By George Butler.
Sandor Stern’s film adaptation of Andrew Neiderman’s novel of the same name is an interesting reflection of the relationship between Leon, a paranoid schizophrenic and his sister Ursula.
David Hewlett steals the show as Leon although this may have a lot to do with the fact that paired with his exterior alter-ego, he is the only interesting character in the film. This isn’t to say that the rest of the family don’t play their generic roles well, because they do. Even if it is only to enhance the importance of Leon.
The alter ego, ‘Pin’ is an anatomically correct learning aid originally intended by the children’s father to help Ursula and Leon learn difficult subject matters when they are kids.
Pin is a kind of ‘sexual education’ take on Hitchcock’s Psycho exploring themes which come across as possessing a kind of Freudian manner throughout. Ursula’s sexual desires eventually outweigh her need for comfort from an inanimate object, differentiating from Leon’s insecurities manifesting in his increasing attachment to Pin for advice and friendship.
The somewhat slow and steady pace of the film works effectively as a way of building up tension and suspense throughout, leaving much to the imagination, in a way similar to for example John Carpenter’s Halloween, where quite honestly, not that much actually happens. Pin should commit to this rather than cramming a little too much in at once towards the end, though as a whole plays out well with dramatic scenes and a climactic ending.
Overall the relationship between Leon and the creepy doll Pin definitely makes this one a classic for lovers of the horror genre. Pin is a memorable story that deserves to be there with other big names of horror history.
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