The Sentinel

In the rolling hills of northern Italy, a cabal of Roman Catholic clerics, led by an enigmatic figure clad in shadows (Jose Ferrer), convenes. Meanwhile, in the concrete jungle of New York City, supermodel Alison Parker (Cristina Raines) embarks on a quest for independence, seeking her own apartment and a sense of autonomy from her controlling boyfriend, lawyer Michael Lerman (Chris Sarandon). His desire to tie the knot only serves as an added layer of suffocation.

In Baltimore, Maryland, tragedy strikes when Alison's father passes away suddenly, leaving her to confront a painful legacy. As she navigates the labyrinthine corridors of her own psyche, memories of a traumatic event from her childhood resurface: walking in on her father engaged in an orgy, which led to a crippling sense of shame and a failed attempt at self-destruction. A symbol of her trauma, a cross torn from her neck by her father, now serves as a tangible reminder of the horrors she endured.

In New York City, Alison's life begins to unravel when she meets with real estate agent Miss Logan (Ava Gardner), who presents her with a "perfect" apartment in Brooklyn Heights. The space seems almost too good to be true, and yet Alison feels an inexplicable sense of unease as she settles into the unfamiliar surroundings. On the top floor of the building, a mysterious figure resides: Father Halliran (John Carradine), a blind and senile priest whose vacant stare appears to bore into the very soul of the city.

As Alison struggles to find her footing in this strange new world, she's visited by Charles Chazen (Burgess Meredith), an eccentric neighbor who brings with him his menagerie of animals. His tales of the building's other tenants only serve to heighten Alison's sense of unease, as she begins to feel like she's trapped in a waking nightmare.

At a photo shoot, Alison's fragile psyche shatters once more, and she's forced to confront the dark forces that seem to be closing in around her. The morning after this latest collapse, she meets two more enigmatic neighbors: Gerde (Sylvia Miles), a wisecracking firecracker with a penchant for drama, and Sandra (Beverly D'Angelo), her mute but equally flamboyant lover.

As the days blur together in a haze of confusion and fear, Alison's world becomes increasingly distorted. At a commercial shoot, she collapses once more, infuriating Jack (Jeff Goldblum), the photographer tasked with capturing her image. Charles throws a bizarre birthday party for his cat, further blurring the lines between reality and madness.

As Alison teeters on the edge of sanity, she begins to experience strange and disturbing visions, which seem to be linked to the mysterious apartment building above hers. Her conversations with Miss Logan only serve to deepen the sense of unease, as she learns that the Holy Diocese of New York owns the building and that it's been eerily vacant for years.

Meanwhile, Father Halliran is visited by Monsignor Franchino (Jose Ferrer), who seems to be hiding secrets and agendas. The stakes are raised further when Michael Lerman hires private investigator James Brenner (Hank Garrett) to dig into Alison's past and uncover the truth about her mysterious apartment building. As the threads of reality begin to unravel, it becomes clear that Alison is trapped in a web of deceit and terror from which there may be no escape.

As the darkness of night descends once more, Alison's solitary vigil is disrupted by an unsettling chorus of noises, prompting her to investigate further. Her curiosity leads her down a macabre path, where she stumbles upon Chazen's cat devouring the pet bird, and is then relentlessly pursued by the ethereal apparition of her father - a haunting specter that culminates in Alison's desperate attempts to stab it repeatedly. Fleeing into the night, she is eventually found by the residents of nearby buildings, drenched in blood and beset with terror.

The next day, two seasoned detectives, the grizzled Gatz (Eli Wallach) and his rookie partner Rizzo (Christopher Walken), pay a visit to Michael, their inquiries centered on the tragic demise of Karen, his deceased wife, as well as Alison's subsequent suicide attempt. The unspoken implication is that Michael's involvement in the previous night's events cannot be ruled out.

Meanwhile, the police discover no suspicious activity in Alison's apartment and confirm that the bloodstained nightgown matches her own type - a finding that only serves to further muddy the waters of this labyrinthine mystery.

As Michael delves deeper into the enigma, he uncovers a disturbing revelation: Mrs. Clark, one of the supposed guests at Chazen's feline friend's birthday celebration, was in fact the moniker of a notorious murderer executed in 1949 - a discovery that sets off alarm bells in his mind.

Tragedy strikes when Brenner, the private investigator, is found brutally stabbed to death in his car, his blood type eerily matching Alison's. Detective Gatz seizes upon this connection, deducing that Michael had hired the PI to eliminate Karen and was now attempting to drive her daughter insane.

Upon their arrival at Michael's apartment, the detectives prepare to confront him with their suspicions, but Alison decides to take a stroll, leading her to seek solace in a local Catholic Church. There, she unburdens herself to Monsignor Franchino about her adulterous transgressions, twice attempted suicide, and the crushing sense of hopelessness that threatens to consume her once more. The monsignor offers words of comfort, assuring Alison that embracing Jesus and returning to the church will banish these dark feelings.

Upon her return to Michael's apartment, he hints that perhaps she hadn't conjured the events into being after all, prompting them to visit her Brooklyn Heights abode together. Though they uncover no evidence of Alison having committed murder in this location, she remains convinced that certain aspects of the room - such as the carpet - have undergone a transformation.

