The Sender (1982)

Interesting facts

The Sender is a 1982 British supernatural horror film directed by Roger Christian, written by Thomas Baum, and starring Kathryn Harrold, Željko Ivanek, Shirley Knight, and Paul Freeman. The plot follows a therapist attempting to help a disturbed telepathic man able to transmit his dreams and visions into the minds of those around him.

Production

The screenplay was written by Thomas Baum, who based in on his own experiences growing up with an agoraphobic and overly protective mother.

The script was first purchased by 20th Century Fox, who were hoping for a quasi follow-up to Brian De Palma’s The Fury (1978)—a box office hit about another youth with devastating psychic powers—but the production floundered and was dumped before it got off the ground.

Christian made his feature directorial debut with The Sender after producers were impressed with his previously directed short films, Black Angel and The Dollar Bottom. Several of his previous collaborators, including composer Trevor Jones, cinematographer Roger Pratt, and special effects supervisor Nick Allder, were retained by Christian for the film.

The titular role was played by a then-unknown Željko Ivanek, who had previously only ever acted on-stage. The other leading roles were played by Kathryn Harrold, Shirley Knight, and Paul Freeman. Among the supporting actors were Al Matthews, an American-born singer and radio personality living in the UK who later gained fame for his role in Aliens, and Angus MacInnes, a Canadian character actor known for his supporting roles playing North America…

Exteriors were filmed in the American state of Georgia, while interiors were filmed at Shepperton Studios in Surrey.

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