Pin : A Plastic Nightmare

Leon and Ursula are a doctor's children. In their father's surgery there is an anatomical mannequin with visible organs, used for teaching; his name is Pin. The doctor throws his voice and makes Pin talk while explaining things to the children. Ursula grows up and works out it is a trick. Leon does not. When their parents are killed in an accident, Leon brings Pin home and prepares a room for him. Sandor Stern writes and directs, from Andrew Neiderman's novel. David Hewlett plays Leon and Cynthia Preston plays Ursula. What distinguishes it is that the horror is never tied to the supernatural. Pin never moves by itself; everything takes place in Leon's mind and the film does not hide that from the audience. The subject is parenting. The father can only speak to his children through a mannequin, the mother is obsessed with cleanliness, and neither shows any feeling; Leon's condition is presented as the direct result of that house. The mannequin is deliberately motionless. The camera looks at it for long stretches and the discomfort comes out of the stillness. It was made in Canada on a low budget and drew little attention in cinemas; it became a cult film on video. The sister's position is the hardest thing in it; Ursula both protects her brother and fears him, and the film does not separate the two. Who it is for: viewers who like psychological horror and eighties cult films. Who it is not for: the production values are low, the pace is slow, and some scenes are unintentionally funny now.