A country family of five takes in cousin Julia, whose parents recently perished in a car crash. Julia extends her influence over the family and those around them, fooling all except for Rachel, the teenage girl who knows her cousin is up to no good.
Craven's Summer of Fear (a.k.a. Stranger in Our House) is a sunlit slice of TV horror. It feels like a lesser 1986's Dead of Winter or Vanishing Act only with a supernatural edge. Starring Linda Blair, forever tied to The Exorcist, and excellent Lee Purcell as the sinister cousin Julia, the film trades traditional shadows for bright daylight, giving it the feel of a Columbo episode rather than a straight horror piece.
Blair lends real weight to Rachel's growing paranoia, while Purcell delivers a quiet, escalating menace. Jeff McCracken and a young Fran Drescher and Jeff East round out the cast. The daytime setting adds realism but strips away some of the menace Craven is known for, keeping the tension slow and simmering rather than sharp.
The climax finally embraces its supernatural heart, with Julia's true nature revealed in a tense witchy showdown, including a car chase. Then there's a 'twist' tacked on ending.
While not one of Craven's greats, Summer of Fear is a solid, atmospheric slow burn, buoyed by its cast.
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