A Terrifying Classic!

The film was released on October 26, 1979, and later re-released on October 17, 1980.[citation needed] Carol Kane stated in an interview that while watching the film in the theater the audience began screaming and talking back to the screen during the opening 20 minutes of the film.[citation needed]
Home Media[edit]
The film was eventually released on the VHS format in 1986. A DVD release was distributed on October 9, 2001, with the only supplements being bonus trailers. A Blu-ray version of the film was eventually released by Mill Creek Entertainment in a double feature with Happy Birthday to Me on March 26, 2013. Neither film contains any special features on the disc


The film received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 36% approval rate based on 11 reviews, giving it a "rotten" certification.[6]
Roger Ebert described the movie as "sleazy" in a 1980 episode of Sneak Previews.[7]
The film has since developed a cult following.[citation needed] The opening sequence was ranked number 28 on TV channel Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments program in 2004.[citation needed]
The Classification and Rating Administration had originally voted unanimously for a PG rating (5 years before the PG-13 rating was available for use). However, CARA chair Richard Heffner then viewed the film and called the board for further discussion to consider voting for an R rating instead. Although the theme of a film could potentially be accommodated within a PG rating, Heffner argued that this film's treatment of its theme was too unsettling for most parents to want it to be freely available to unaccompanied children. A majority vote was then received to assign the film its R r