The Fury (1978)

Spoilers

 'The Fury' is Brian De Palma's rather on point adaption of the 1976 John Farris novel of the same name, published by Playboy Press. Kirk Douglas is Peter Sandza, a successful businessman who has been raising his son alone abroad since the death of his wife. He plans to change that however, leaving his long time employer with plans to move back to the States and get a proper education for his (late teens?, the actor is in his early 20's) son on how to handle his vaguely referenced 'special abilities'. They are at a beach resort in Israel saying goodbye to Peter's business associate and best friend John Cassavetes, but they are betrayed by him, a terrorist attack on the resort was set up with the express purpose of killing Peter. Peter's son Robin (Andrew Stevens) is spirited away before the bad guys learn that he survived. Peter then begins his quest to locate and rescue his son. 

Robin was abducted by the CIA, who Cassavetes secretly worked for. The youth had begun manifesting psychic and telekinetic powers which he doesn't know how to use, the CIA wants to train him as an asset. For a time Robin is kept at a once legitimate psychiatric facility, The Paragon Institute in Chicago, which the CIA has taken over, to the growing chagrin of the main doctor there played by an endearing Charles Durning. After several escape attempts Robin is relocated to a remote mansion facility (in Virginia?), where they assign a sexy doctor (Fiona Lewis, who had modeled for Playboy) to keep him sexually satisfied and under control. 

Meanwhile Chicago private school girl Gillian Bellaver (Amy Irving) has begun manifesting psychic/telekinetic abelites of her own, she agrees to a stay at The Paragon Institute for further testing. Durning quickly discovers that her powers are legitimate, but wants to pretended they are not to keep her out of CIA custody. Peter meanwhile is hiding out in Chicago and has initiated a sexual relationship with a nurse at Paragon (Carrie Snodgress) to get the inside dope. Carrie advises Peter of the CIA's plans to move Gillian to another facility, and the two engineer an escape in which Carrie is killed. 

Peter and Gillian are now on the run together and make their way to the mansion facility with the intent of freeing Robin. Robin however has mentally deteriorated in custody, becoming more violent and moody as his powers increase. The escape attempt will leave 2 of the three of them dead. 

There is some 'Carrie' here, there is some 'X-Men', I bet it makes more sense in the book, as details in the movie are slim and imply more then is fleshed out. It feels like there is story missing, though at the same time the uncertainties of the film help it to keep your attention as you try to piece things together. There are some good set pieces here, it's well enough paced, though the narrative bifurcates between Douglas and Irving and we see so little of Robin between the beginning and end of the film, that his character changes feel jarring and unexplained. On the whole this is a pretty good supernatural horror/mystery in the De Palma tradition. ***