Pin (1988) Movie Review

This is a strange movie. Let me say that firstly, but it is interesting in it's own way. It isn't scary as such, but there are some good creepy scenes in it. It is directed by Sandor Stern and it stars Terry O'Quinn and David Hewlett and Cynthia Preston.

PIN is a dummy in Dr.Linden's(O' Quinn) office. He is used to help the doctor to explain things to his patients. Dr. Linden has two children, Leon and Ursula. Dr. Linden makes PIN talk by ventriloquism. The kids have a miserable time as their dad is very strict and the mother is a neat freak. Leon wants to talk to PIN but his father won't allow him to. Leon does it anyway and gets caught by his dad who takes PIN in the car with him to get rid of it. While they are in the car, they crash with PIN in the back seat. Leon rescues his plastic pal from the wreckage and brings him home.
Leon(Hewlett) begins holding conversations with PIN. Ursula(Preston) is a bit worried about it. An aunt of theirs comes to stay and she is a fussy woman. Leon talks to PIN about it and he manages to get rid of her by causing her to have a heart attack when he puts PIN in her bed. From then on, PIN becomes part of the family. Leon gives him his own room. He dresses him in his dead father's clothes and he sits him at the dinner table. Ursula isn't happy with that and she tells him so. He gets mad with her. Ursula meets a guy called Stan(John Pyper-Ferguson) and she falls in love with him. They begin dating and he meets Leon. Leon doesn't like Stan much. Leon brings a girl back to the house for some fun but he can't have sex with her because of PIN being in the house. She thinks that he is a weirdo. He gets PIN and chases her around the house. She is really scared.

Leon tells Ursula to ask Stan over for dinner. He introduces Stan to PIN. It is a very awkward evening. Stan realises that Leon has a problem. He tells Ursula who already knows. She just doesn't want to have to put Leon in a home because he is schizophrenic. Leon talks to PIN about Stan and PIN advises him what to do. Leon calls Stan and asks him over and kills him in the living room. He is advised by PIN about what to do and he cleans everything up. When Ursula arrives home, he tells her that Stan called and said that he had to visit a sick friend. She wonders about this. Leon is acting strangely and then Ursula finds Stan's watch on the floor. She realises what must have happened and Leon confesses it to her. Leon tries to blame PIN for the murder saying that PIN did it when he was out and that he didn't have anything to do with it. Ursula is not convinced and she comes in with an axe and destroys PIN. The police are called and they find Stan but he is still alive! We cut to some time later and Ursula is back with Stan at the house. She enters alone and she is greeted by a nurse. She goes into a bedroom and she sees PIN. He is staring out of the window. He tells her that he misses Leon and she says that she does too. We see that the person at the window is dressed as PIN but it is really Leon. Leon has become PIN...

This movie reminded me a little of Psycho(1960) which I reviewed here. Norman and Mother are similar to Leon and PIN. In Psycho, Norman blamed the killings on his Mother and he talked in her voice and dressed as her. In Pin, this is the same thing. Leon ends up becoming his alter ego just as Norman became Mother..I liked this movie. I am giving it a 7/10.