Orion Pictures, 1987
starring: Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver, Harley Cross and Robert Loggia
directed by: John Schlesinger

the plot: After his wife dies in a tragic accident, psychiatrist Cal Jamison (Sheen) moves to New York with his 8-year-old son, Chris (Cross). Carrying on after such a tragedy is difficult for both father and son, and Chris doesn’t respond kindly when Cal starts seeing Jessica (Shaver), the owner of the apartment building they live in. Cal has his own worries, though, as he becomes engrossed in a disturbing case involving a voodoo cult that uses child sacrifice as part of its rituals. At first, Cal and Lt. McTaggert (Loggia), the grizzled old cop heading the investigation, believe the murders were committed by an undercover cop who went insane. But as Cal digs further into the city’s population of underground cults and fringe religions, he discovers that true black magic is very real and very deadly. Cal soon becomes a target and he must struggle to not only save himself but get Jessica and Chris out of harm’s way.

why it’s good:  “The Believers” starts out with two wildly disparate scenes: One features an elaborate ritual in some generic jungle, complete with drums, a huge fire and maybe some child sacrifice. The other scene features a death by electrocution, via a malfunctioning coffee pot and some spilled milk. And that’s how the rest of “The Believers” plays out, veering unsteadily between mundane domestic horrors and the more conventional scares associated with black magic blood cults. If there’s any balance between those two extremes, it seem as though director John Schlesinger (who previously helmed “Midnight Cowboy” and “Marathon Man”) would’ve found it. But he didn’t, and “The Believers” is a bit of a mess, even as it delivers some good, spooky moments and a handful of truly creepy scares. There’s no question the cast is great—Sheen, Loggia and Jimmy Smits, here in his first role as a cop driven insane by black magic, all turn in excellent performances. Malick Bowens, the film’s sinister voodoo priest, is super scary, and there are some great turns by notable character actors like Harris Yulin and Richard Masur. But good acting and strong, atmospheric direction don’t do much good against Mark Frost’s bloated, labyrinthine script, which promises so much but delivers so little. Frost, who co-created “Twin Peaks” with David Lynch and penned “The List of 7,” a crackling historical thriller featuring Arthur Conan Doyle, took a more-is-better approach for “The Believers,” and his script, an adaptation of Nicholas Conde’s novel “The Religion,” has more loose threads than a frayed sweater. All the twisted, weird moments—including, but not limited to, some scenes of dead kids and a really gross bit involving Helen Shaver and a spider—are overshadowed by haphazardly answered questions and general silliness, making “The Believers” difficult to believe in.

why you should own it: A film by the director of “Midnight Cowboy” and the co-creator of “Twin Peaks” totally deserves a tricked-out DVD. Sadly, MGM’s edition of “The Believers” has nary an extra. It’s a solid thriller, but not memorable enough to take up permanent residence in your library.