The Visitor (4K) – Arrow
Director: Giulio Paradisi
Screenplay: Luciano Comici and Robert Mundi
Starring: Mel Ferrer, Glenn Ford, Lance Henriksen, John Huston, Joanne Nail, Sam Peckinpah, Shelley Winters, Paige Conner, J.A. Townsend, Joe Dorsey, Johnny Popwell, Wallace Wilkinson, Steve Somers, Lou Walker, Franco Nero
Country: Italy and United States
Running Time: 109 min
Year: 1979
BBFC Certificate: 15
In the wake of the blockbuster success of films involving possession, the devil and spooky children – the likes of Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) – came a string of copycats, particularly in Italy.
Films like Exorcismo (1975), The Exorcist: Italian Style (1975) and Beyond the Door (1974) followed in the wake of the phenomenal success of the American movies, particular the first two on the above list.
Another Italian production that has often been described as a rip-off of the trio (most notably Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen) is The Visitor (1979), which is the subject of this review, yet the film is so much more than a copycat, and transcends genres – part horror, part sci-fi, and completely excessive in its approach. It’s perhaps an acquired taste but, for me, it’s a real gem of Italian cinema, which features much to enjoy, admire and ponder.
It also packs a stellar cast – the type that would have often been found in disaster films in the decade in which it was made – with the likes of Mel Ferrer, Glenn Ford, future star Lance Henrikson, actor and director John Huston, director Sam Peckinpah, Shelley Winters and an uncredited Franco Nero as a Christ-like figure, all gracing the screen for director Giulio Paradisi. Radio personalities Neal Boortz and Steve Somers also have small roles and there’s even an uncredited cameo for basketball superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who would have a film and TV career himself, including his debut in Bruce Lee’s Game of Death (1972) and spoof Airplane! (1980).
The Visitor in a nutshell is an age-old battle of good versus evil, God vs Satan, and opens with Jerzy (John Huston) having a vision of a young girl causing a devastating storm and we hear about a centuries-long conflict between the evil Sateen (Satan, essentially) and his arch-rival Yahweh. The latter apparently tracked Sateen to Earth and killed him, but the evil one’s spirit lives on and his descendants populate the planet.
On Earth we meet professional basketball team owner Raymond (Lance Henriksen) who vows his team will win at all costs and who, we discover, is in cahoots with a secretive group of Satanists. Raymond’s girlfriend Barbara (Joanne Nail) has an eight-year-old daughter Katy (Paige Conner) who is already displaying psychokinetic powers. The Satanists want Raymond and Barbara to have a son who will mate with his half-sister Katy to produce the physical embodiment of Sateen.
We then follow Raymond’s attempts to gain his heir, Katy coming to grips with her powers, and Jerzy, the visitor of the title, who arrives on Earth in an attempt to stop Raymond and the Satanists from completing their aims to bring back Sateen.
Along the way we meet Raymond’s associate Dr Walker (Mel Ferrer), a Christ-like figure played by an uncredited Franco Nero who tells the good versus evil story to a group of bald children and sends Jerzy to Earth to stop the evil plot, and Barbara’s new maid Jane (Shelley Winters). We are also introduced to a detective (Glenn Ford) investigating Katy, after a gun she’s given as a birthday present goes off in her hand and leaves her mother paralysed, and Katy’s biological father Dr Collins (Sam Peckinpah).
First things first, the film has been called confusing because it throws everything and the kitchen sink at the screen, but its plot is relatively simple and it is incredibly rewarding with multiple viewings. It is simply a tale of good versus evil, of a child who may be demonic (shades of The Exorcist and The Omen) and a man who is part of a cult trying to get his girlfriend pregnant to essentially bring back Satan (Rosemary’s Baby).
The film was quite obscure until it was restored in 2010 and it has grown to garner a cult following, many enjoying its beautiful visuals, marvellous though sporadically used score, bonkers plot and excellent cast.
Yes, the cast. What a cast. Some actors have smaller roles than others but no matter the size of the part, all play their roles well, particularly a sinister Henriksen in his first decade as an actor (though he had been an uncredited extra in 1961’s The Outsider almost 20 years earlier).
Huston, Ford and Winters are always a pleasure to watch and that’s also the case here, the trio each owning the screen when they’re involved in scenes. Nero has a brilliant though all too brief cameo and Peckinpah is also good in his brief scenes. Best known as a director, Peckinpah played around a dozen roles, including parts in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and uncredited ones in his own films Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and Convoy (1978).
It’s all wonderfully shot with some truly beautiful cinematography by Ennio Guarnieri, including numerous really interesting shots that mean there’s always something on screen to enjoy, even if the plot can be a tad confusing. Atlanta, where the film’s location footage was shot, also looks great, with some interesting photography of the cityscape. There’s also a phenomenal score by Franco Micalizzi that is used sporadically throughout the film but is instantly welcomed as soon as it booms out of the speakers.