A peculiar book then catches her attention, its pages bearing the same Latin phrase on every page - a phenomenon that eludes Michael's understanding. When Alison transcribes the text, Michael takes it to Professor Ruzinsky (Martin Balsam), who reveals that this passage is in fact a quote from Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost.

As Alison returns to the church, she's met with a sense of unease by the rector, who claims to know nothing of the priest she's seeking. Meanwhile, Michael pays a visit to Monsignor Franchino under the guise of a bequest for Father Halliran, only to be met with a stern rebuff. The monsignor explains that Halliran has been retired since 1952, afflicted with palsy, and unable to accept visitors - a state of affairs that seems to defy Michael's attempts at communication.

Undeterred, Michael turns his attention to Jennifer (Deborah Raffin), Alison's friend, asking her to stay with her while he attends to some pressing matters. That night, he meets Perry (William Hickey), an ex-convict who owes him a favor, and bribes him to assist in breaking into the diocese to uncover the truth about Halliran's past.

As Michael delves deeper into the mystery, he discovers that Father Halliran was once Daniel O'Rourke, a man who attempted suicide only to re-emerge with a new identity. This revelation sparks a chain reaction of discoveries, revealing a network of individuals who have similarly attempted to erase their pasts and re-emerged as priests or nuns - all residing in the same Brooklyn apartment building where Alison calls home.

Meanwhile, detectives Gatz and Rizzo are hot on the trail of the eight partygoers Alison claims attended the birthday celebration for her cat. Their investigation uncovers a shocking truth: these individuals were actually executed long ago, their identities mere figments of Alison's imagination.

As Michael continues to unravel the tangled threads of Halliran's past, he becomes increasingly convinced that time is running out. He convinces Alison to attend a party at Jennifer's while he pays a visit to the Brooklyn apartment building. At the party, Alison's friends put her to bed, but she slips away in the dead of night.

In Brooklyn Heights, Michael discovers a hidden portal behind a wooden wall, inscribed with ominous warnings: "Through me you go into the city of grief. Through me you go into the world of pain. Through me you walk among people lost. Abandon hope all ye who enter here". It's then that Father Halliran appears, revealing the shocking truth that this entire building serves as the entrance to Hell.

Michael's pursuit of answers takes him upstairs, where he confronts the priest and attempts to strangle him. As the two men struggle, Michael demands an explanation for the sinister forces at work in Alison's life - a quest that will ultimately lead him down a path of self-discovery and mortal peril.

As Alison steps into the foreboding edifice, she's met by Michael, whose unflappable demeanor belies the weight of his words. He reveals that the cryptic Latin they unearthed was a prophetic warning from Gabriel to Uriel, stationed at the fateful Gateway to Eden. This ancient directive set in motion a sequence of vigilant guardians, tasked with safeguarding humanity against malevolent forces. At present, Father Halliran holds the sentinel's mantle, but Alison is poised to assume this sacred responsibility upon his impending departure. The gruesome murders she encountered within the building were, in reality, reincarnated demons, hell-bent on preventing her ascension by driving her to despair. Michael, a spirit doomed to eternal damnation for his manifold transgressions, including orchestrating Brenner's murder of his own wife, Karen, shares this grim truth.

As Alison flees the scene, Chazen and the minions of darkness converge upon her. She returns upstairs to find Gerde and Sandra indulging in a macabre feast amidst Michael's lifeless form. The very fabric of reality then tears asunder, unleashing an unrelenting horde of demons from hidden recesses. Alison is shocked to behold her own father and Chazen among the demonic throng. Cornered by this grotesque assembly in Halliran's apartment, Chazen urges Alison to join their ranks by taking her own life; he offers her a dagger as a twisted token.

Just as all hope seems lost, Franchino and Halliran appear, wielding a symbol of redemption – the cross. The demonic horde recoils, vanishing into the shadows. With the monsignor's guidance, Father Halliran is led away from the carnage. The following morning, Gatz and Rizzo arrive at the apartment building to find Halliran's lifeless form being carted out in a body bag, accompanied by a medical examiner's report attributing his demise to natural causes – a heart attack. A thorough investigation yields no signs of life within the structure, which is subsequently reduced to rubble.

The unvarnished truth about Alison's arrival at this foreboding edifice serves as a stark reminder that, in the face of existential peril, even the most seemingly ordinary individuals can be thrust into the crucible of destiny.

As the passage of time unfolds, Miss Logan, a steadfast agent with ties to an enigmatic priesthood, continues her mission to safeguard the newly constructed apartment building. Her latest endeavour involves escorting a youthful couple (Tom Berenger and Nana Tucker) through the complex's labyrinthine corridors, showcasing the available properties. In their quest for the perfect home, they express concern about the neighbors that will soon be sharing their walls. Miss Logan obliges, revealing that the adjacent apartments are occupied by two intriguing individuals: a melodic maestro and a reclusive sister named Sister Theresa (Alison), who has renounced her sight to devote herself to a life of contemplation on the highest floor. Clad in a crisp white habit, Sister Theresa sits in pensive silence, her gaze fixed blankly upon the windowpane as she cradles the cross, now transformed into an unyielding sentinel guarding the gateway to the underworld.