I hadn't heard of this movie before running into it at a VHS sale at a local video store, and after reading what it was about on the jacket and who played in it, I bought it to check it out.
Being a long-time movie buff, especially of horror films and psychological thrillers, I was pleasantly surprised by this hither-to-unknown-to-me movie. A little-known movie with respectable, well-known actors typically is either going to be a real stinker or a new-found little gem. Wonderfully, it was the latter.
In some other board postings here, 'critics' panning the movie make claims such as it is 'amateurish -- like a home movie' or 'predictable'. While this flick definitely does not come off as a high-ticket production (makes sense because it wasn't), I found that it presented a neat little story in a more than competent way (Treat Williams does this well, such as in the movie 'Smooth Talk'). Some spots in the dialogue I would have cleaned up a bit, but they are infrequent. And, there were a few twists that I was not immediately expecting, which says a lot to me about the quality of a movie.
Maybe I am a bit more 'old school' than some critics here. I don't need a movie to have high budgets or huge special effects or killers that are increasingly larger-than-life for it to be a tasty flick. Huge, fantastical fare can be enjoyable viewing so long as it is not a bunch of glom stuck all over a movie to hide poor writing or stilted acting or a lame story, or is not much more than a vanity/high-paid project for movie 'stars'. The way the plot unravels? comes together? reminded me of tight, economical little ghost stories or mysteries that stand up just fine on the merits of the story and storytelling, and without having to rely on cinematic 'magic' and fanfare.
The opportunistic killer in this film, I thought, was believable, was somewhat dissonant considering other virtues this character possessed, and was also a rather tragic figure. There are plenty of other movies that deal with fractured father/son relationships, but this movie ratchets that theme up in a way that I found intriguing and necessary to the story itself (not thrown in simply to try to force the viewer to 'feel' something about the characters, or to showcase emoting by the actors, as other lesser-quality films sometimes do). The plot plays out, not in a totally linear fashion, but more as life ebbs and flows, lending a genuineness that made it even more creepy. And, you have some fab actors giving nice, tight performances.
If you are expecting a Hannibal Lector or Jason or whatever the latest blood/gore/over-the-top 'bad' guy is, this isn't for you. That is NOT what this movie is about. However, if you enjoy a neat little psychological thriller, with some interesting sways of plot, that is spooky in its own devilish way, with some good, respectable acting, and takes you along as the story plays out, much as it does for the characters in the story -- a movie that you can snuggle down with late at night with a bucket of popcorn and a blanket -- this is a good watch for you.
"I can't stand a naked light bulb, any more than..a rude remark or a vulgar action" Blanche DuBois
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