This TV film (also known as The Victim) has a very atmospheric quality to it. "It was a dark and stormy night..." Kate Wainwright is concerned about her sister Susan (Jess Walton) who is about to initiate divorce proceedings against her husband Ben (George Maharis). After speaking with her briefly on the phone she decides to drive down the coast and spend the evening with her. On her way down, a storm blows in. When she arrives at the house, her sister is nowhere to be found, but the truculent housekeeper Mrs. Hawkes (Eileen Heckart) is preparing dinner. Susan has met with foul play, and we see her body concealed in the cellar though, as Kate goes down to see about getting the furnace running she doesn't find her. Throughout the film we see that someone is watching Kate and we begin to fear for her survival as the phone line is cut and the lights go out. Will she escape the fate of her sister or will she succumb to the mysterious intruder prowling the house on that dark and stormy night?
This film has a rather dramatic, if abrupt, ending. Look for a great turn by Sue Anne Langdon as a concerned friend of Susan's. It's not available on DVD, though it's up on YouTube in full, thanks to TVTERRORLAND.
Obscurity factor: 9 (hard to find, largely forgotten, available on YouTube, not on DVD)
Trying to keep up with these - fast and furious! Definitely a bit weak. It's important to read the TVTerrorLand footnotes on this one, in regards to the abrupt ending...
ReplyDeleteSue Anne Langdon's minutes were not her best.
Love the beach house - wonder if it's still there...
I like Sue Ane Langdon's part in this...quirky and cute. Also love the SF apartment - is that beautiful or what?
ReplyDeleteFinished watching this tonight. Love Elizabeth Montgomery. Ending is strange, but it was 1972 :)
ReplyDeleteThe SF apartment was beautiful, too.