Scott LeBrun Co-producer / director John Schlesinger of "Midnight Cowboy" fame is at the helm of this interesting film that takes a look into the religion of Santeria. Martin Sheen plays Cal Jamison, a police psychiatrist who moves with his young son Chris (Harley Cross) from Minnesota to New York after a horrible accident involving his wife. Soon they find that the terror isn't over as they get mixed up with various members of a cult that believes in the sacrifice of children.As in any film of this kind, it does get fascinating to see characters partake in rituals and utilize assorted items. The story is based on a novel by Nicholas Conde, condensed here by Mark Frost of 'Twin Peaks' fame, and it's fairly meaty stuff that runs close to two hours. It gets appropriately surreal, and while it may not always make absolute sense, that isn't such a bad thing in a film of this kind.The cast is above average and quite convincing. Supporting Sheen are the lovely, under-rated Helen Shaver, and old pros such as Robert Loggia, Lee Richardson, Elizabeth Wilson, Harris Yulin, and Richard Masur. Jimmy Smits has a great, memorable, small but pivotal part as a detective who's part of the puzzle; he's found flying off the handle after being discovered at a murder scene. Also appearing are the excellent Raul Davila and the striking Malick Bowens; co-star Carla Pinza, who plays Carmen the housekeeper, was also the films' cultural adviser.Despite a deliberate pace, this story just draws the viewer right in with its weird atmosphere, attention to detail, and its sense of doom and gloom. After a while, one has to wonder if there is anyone that Cal can trust. The characters are compelling; it's refreshing that our hero is flawed and not perfect. For one thing, he's prone to nasty outbursts.The special effects are generally good, especially when insects emerge from a sore on a persons' face. The music by J. Peter Robinson is likewise good. The finale is well executed on impressive sets by Simon Holland and the cinematography is the work of the great Robby Muller.Worth a look overall; the finale would seem to be setting up a sequel but no sequel ever got made. For another look at Santeria, check out the 1972 film "The Possession of Joel Delaney".Seven out of 10.

The_Void Voodoo is quite an interesting topic, and as such there are many movies on the topic, many of which are very good; which means that all the movies based on voodoo generally have a lot to live up to. The Believers benefits from a good cast, a reputable director and an obviously sizable budget - but unfortunately, it doesn't amount to a sum of it's parts, mostly due to the fact that a lot of it plays out rather slowly and is quite boring - which is fairly surprising considering that director John Schlesinger was the man behind classic thrillers such as Marathon Man. The film is based on a book by Nicholas Conde and focuses on a widowed father named Cal Jamison who takes his son to live in Manhattan. Cal gets a job with the New York Police Department as a psychiatrist for troubled police officers. It's on his first call out, to help save a suicidal police officer that he comes into contact with a strange cult that has skinned a child alive. From there, the film focuses on a series of strange and eerie events that all seem to focus on the people around the lead character...The main problem with this movie is undoubtedly the length of it - the director obviously assumed that there was enough material to fill the nearly two hour running time, but unfortunately that isn't the case and the result is a film with a lot of dull moments. The lead role is taken by Martin Sheen who does a good job of fleshing out his character and getting the audience behind him. This, however, is not matched by the plot - which doesn't ever do enough to get the audience fully behind it, which is a shame as there are plenty of good ideas going on in it. The film can easily be compared to the likes of Angel Heart and Rosemary's Baby - but clearly it is not even nearly on the same level as the aforementioned classics. To its credit, the film does not flinch too much when it comes to showing blood and gore - skinned kids and spiders crawling out of a woman's cheek are among the highlights. Overall, The Believers is not a complete dead loss by any means; but it's not a great film either and I wouldn't recommend anyone goes out of their way to see it.

MarieGabrielle Covering the subject of cults, religion, Santeria or other beliefs is always intriguing and educational. The acting especially by Martin Sheen as N.Y. psychiatrist Cal, is very good.Cal loses his wife in a tragic accident, and returns to New York City where he is a psychiatric consultant for N.Y.P.D. There are some excellent scenes with Jimmy Smits, as an affected officer who goes mad, and Robert Loggia, as a veteran cop who is also affected by the "Believers", and their group.Harris Yulin is menacing and fits the bill as leader of an 80's group, ostensibly just a charity group, until Sheen uncovers something much worse.The end is rather abrupt and predictable, but the acting is first-rate (especially for Sheen) and this is worth a viewing. The theme alone has many possibilities, the ignorance and unawareness of how many different religions actually exist, and are in practice all over the world. 9/10.

lastliberal "And another child was saved... a most extraordinary child... who's taught us so much. Other the years he's become like a son to us." Not having seen The Serpent And The Rainbow (1988), Angel Heart (1987) or Rosemary's Baby (1968), I have nothing to compare this film to. It is supposedly in the same vein.I have to agree with those who find the first half very slow. Except for a brief glimpse of Helen Shaver's breast and her ample booty, there was nothing of interest.It did get better in the second half, especially with Shaver. It all comes to a bloody end, as Martin Sheen moves to save his son, played well by Harley Cross.This was Jimmy Smits' third film, and he gave a great performance as a Santeria victim.