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“She is a disturbing child.” It doesn’t reach the heights of his USS Indianapolis monologue in Jaws, but Robert Shaw delivers this line with grim resignation. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out A Reflection of Fear (1972), a relatively unknown film starring Sondra Locke, Robert Shaw, and Sally Kellerman.
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 167 – A Reflection of Fear (1972)
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A disturbed young girl starts believing that there is something very sinister at work after her estranged father visits her at her mother and grandmother’s house with the woman he plans to marry.
- Director: William A. Fraker
- Writers: Edward Hume & Lewis John Carlino (screenplay); Stanton Forbes (from his novel “Go To Thy Deathbed”)
- Selected cast:
- Sondra Locke as Marguerite
- Robert Shaw as Michael
- Sally Kellerman as Anne
- Mary Ure as Katherine
- Signe Hasso as Julia
- Gordon De Vol as Hector
- Gordon Anderson as Aaron (voice only)
- Mitchell Ryan as Inspector McKenna
- Victoria Risk as Peggy
- Leonard Crofoot as Aaron
- Michael St. Clair as Kevin
- Liam Dunn as the Coroner
- Michelle Marvin as the Nurse
- Michele Montau as Madame Caraquet
Doc chose A Reflection of Fear for the Jaws connection delivered by Robert Shaw in his starring role. He admits it’s kind of a stupid movie but he still enjoyed it for its 70s flavor. There are a few creepy elements present and he really likes Shaw’s and Sondra Locke’s performances.
Chad took one look at the cast and thought A Reflection of Fear would be a great movie, but instead, he is very bored with it all. Even though he loves Shaw and Locke in it, and yes, there were some creepy parts, he was expecting a whole lot more than a predictable twist. A Reflection of Fear got under Bill’s skin a little, but the two twists really date the movie. He thinks Sondra Locke is a perfect choice for her role and that Robert Shaw is terrific but there just isn’t enough there to maintain interest. Jeff doesn’t buy Sondra Locke as the teenager she is playing and points out some huge continuity jumps in a couple of the film’s edits. He enjoyed Sally Kellerman’s and Mitchell Ryan’s performances the most, but not enough to become a fan of A Reflection of Fear.
Your 1970s Grue Crew has a fairly lukewarm reaction to A Reflection of Fear, but if you are so inclined, it is available for viewing. At the time of this writing, the movie can be streamed from Tubi.
If you’re craving some more Shaw sauce to top off your summer, now would be a great time to revisit the Decades of Horror 1970s 2-part episode on Jaws! You can check it out here:
- JAWS (1975) Part 1 — Episode 18 — Decades of Horror 1970s
- JAWS (1975) Part 2 — Episode 19 — Decades of Horror 1970s
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule, chosen by Jeff, will be Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dracula and the Wolf Man (1973).
We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.
