"A Plastic Nightmare"

1988 1h 43m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 170★6.5IMDB · 6,093

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Pin, a plastic medical dummy, has been the fixation of Leon since youth. Now grown up and orphaned in an accident, Leon brings Pin home to live with him and his sister Ursula, much to her reluctance. Soon, however, Leon's fixation on Pin spirals out of control, and Ursula must face the devastating consequences.

“A Plastic Nightmare”

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Cast

Jonathan Banks
PIN (voice)
David Hewlett
Leon
Cynthia Preston
Ursula
Terry O'Quinn
Dr. Frank Linden
Bronwen Mantel
Mrs. Linden
John Pyper-Ferguson
Stan Fraker
Helene Udy
Marcia Bateman
Patricia Collins
Aunt Dorothy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sandor Stern
Writers: Sandor Stern
Languages: English
Countries: Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sandor Stern, shot by Guy Dufaux. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Peter Manning Robinson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Patrick Dodd shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Jonathan Banks and David Hewlett and Cynthia Preston carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A Plastic Nightmare".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0095871 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sandor Stern directs. Guy Dufaux behind the camera. Peter Manning Robinson scores. Patrick Dodd cuts. Produced in Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

138 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Sandor Stern, shot by Guy Dufaux. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Peter Manning Robinson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Patrick Dodd shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Jonathan Banks and David Hewlett and Cynthia Preston carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A Plastic Nightmare".
7IMDB entry: tt0095871 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 13 themes, including "based on novel or book", "police", "birthday", "delusion".

The technical file

Cinematography: Guy Dufaux
Original score: Peter Manning Robinson
Editing: Patrick Dodd
Costume design: Nicoletta Massone
Makeup / hair: Bob Pritchett
Sound: Mark Berger
Stunt coordinator: David Rigby
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Pin (1988)
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 6,093 votes
MPAA: R

Also by

Sandor Stern

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2022-04-04
★ 7/10
Interesting and creepy psychodrama/horror involving a mannequin In the Northeast, a doctor uses an anatomically correct medical dummy named Pin (short for Pinocchio) to teach his son & daughter about how the body works. Years later, when they’re adults, they maintain an attachment to the mannequin as the sister (Cynthia Preston) starts dating a guy (John Pyper-Ferguson), which interrupts her uneasy brother (David Hewlett) "Pin" (1988) is a slow burn Hitchcock-ian psychological drama/horror that mixes “Psycho” (1960), “Flowers in the Attic” (1987) and a little “Paper Man” (1971) with the creepy mannequins of several 70's movies/shows, like Kolchak: The Night Stalker’s "The Trevi Collection.” The low-key commentary on the negative effects of legalism is interesting, augmented by the fact that it’s nonreligious legalism relating to a well-to-do, educated family, which is the opposite of the situation in “Carrie” (1976). Yet legalism is only one of the mental conditions explored. The flick is smart to not spell everything out, making the viewer seek for answers. For instance, is ventriloquism being used or not? Meanwhile the ending ties everything up with a nigh ‘wow’ factor. I shouldn’t fail to mention that redhead Helene Udy is on hand for an effective sequence. The movie runs 1 hour, 43 minutes, and was shot in Iberville, Québec, which is about 15 miles southeast of Montreal and 20 miles north of Lake Champlain & the US border, as well as Saint-Lambert, which is just across the river from Montreal. GRADE: B+

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