View source for Stranger in Our House


{{about|1978 film, also known as Summer of Fear|other uses|Summer of Fear (disambiguation)}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Summer_of_fear.jpg
| image_upright        =
| image_size           = 
| image_alt            = 
| caption              = Belgian theatrical poster
| alt_name             = Summer of Fear
| genre                = {{hlist| [[Horror film|Horror]] | [[Thriller film|thriller]]<ref name="allmovie" />}}
| creator              = 
| based_on             = {{based on|''[[Summer of Fear (novel)|Summer of Fear]]''|[[Lois Duncan]]}}<ref name="mfb" />
| developer            = 
| screenplay           = {{plainlist|
* Glenn M. Benest
* Max A. Keller<ref name="mfb" />}}
| story                = 
| director             = [[Wes Craven]]
| creative_director    = 
| starring             = {{plainlist|
* [[Linda Blair]]
* [[Lee Purcell]]}}
| narrated             = 
| theme_music_composer = 
| open_theme            = 
| end_theme             = 
| composer             = {{plainlist|
* [[John D'Andrea]]
* [[Michael Lloyd (music producer)|Michael Lloyd]]
}}
| country              = United States<ref name="mfb">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Monthly Film Bulletin]]|title=Summer of Fear|last=Combs|first=Richard|volume=47|issue=552|year=1980|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|page=95|issn=0027-0407}}</ref>
| language             = 
| executive_producer   = {{plainlist|
* Max A. Keller
* Micheline H. Keller<ref name="mfb" />}}
| producer             = {{plainlist|
*[[Bill Finnegan]]
*Pat Finnegan<ref name="mfb" />
}}
| location             = {{unbulleted list|5950 Spring Valley Road,|[[Hidden Hills, California]]}}
| cinematography       = William K. Jurgensen<ref name="mfb" />
| editor               = Howard A. Smith<ref name="mfb" />
| camera               = 
| runtime              = 99 minutes{{efn|In the book ''Television Fright Films of the 1970s'', the running time for the film is listed at 99 minutes,{{sfn|Deal|2015|p=174}} which matches the running time featured on the 2003 Artisan Entertainment [[DVD]] release.}}
| company              = {{plainlist|
*Finnegan Associates
*Inter Planetary Pictures Inc.<ref name="mfb" />{{sfn|Waller|1987|p=204}}
}}
| budget               = 
| network              = [[NBC]]
| released             = {{Start date|1978|10|31}} 
}}

'''''Stranger in Our House''''', also known as '''''Summer of Fear''''', is a 1978 American [[supernatural horror film]] directed by [[Wes Craven]] and starring [[Linda Blair]], [[Lee Purcell]], [[Carol Lawrence]], [[Jeremy Slate]], [[Jeff McCracken]], and [[Jeff East]]. Based on the 1976 novel ''[[Summer of Fear (novel)|Summer of Fear]]'' by [[Lois Duncan]], it follows a teenage girl who suspects her [[orphan]]ed cousin who has come to live with her family is a [[witchcraft|witch]]. Also, notable for having [[Fran Drescher]] in an early supporting role.

In the United States, the film was released [[television film|on television]], premiering on [[NBC]] on October 31, 1978, though it subsequently received theatrical releases in Europe under the title ''Summer of Fear''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/summer-fear-film|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115052933/https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/summer-fear-film|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 15, 2019|publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|title=Summer of Fear}}</ref>

==Plot==
Teenager Julia is orphaned after her parents and housekeeper die in a car accident on the east coast. She is taken in by her Aunt Leslie and Uncle Tom at their ranch in [[California]], along with their teenage children Rachel and Peter and adolescent son, Bobby. Rachel is initially 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, which is uncharacteristic of someone from the east coast. Trying to open up, 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 ingratiating herself into the family. Odd things continue to happen—after having earlier found a human tooth among Julia's belongings, Rachel discovers a photo of herself missing, and shortly after finds in Julia's dresser drawers burned hair from her fallen horse. Soon Rachel's face breaks out in [[Urticaria|hives]], preventing her from attending a dance. Julia accompanies Rachel's boyfriend Mike instead, borrowing a dress that Rachel had made for herself. Soon after Julia begins dating Mike, while forging a close friendship with Carolyn, Rachel's best friend. The day after the dance, Rachel enters into a competition with Sundance, where the horse is spooked, breaking its leg in the process and forcing a vet to [[Animal euthanasia|euthanize]] it.

