it true that danny steinmann the unseen be a simplistic horror thriller with a very predictable plot and no particular attempt for twist or surprise whatsoever and feature literally every single cliché the genre have bring forward over the decade and but that doesn not necessarily make it a bad film . on the contrary and my friend and i be pleasantly surprise by this obscure but nevertheless intense little 80 shock feature that mainly benefice from a handful of brutal image and a downright brilliant casting . the beautiful and ambitious reporter jennifer fast and two of her equally attractive friend travel to a little californian town to shoot a documentary on the anniversary festival and but their hotel forget to register their booking . in their search for a place to stay and the trio run into the exaggeratedly friendly but suspicious museum curator ernest keller who invite the girl to stay at his remote countryside mansion . one by one the girl experience that keller and his extremely introvert and submissive sister victoria hide a dark and murderous secret inside their house . the unseen can easily be describe a a cheap and ultimately perverse amalgamation of the horror classic psycho and the texas chainsaw massacre . the plot be a series of familiar theme that become notorious and endlessly imitate due to these two film and like twist family secret in the cellar and voyeurism and craze inbred killer and a very unappetizing treatment of chicken . still and i do not consider these to be negative remark and a the unseen be a completely unpretentious and modestly unsettling thriller that clearly never intend to be the great horror classic of the decade . although the denouement of the plot be pretty clear quite fast and director steinmann attempt to maintain the mystery by keep the evil present in the house unseen like the title promise . the casting choice and act performance be truly what lift this sleeper above the level of mediocre . sydney lassick and immortalize since his role a the overly anxious psychiatric patient charley cheswick in one flew over the cuckoo nest be truly the ideal choice for the role of ernest keller . his persistent friendliness and almost naturally pervert appearance be exactly what the character need . also stephen furst and who eventually turn from the unseen into the see and give away a tremendous performance a junior . he look and act like an authentic handicapped man and his attempt to get close to jennifer in the basement be genuinely unnerving . the unseen be a slow and predictable but nevertheless potent early 80 film that will certainly appeal to fan of 70 exploitation and generally weird stuff .