Lois Duncan is my favorite author and I can't believe they did such a poor job of bringing one of her books to the screen. It isn't a bad movie, just a bad portration of the book. They messed up almost every aspect of the book that I liked.
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Lois Duncan's books tend to get butchered for the screen. "I Know What You Did Last Summer" was turned into a silly slasher flick. So was "Gallows Hill" (retitled "I've Been Waiting For You." "Killing Mr. Griffin" was needlessly changed and sapped of its suspense. "Don't Look Behind You" a teen novel, was turned into a made-for-cable Patrick Duffy TV movie!
Only "Summer of Fear" (sometimes known as "Stranger in Our House" was filmed relatively intact (even some of the dialogue was retained).
Personally, I always wondered how this story would have worked with what I consider the ultimate twist. I've been working on an adaptation myself, in which the Corrigans are stalked not by a drug cartel but by the KGB. Yep, Dad is a CIA operative...or is he? That's when his daughter just happens to stroll into a local post office and see his picture on the wall: "Wanted for espionage...Considered extremely dangerous...Yuri Kuragin."
Try to imagine believing yours is a typical American family, only to discover it's as far from typical *or* American as one can get! Even worse, it turns out the hitman stalking them ("Mike Vamp," in the novel) *is* CIA - and determined to avenge the death of his partner, whom Dad Corrigan slew in the line of duty! As it turns out, "Vamp" was hired by Dad's own cousin Max Barber (another CIAgent), who has secretly hated him for years because Max was in love with Liz...who, of course, turned him down to marry Jeff. Liz's father Clyde objected strongly to Jeff - strongly enough to put a murder contract out on him, which Max seeks to fulfil. Needing powerful friends (because the CIA wants him dead), Jeff hooked up with the KGB; since then, he's been using his job as an air freight manager to smuggle political prisoners *out of* the country...while smuggling Soviet "mole" agents *into* it.
Better, worse or about the same? If you enjoy this, give me your e-address and I'll send you the full treatment.
See you soon,
Patrick Jackson
[email protected]
626.799.4557
No it's a bad movie, even if it wasn't connected to a good book the characters are idiots.
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