Rachel speaks to her neighbor, Professor Jarvis, who tells her it may indeed be the work of someone who practices [[black magic]]. She looks in Julia's drawer to find evidence to show Jarvis and discovers a missing photo covered in red paint spots. Before she can show him the evidence however, the professor collapses and is rushed to the hospital. A letter that Julia receives from a friend gets the best of Rachel's curiosity. Rachel phones the friend in [[Boston]] and discovers that Julia supposedly sings in her school's [[glee club]]. Knowing that the person living in her house doesn't have any interest in music, Rachel further suspects something is not right. Immersing herself in books on the [[occult]], Rachel starts to believe Julia is a [[witchcraft|witch]]. During a visit to the professor at the hospital, he tells her that true witches cannot appear in photographs. The next day, Rachel encourages her mother to take pictures of a reluctant Julia. Tensions reach a boiling point when Leslie plans a road trip and Rachel finds a map with burn marks on it. Rachel believes Julia is planning on causing her mother to have an accident, and subsequently witnesses Julia making overt sexual advances to her father.

Too late to stop Leslie from leaving on the trip, Rachel develops the roll of film herself and clearly sees that her suspicions have been correct all along—Julia is nowhere to be found in the photos. Suddenly, Julia comes into the darkroom, burning the pictures and revealing that she is Sarah Brown, the housekeeper, not Rachel's cousin Julia. The two have a fierce struggle, before Rachel manages to break away, locking the door to the developing room. She then evades her father, apparently under the housekeeper's spell. Sarah breaks out of the room, her eyes a ghastly white and red. Rachel rushes to Mike and tells him to get in his car so they can find her mother. Sarah takes off after them, hitting Mike's car and driving them off the road. On foot, Rachel and Mike catch sight of Rachel's mother, whose car causes Sarah to drive off a cliff to a fiery explosion below. The Bryant family tries to return to normal, adopting a new horse. Meanwhile, another family welcomes Julia into their home, posing as a [[nanny]].

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Linda Blair]] as Rachel Bryant
* [[Lee Purcell]] as Sarah Brown / Julia Grant / Susan Peterson 
* [[Jeremy Slate]] as Tom Bryant
* [[Jeff McCracken]] as Mike Gallagher
* [[Jeff East]] as Peter Bryant
* [[Carol Lawrence]] as Leslie Bryant
* [[Macdonald Carey]] as Professor Jarvis
* James Jarnigan as Bobby Bryant
* [[Fran Drescher]] as Carolyn Baker
}}

== Production ==
===Development===
''Stranger in Our House'' marked Craven's first film project upon his relocation from New York City to [[Los Angeles]].{{sfn|Hutson|2016|p=35}} "I had come out to California to do some minor stuff and got invited in to do that," Craven recalled. "I think that was the first time working with a Hollywood star of sorts, Linda Blair. First time working in thirty-five millimeter, first time using a crane, a dolly, so it was a great education for me. And it was a good shoot."{{sfn|Hutson|2016|p=35}}

===Casting===
The film marked actress Linda Blair's third leading role in a horror film, following her [[Academy Award|Oscar]]-nominated performance in ''[[The Exorcist]]'' (1973) and its sequel ''[[Exorcist II: The Heretic]]'' (1977).{{sfn|Hutson|2016|p=35}} In his DVD commentary, director Wes Craven recalled that Blair had recently "gotten into some trouble" prior to filming; also that he was plainly inspired by Roman Polanski's work, and tried to carefully build a sense of paranoia and suspense in the film's narrative.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Summer of Fear|publisher=[[Artisan Entertainment]]|people=Craven, Wes|date=February 18, 2003|medium=Audio commentary ([[DVD]])}}</ref> In the role of Rachel's mother, stage actress [[Carol Lawrence]] was cast.{{sfn|Hutson|2016|p=35}} [[Lee Purcell]] was cast as Julia, the cousin Rachel suspects of being a witch.{{sfn|Hutson|2016|pages=35–36}} Purcell sought out the role as she had wanted to do a thriller film.{{sfn|Hutson|2016|p=36}} [[Fran Drescher]] was cast in a supporting role as Carolyn, Rachel's close friend.{{sfn|Deal|2015|p=174}} The cast was announced in July 1978.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/175724590/|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|p=51|date=July 17, 1978|title=Carol Lawrence to Costar|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/175724470/|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 31, 1978|title=Linda Blair Will Encounter Witchcraft in NBC-TV Movie|p=46|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

===Filming===
While the source novel by [[Lois Duncan]] features Rachel losing a pet dog, Blair suggested to Craven that it be a horse, as Blair, an equestrian at the time, had a close bond to the animal.{{sfn|Deal|2015|p=174}} Filming took place in [[Hidden Hills, California]].{{sfn|Deal|2015|p=174}} Craven earned his Director's Guild card working on the project, and it marked his first time shooting in a "non-documentary" format, utilizing professional filming equipment including cranes, dollies, and [[35 mm movie film|35 mm film]].{{sfn|Darowski|Berns|2023|p=160}} 

== Release ==
''Stranger in Our House'' first aired on television in the United States on [[NBC|NBC-TV]] on October 31, 1978.{{sfn|Muir|2004|p=15}}{{sfn|Hutson|2016|p=37}}{{sfn|Terrace|2024|p=586}} It was released in European markets theatrically, bearing the title ''Summer of Fear''.{{sfn|Jones|2019|p=22}}