Standout sequences include the opening as Huston’s character stands as a storm builds and a hooded character, who we will soon discover is a young girl, walks towards him as sand swirls against a red sun. It looks gorgeous.
Others include a bird attacking Glenn Ford’s detective and leaving him dead in a car crash that’s incredible tense. It involves a jaw-dropping crash with a motorbike before the car flips over, is wrapped in the wire mesh of a fence and blows up. Another bravura scene involves a dizzying and terrifying sequence at an ice rink.
The sci-fi elements, which have been glimpsed in early scenes, really come into their own in a breathtaking finale which looks to owe a little bit to Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, released two years prior, with lights dancing to music. The fate of Katy, those around her and the Satanists are revealed, alongside a seemingly never-ending attack by an army of birds.
In closing, The Visitor is an excellent slice of Italian genre cinema that owes much to the likes of The Exorcist, The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby, but also paves its own path to become a really bonkers, over the top and deliriously entertaining battle of good versus evil. It’s beautifully shot, has a cracking score and is ripe for multiple viewings. It’s a real gem, though admittedly not for everyone.
Film: 
The Visitor is released on limited edition 4K UHD by Arrow on 26th February 2026. The new 4K restoration by Arrow Films, from the original 35mm camera negative, is another triumph for the label. I always feel in safe hands when I see that Arrow have restored a film themselves, and this is no different. The film looks outstanding, the gorgeous visuals shining through, plenty of natural rich detail, good colour balance and a generally brilliant, filmic quality throughout. The audio also sounds excellent. It’s a really good audio and visual presentation all round.
4K Ultra HD limited edition contents:
Brand new 4K restoration of the 109 min European version of the film from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by film critics BJ and Harmony Colangelo
A Biblical Battle for the Cosmos, a brand new visual essay by film critic Meagan Navarro
A Cosmic Right to Choose, a brand new visual essay by film critic Willow Catelyn Maclay
Archive interview with actor Lance Henriksen
Archive interview with screenwriter Lou Comici
Archive interview with cinematographer Ennio Guarnieri
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Erik Buckham
Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Marc Edward Heuck, Richard Kadrey, Craig Martin and Mike White
Arrow previously released the film on Blu-ray. Here the label not only provide the film on a 4K disc with the movie looking smashing, but they also include three new extras as well as archival ones that were featured on their earlier Blu-ray release.
Up first is a strong new audio commentary by film critics BJ and Harmony Colangelo. They acknowledge the film’s influences but share their love for it and how it transcends these influences to become so much more. The pair discuss the actors, the themes, some of the key scenes and background to the production. Their commentary is delivered in a fun and easy to listen way. It’s a very entertaining listen.
The new video essay A Biblical Battle for the Cosmos is by film critic Meagan Navarro and runs for 19 minutes. Navarro touches on the background to the film, as well as another possession film and The Exorcist copycat released by Arrow, Beyond the Door. She runs through the good versus evil battle, key sequences, the sci-fi aspects, possession horror and touches on the different characters. It’s a great piece.
The second new essay, A Cosmic Right to Choose, is an 11-minute one by film critic Willow Catelyn Maclay. She gives a good overview of the plot and touches on some of the key themes in the film. It’s another good piece.
Next we have three archival interviews from 2014. First, we get a nine-minute interview with actor Lance Henriksen, who talks about how he had to “roll” with the film, and how he was “serving” movies at the time rather than “creating characters”. Henriksen provides some warm comments about co-star John Huston and a fun comment on his first sight of the striking poster for the movie at the time of the film was released. It’s a short but illuminating interview.
The nine-minute archive interview with screenwriter Lou Comici is brilliant, with Comici saying he was partly hired to reel the director in, and sharing how his role ended before the filming began due to some dramas behind the scenes. He shares some of his script elements and scenes he was asked to include by the director. Great stuff.
The final archival interview is with cinematographer Ennio Guarnieri and runs for four minutes. Guarnieri says he felt the film was carried by its special effects, shares how he was hired and touches on the creation of some of the effects including the motorcycle crash, while scenes play behind him. Short but decent.
The trailer is a 90 second re-release promo which certainly sells the film well.
The image gallery contains 40 stills, posters and lobby cards.
I wasn’t provided with the booklet, so am unable to comment on it.
In closing, Arrow have provided a strong release of The Visitor that should please first-time viewers and those who own the label’s previous release. Archival extras from the earlier Blu-ray are carried over to the new 4K UHD edition but Arrow also provide two excellent new video essays totalling 30 minutes, a brilliant new commentary and, best of all, a wonderful restoration which means the film looks and sounds amazing.
Disc/Package: