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''The Fury'' is a 1978 thriller film based on the novel of the same name by John Farris, directed by Creator/BrianDePalma and starring Creator/KirkDouglas, Creator/JohnCassavetes, Creator/CarrieSnodgress, Creator/CharlesDurning, Creator/AmyIrving, and Andrew Stevens.

The film follows Peter Sandza (Douglas), whose friend Ben Childress (Cassavetes) – who works for a shady, unnamed government intelligence – arranges a fake terrorist attack to try and kill him and during the ensuing chaos kidnaps Peter's teenage son Robin (Stevens) with the intent of putting his tremendous psychic powers to good use in the Cold War.

Peter begins a desperate search for his son and tracks him to Chicago, where Peter's girlfriend Hester (Snodgress) is a nurse at the Paragon Institute. They enlist the aid of Gillian Bellaver (Irving), a budding telepath who is being studied at the Institute by Hestor's mentor Dr. Jim [=McKeever=] (Durning) and other people connected to Ben. Determined to silence Peter, Ben and his cronies are constantly hindering the process. Meanwhile, the experiments they've forced Robin to undergo have made him dangerously violent...

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!!This film provides examples of:

* AdaptationNameChange: The novel's Childermass became the film's Childress.
* AffablyEvil: Dr. [=McKeever=], Gillian's mentor at the Paragon Institute, is a genuinely nice guy, but he's still secretly working for Childress.
* AgeLift: Gillian and Robin are both 14 in the novel (which puts them more into the PsychicChildren trope), but are aged to 17 in the film ([[DawsonCasting and are played]] by Creator/AmyIrving, 24 at the time, and Andrew Stevens, 22).
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Both Gillian and Robin are this. Gillian is treated poorly by the others due to her psychic abilities and Robin feels he won't fit in the school in Chicago and both think they're freaks by the others.
* AssholeVictim: For all his crimes and trying to manipulate Gillian, [[spoiler: Childress gets blown up from inside-out by her in the end.]]
* BadassAdorable: Gillian, a attractive, sweet teenager finishes off Childress by blowing him up with her enhanced powers.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Gillian is a very pleasant girl, but [[spoiler: she literally blows up Childress after finding out what he did to Robin and intended to do to her.]]
* BigBadFriend: Childress is Peter's close friend, but he's ultimately the villain who conspires to bring Robin under his control.
* BigNo: Gillian says this when she witnesses Robin attacking the guards, and again when Robin falls to his death.
* BittersweetEnding: On the one hand, [[spoiler: Gillian's the only good guy left standing]]. On the other, [[spoiler: she spectacularly gets back at Childress, who was behind all the misery in the first place]].
* BreakTheCutie: Happens to Gillian when her powers start harming others.
** She also breaks down when she witnesses the deaths of Dr. Susan Charles and Robin.
* ChunkySalsaRule [[spoiler:Gillian kills Childress by making his body explode. We get to see the explosion repeated several times from several angles.]]
* DeadpanSnarker:
** Peter is shown to have a bit of witty banter.
** Cheryl towards Gillian.
-->'''Cheryl:''' See any ghosts today, Gillian?
** Gillian is shown to be snarky at times too.
-->'''Gillian:''' (to Cheryl) She can't help being upset. She has to take it out on someone.
-->'''Cheryl:''' What did you say?
-->'''Gillian:''' Oh, Cheryl, you don't want everyone to know that you're pregnant, do you?
** Hester is capable of sarcasm too, especially around Peter.
* DestinationDefenestration: Happens to innocent bystanders, main characters and, of course, {{mooks}}.
* DisneyVillainDeath: For [[spoiler:Robin Sandza]]. The body is seen on the ground, and [[spoiler:he lives just long enough to pass on his powers]].
* DrivenToSuicide: Poor [[spoiler: Peter, when he fails to save Robin]].
* FalseFlagOperation: Childress fakes a terrorist attack to kill Peter and to capture his son.
* TheFilmOfTheBook: John Farris did the screenplay adaptation of his own novel.
* FinalGirl: [[spoiler: Gillian is the only major character to not be murdered in the movie and she survives long enough to kill Childress by blowing him up.]]
* FlashedBadgeHijack: Inverted. Peter hijacks the car of two off-duty cops while he's on the run.
* GrievousBottleyHarm: Crazed Robin attacks his father with a bottle when he is finally found by him.
* GovernmentConspiracy: Childress heads up a CIA-backed organization that kidnaps psychics to use as weapons.
* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler: Peter, the main protagonist commits suicide after failing to save his son Robin.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Hester is [[LookBothWays hit by a car]]]] while helping Gillian escape the institute.
* HospitalHottie: Dr. Susan Charles, Childress' attractive assistant, is Robin's main caretaker and initiates a sexual relationship with him, to help control him.
* KissOfDeath: [[spoiler: Gillian gives one to Childress before blowing him up in the end]].
* MaleGaze: Gillian is introduced to us at a beach, her backside first.
* TheMenInBlack: Childress is a government operative involved in a big secret conspiracy.
* TheMole: Hester, who works at the Paragon Institute, secretly helps Peter try to locate Robin, and frees Gillian from the institute as part of the plan.
* MsFanservice: Gillian plays her first scene in a bikini. Also her best friend [=LaRue=].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: As Gillian and Hester are escaping from the institute, Peter [[spoiler:shoots the driver pursuing Gillian, causing the car to go out of control and kill Hester.]]
** Also Gillian screams at Robin from outside, giving away her and Peter's location.
* ObviouslyEvil: Childress is an amoral SmugSnake who's orchestrating a huge conspiracy and has no qualms about people dying in order to have his goals achieved, all hidden behind a slimy, smarmy FauxAffablyEvil personality.
* OnlyFriend: Gillian only has one friend named [=LaRue=], while the rest make fun of her.
* PapaWolf: Peter will stop at nothing to get his son back. He even strangled Childress for kidnapping him.
* PreMortemOneLiner:
-->'''Gillian:''' [[spoiler:''(before blowing Childress up)'']] You go to hell!
* PsychicNosebleed: A variation that predates the formal TropeMaker, Creator/DavidCronenberg's ''Film/{{Scanners}}''. Gillian's unfamiliarity with her powers causes bleeding on people who touch her, especially if they're already injured in some way.
* PsychicPowers: Just like De Palma's previous film ''[[Film/Carrie1976 Carrie]]'', the story is focused on a teen girl with paranormal powers. Rather than {{Horror}}, though, this film is in more of an [[ActionGenre Action]] {{Thriller}} vein.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Dr. Ellen Lindstorm, the chief assistant of Dr. Jim [=McKeever=] tries to help Gillian when she finds out she has contact with Robin.
** Hester, an assistant at the Paragon Institute eavesdrops on Childress' plan to kidnap Gillian and she helps Gillian find Robin and plans her escape from the Institute.
* RedRightHand: Childress' permanently damaged arm.
* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler: Almost -- Robin attempts to kill his father during his rampage]].
* ShoutOut: It's a Creator/BrianDePalma film, so naturally there's an obvious Creator/AlfredHitchcock reference--the scene at the indoor amusement park is a nod to the climax of ''Film/StrangersOnATrain''.
* SinisterShades: In case you didn't already figure out that Childress is a really bad dude, he wears these in a few scenes.
* SlowMotion: Used when Gillian breaks out from the Paragon Institute. The sequence goes on for several minutes.
* SuperEmpowering: In the aftermath of the climax, [[spoiler: the dying Robin passes his powers to Gillian]].
* TakeMyHand: In the climax, [[spoiler: Peter tries to save Robin]] from a fall this way.
* TearsOfBlood: [[spoiler:Childress starts weeping these before he explodes]].
* WalkingSwimsuitScene: Gillian first appears walking on the coast in a bikini, along with her best friend [=LaRue=].
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: [[spoiler: Robin undergoes a particularly nasty case of this.]]
* WouldHitAGirl: Peter slaps Gillian to get her to get on the bus when she wants to take him to Robin.
** [[spoiler: Robin later goes into a rage and uses his powers against Dr. Susan Charles and kills her by spinning her around repeatedly.]]
* YourHeadASplode: Subverted when [[spoiler: Gillian gives Childress what he's due -- everything ''but'' the head explodes]].
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