"This is caca." (Pas une critique!)

Version allemande vue sur Tele 5, restauration vue en salle lors de "l'épouvantable soirée" d'Halloween 2019.

A long and excellent prologue (10mn) coupled with the ever great combination of science & mysticism that rapidly devolves into mere possession/zombie antics, that happen to be far less scarier than an invaded closed space possession story (how Carpenterish!) should be, while the science and machinery are forgotten (when they were displayed so strongly earlier, and seemed to be part of the film's ingredients).

Most actors aren't particularly... inspired, even Pleasance himself, making Dennis Dun's performance standing out. Dun who should have had more occasion to play main characters in films. Here he is excellent, despite so many watchers writing about how irritating/dumb the character is (and how racist* the role is, of course).

Great soundtrack.

Score: 6/10
Enjoyment: 5/5

*Like the black character.

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Revu sur la arte, cycle "L'univers de John Carpenter".

Less than two years after my first rewatch, and on TV, the film is almost as effective as before.

This is essentially thanks to its concepts (material Evil, religion through the prism of hard sciences, etc) and its simple yet effective imagery, along the excellent build-up that makes for more than 70% of the film (quite an interesting approach), from the 10minutes prologue ― yes, 10minutes served by a great track and the quasi-absence of dialogues ― to almost the end.

All of this makes it even more disappointing to notice that you've already past the 70mn* and the film has barely scratched a possible attempt at solutioning itself, instead starting to fill its runtime (the barricated rooms scene, really? and the "zombie" action?) as it can while still relying heavily on the good buid-up, and that the 20 remaining ones will obviously not be able to contain a reasonably satisfying chain of events leading to the resolution of the situation.
So, how does the film deal with it? Very simply: the antagonist ends up giving away the key of its "doom". The scene by itself is pretty good. But it all comes so suddenly and conveniently... that the nice final reveal barely balances it, deserved as it is by the immediately following instant "shock". Still, the final picture manages to save the dread that this low-budget film had been busy crafting so carefully from its first seconds.

Score: 6/10
Enjoyment: 5/5
A theoretically great film, all build-up, that ends up sabotaging itself. Some would say:

"This is caca."

Is there a better "PhD.students movie" out there?

*Contrarily to what seems to be the internet belief, I think all the talk, machinery, pseudo-sciences explanations babble, are actually part of the good side of the film, contributing to increase the tension along the more horrific pictures, music and all. But «the (outside) world doesn't want to hear that kind of bullshit.»