The Seventh Sign (1988) TriStar/Horror-Thriller RT: 97 minutes Rated R (violence, disturbing images, nudity, some language) Director: Carl Schultz Screenplay: Clifford Green (as “George Kaplan”) and Ellen Green (as “W.W. Wicket”) Music: Jack Nitzsche Cinematography: Juan Ruiz Anchia Release date: April 1, 1988 (US) Cast: Demi Moore, Michael Biehn, Peter Friedman, Jurgen Prochnow, Manny Jacobs, John Taylor, Lee Garlington, Akosua Busia, Harry Basil, Arnold Johnson, John Walcutt, Michael Laskin, Hugo Stanger, Patricia Allison, Ian Buchanan. Box Office: $18.8M (US)
Rating: ** ½
I never noticed before, but the end-of-the-world thriller The Seventh Sign is an unholy mess. Directed by Carl Schultz (Careful, He Might Hear You), it’s one of those horror movies containing Biblical references, religious symbolism and portentous dialogue. I usually enjoy such films. The three Omen movies are great! I wanted the same from The Seventh Sign, but it didn’t deliver. It’s a convoluted, unscary muddle more confusing than it is terrifying. It doesn’t say much that the best thing about it is Demi Moore’s sincere performance as a pregnant woman at the center of the impending Apocalypse.
Moore stars as Abby Quinn, a young woman in the final trimester of a pregnancy made difficult by a previous miscarriage. The world around her is falling apart with signs of the end days taking place in far off places like Haiti and the Middle East. Each time, a mysterious man (Prochnow, Das Boot) breaks open a sealed envelope prior to the event in question- e.g. the death of all sea life in Haiti, a terrorist camp frozen in ice in the middle of the desert. These are the first of the seven signs of the end of the world listed in the Book of Revelation. Abby’s only concern is successfully delivering her baby while her lawyer husband Russell (Biehn, The Terminator) is preoccupied with a case involving the execution of a young man with Down syndrome (Taylor, The Ringer) who murdered his incestuous parents because it’s the law of God.
The aforementioned mystery man, calling himself David Bannon, shows up at Abby’s door one rainy day to inquire about the apartment they have for rent. It’s no coincidence he’s there. Her unborn child has something to do with what’s going on. Abby figures that out after finding an ancient text with what appears to be the baby’s due date (2-29, it’s a Leap Year) among his belongings. Weird things start to happen- e.g. hail, earthquakes. Abby experiences recurring nightmares starring her new boarder. She becomes convinced David means to harm her baby and starts to mentally unravel. Meanwhile, a priest by the name of Father Lucci (Friedman, Single White Female) is also following the signs pointing to the Apocalypse. It all comes down to this. Abby is meant to stop it from happening.
Perhaps I should elaborate on my previous statement. Abby is supposed to stop one of the seven signs from happening as it will break the chain and prevent the end of the world. Which one does she try and stop? I’ll say this much, it isn’t the eclipse. As you can see, The Seventh Sign is a bunch of supernatural silliness. When it comes to religious-themed horror movies, I’m down for pretty much anything as long as it makes sense. The Seventh Sign comes together (sort of) at the end; before that, it’s all over the map. The screenplay by Clifford and Ellen Green, who disowned the movie after viewing the final cut, throws a lot at the audience. It’s eventually revealed that one character wants to save the world while another wants it to end. It has to do with something that happened in the past (the VERY distant past!) that connects them to Abby. There’s mention of the Hall of Souls (aka “The Guf”) in Heaven. It factors into one of the final signs. There’s also some business about sparrows.
It’s not just the confused narrative that brings down The Seventh Sign. It’s missing something else. Namely, it’s not scary, not even a little bit. It should be given that it deals with Judgment Day, a day most people fear. One of the problems is nobody but the main characters seem to know that it’s happening. Where’s the panic in the streets and churches? Where are the urgent TV news reports? Surely, others would recognize the signs and react accordingly. The Seventh Sign is lacking in another area. The Omen movies are notorious for scenes of characters dying in strange, violent ways. Who will ever forget the doctor getting cut in half by an elevator cable in Damien: Omen II? There’s nothing of the kind in The Seventh Sign. It would have made it a little more interesting.
Ultimately, the main point of interest in The Seventh Sign is Moore’s character. She provides a strong center to a weak movie. Abby starts out as a worried mom-to-be. The scars on her wrist speak to her fragile emotional state. Over the course of the movie, she will have to find the strength to fight the Apocalypse. This admittedly sounds ridiculous, but such is the nature of end-of-the-world horror movies. Moore is a solid choice for the role. She has a natural sense of intelligence and resolve. She’s also easy on the eyes. Her sexy voice doesn’t hurt either. Biehn is okay, but he’s given little to do other than be a supportive but clueless husband. Prochnow is better as the mysterious stranger who’s either good or evil.
Don’t go thinking I hate The Seventh Sign because I don’t. It’s watchable. It just isn’t all it could have been with stronger direction and a clearer narrative. To be fair, there was a fair amount of unauthorized script tampering prior to filming. It’s the main reason the writers had their names replaced by pseudonyms. The effects aren’t all that special, but they’ll do. In the end, The Seventh Sign is a big disappointment. It’s one of the rare instances where I’d absolutely support a remake.
