and incestuous underpinnings.
Atmospheric but very slow mystery drama in which the obvious killer is Locke.
The director "cheats" by using various tricks to detract from the real killer; in one scene we see a figure throwing the old woman's corpse into a pond, then leaving - the figure is that of a big man, like Shaw, not at all the figure of anybody remotely built like Locke.
Locke is awfully ugly and it takes a while to get used to watching her.
David Bowie, had he been born female, would have looked like Sondra Locke.