Communion

Communion is a 1989 drama with horror, science fiction and thriller elements, released in November of that year. It centres on Whitley Strieber, a successful novelist who moves with his wife Anne and young son Andrew to a country house so he can finish a new book. Strange events begin there, and Strieber is left convinced that he and others in the household have encountered something not of this world. His behaviour and personality change, unsettling his family, and he later turns to hypnosis to try to establish what really happened over those nights. The question the film raises is whether the encounters were genuine or a product of his imagination.

Philippe Mora directed, working from a screenplay by Strieber, who also produced alongside Dan Allingham and Mora. It was Mora's fifth feature as director, arriving after Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?, Mad Dog Morgan and two werewolf films. Christopher Walken plays Strieber, with Lindsay Crouse as Anne, Frances Sternhagen as Dr. Janet Duffy, Andreas Katsulas and Terri Hanauer as family friends, and Joel Carlson as Andrew. Twenty-six performers are credited.

Made for about five million dollars, the film took roughly two million at the worldwide box office. On IMDb it holds 5.5 out of 10 from around 8,700 votes, and on TMDB 5.4 from about 200. A critics' rating of 5.3 from thirteen reviews places it close to the audience scores.