THE NESTING (1981)

"I got better things to do than type on your writer!

Back in the late 70s and early 80s, there was a huge trend in thriller/horror world to dig into parapsychology, psychic powers, and psychological trauma resolution. Everybody had a phobia or a hang-up of some kind that needed to be resolved by confronting ghosts and/or using clairvoyance/telekenises to right the wrongs. THE NESTING comes out of that little family of tropes and adds in a heaping dollop of "urban professional vs rural louts" for good measure.

Lauren is a neurotic writer who rents a house in the country in order to deal with her agoraphobia. The house is, of course, haunted. The locals are, in fact, dangerous. The town is, in fact, consumed with secrets. None of this is gripping or particularly interesting. The film itself looks and feels like every other slow-burn gothic ghost story of its time; it's all shot with soft edges and there's a lot of screechy melodrama. Characters spend a lot of time chain smoking indoors, lounging around on afghans, and talking about their pasts and unresolved issues. Everyone has very fluffy hair. Furniture flies around in often hillarious ways.

It turns out that Lauren's new dwelling was once a brothel where some bad shit went down, and Lauren's past is tied to its former residents. The whole thing is as predictable as Taco Bell heartburn, but that's not why this flick has a small cult following. Folks say that it has interesting gender poltics for a flick that's as old as I am. I found that to be true, but as I was watching it seemed to me that contemplating the film's take on gender roles served as a useful distraction from the fact that it's not very good. I mean, the plot was just interesting enough to keep me watching until the end, but it's not like we're seeing anything revolutionary on that front. I agree with the central thesis of a woman becoming empowered by confronting her hidden past without the help of the bumbling men in her life. Unfortunately, the movie arguing that thesis isn't very good. Characters know things that they have no way of knowing. People are murdered and everyone else just, kind of, moves along with their lives. Nothing remotely scary happens at any point. The rural louts are cartoonish and goofy, and there are good moments here and there. However, what we're left with is sort of a dry lecture disguised as a paranormal thriller, and that's not something I'm going to be into. THE NESTING is worth checking out if you want some insight into the gender politics of 1981, but not if you're looking for a fun/scary/transgressive obscurity. This was not for me. Might be for you.

I also remain entirely unsure what "Nesting" has to do with any of this.