Strange things are happening at the small town of Potters Bluff. Strangers visiting the town or passing through are being killed...and then showing up alive and well! Sheriff Dan Gillis (James Farentino) can't figure out what's going on. Could the creepy mortuary owner William Dobbs (Jack Albertson in his last theatrical role) have anything to do with it? And why is his lovely wife (beautiful Melody Anderson) acting so strangely?
Don't expect any solid answers to these questions. A lot of things are left unexplained by the end...but this film still works. The atmosphere of this whole film is very eerie. Most events take place at night or on overcast days and there always seems to be a strange mist around. Most of the sets are (deliberately I think) under lit adding to the feeling of dread. The acting is pretty good, a sequence where a family is attacked is chilling, there's a couple of nice gory moments (pretty tame by today's standards but they were extreme in 1981) and a surprise ending that you'll probably see coming a mile away. Also a very effective music score. So it DOES leave a lot of questions and plot holes dangling but the movie creates a creepy mood and feeling very effectively.
This was barely released in 1981 (there were various issues with the companies funding it) but was issued in 2003 in a complete, uncut DVD. Worth checking out if you're a horror fan. I give it a 7.
Don't expect any solid answers to these questions. A lot of things are left unexplained by the end...but this film still works. The atmosphere of this whole film is very eerie. Most events take place at night or on overcast days and there always seems to be a strange mist around. Most of the sets are (deliberately I think) under lit adding to the feeling of dread. The acting is pretty good, a sequence where a family is attacked is chilling, there's a couple of nice gory moments (pretty tame by today's standards but they were extreme in 1981) and a surprise ending that you'll probably see coming a mile away. Also a very effective music score. So it DOES leave a lot of questions and plot holes dangling but the movie creates a creepy mood and feeling very effectively.
This was barely released in 1981 (there were various issues with the companies funding it) but was issued in 2003 in a complete, uncut DVD. Worth checking out if you're a horror fan. I give it a 7.