=== Home media ===
The film was released in the United States on [[VHS]] and [[DVD]] on February 18, 2003, through [[Artisan Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Fear-VHS-Linda-Blair/dp/B0000844ID|work=[[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]|title=Summer of Fear [VHS]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526150015/https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Fear-VHS-Linda-Blair/dp/B0000844ID|archive-date=May 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/5709/summer-of-fear/|work=[[DVD Talk]]|title=Summer of Fear : DVD Talk Review|date=February 27, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115052805/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/5709/summer-of-fear/|archive-date=November 15, 2019|url-status=live|author=Wallis, J. Doyle}}</ref> On June 1, 2017, it was announced that the film would be receiving a [[Blu-ray]] and special edition DVD release through Doppelgänger Releasing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3440074/wes-cravens-1978-film-summer-fear-getting-blu-ray-release/|work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|title=Wes Craven's 1978 Film 'Summer of Fear' Getting Blu-ray Release|author=Squires, John|date=June 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124043931/https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3440074/wes-cravens-1978-film-summer-fear-getting-blu-ray-release/|archive-date=January 24, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
From contemporary reviews, the ''[[Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' "takes a long time to convince that something really devlish is lurking in California's green and pleasant pastures"<ref name="mfb2" /> The review noted that Ms. Purcell "deserves to survive this farrago rather more than the satanic Beverly hillbilly she plays."<ref name="mfb2">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Monthly Film Bulletin]]|title=Summer of Fear|last=Combs|first=Richard|volume=47|issue=552|year=1980|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|page=96}}</ref> [[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Kevin Thomas]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' deemed the film "a sappy thriller" but praised Craven's direction as "relaxed" and "graceful."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/171875857/|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 31, 1978|last=Thomas|first=Kevin|author-link=Kevin Thomas (film critic)|p=14|title=Silliness Haunts Blair's 'Stranger'|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

[[AllMovie]] called the film "a modestly entertaining horror item."<ref name="allmovie">{{cite web |url=https://allmovie.com/movie/v132886 |title=Summer of Fear (1978) |last=Binion |first=Cavett |publisher=[[AllMovie]] |access-date=April 23, 2020}}</ref> In a retrospective review for ''[[ScreenAnarchy]]'', Peter Martin praised the film as "a slow-boiling, atmospheric" horror film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenanarchy.com/2017/10/blu-ray-review-linda-blair-in-wes-cravens-summer-of-fear-gently-unnerving-horror.html|last=Martin|first=Peter|work=[[ScreenAnarchy]]|title=Blu-ray Review: Linda Blair in Wes Craven's SUMMER OF FEAR, Gently Unnerving Horror|date=October 17, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423140608/https://screenanarchy.com/2017/10/blu-ray-review-linda-blair-in-wes-cravens-summer-of-fear-gently-unnerving-horror.html|archive-date=April 23, 2024}}</ref>

While the film hasn not garnered enough reviews to receive a rating on movie [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], all four listed reviews are negative.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/1020445-summer_of_fear/reviews/ |title=Stranger in Our House (Summer of Fear)| publisher =[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=April 23, 2020}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Darowski|editor1-first=John|editor2-last=Berns|editor2-first=Fernando Gabriel Pagnoni|year=2023|title=A Critical Companion to Wes Craven|publisher=[[Lexington Books]]|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=978-1-666-91907-3}}
*{{cite book|last=Deal|first=David|year=2015|title=Television Fright Films of the 1970s|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn= 978-0-786-45514-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Hutson|first=Thommy|year=2016|title=Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy: The Making of Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York City, New York|isbn= 978-1-618-68640-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Alan|year=2020|editor=Skelton, Shannon Blake|title=Wes Craven: Interviews|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|location=Jackson, Mississippi|isbn=978-1-496-82610-7}}
*{{cite book |last=Muir|first=John Kenneth|title=Wes Craven: The Art of Horror|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|isbn=0786419237|year=2004|location=Jefferson, North Carolina }}
*{{cite book|last=Terrace|first=Vincent|year=2024|title=Experimental Television, Test Films, Pilots and Trial Series, 1925 through 1995: Seven Decades of Small Screen Almosts|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-476-63223-0}}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Waller|editor1-first=Gregory Albert|year=1987|title=American Horrors: Essays on the Modern American Horror Film|publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]|location=|isbn=978-0-252-01448-2}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0078330}}

{{Wes Craven}}
{{Lois Duncan}}

[[Category:1978 horror films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:American horror television films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Wes Craven]]
[[Category:1978 television films]]
[[Category:1978 films]]
[[Category:NBC original films]]
[[Category:Films based on American horror novels]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films about witchcraft]]
[[Category:Films set in California]]
[[Category:1978 American films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Stranger in Our House|access_date=2026-03-06}}