Homebound youngster with a broken leg conjures up his own doppelgänger to relieve his boredom, but his double has a malevolent side and mischievously substitutes for the child at school. Well-produced but perplexing episode from William Castle's short-lived anthology series "Ghost Story" has an unshakable overlay of Tom Tryon's "The Other" plus other odd touches, such as the boy's nervous-seeming father hesitant about going upstairs to see his own kid. (Miss) Helen Hayes plays the proverbial soon-to-retire schoolteacher, so loyal she walks to the boy's home after school to deliver his homework...and yet doesn't think to alert his parents after the kid expresses a desire to see her dead. Young actor Michael-James Wixted works his carefully-coached sly grins and evil glances for maximum impact, but he's off-putting instead of intriguing. And is there any hoarier device for chills than killing the pet cat?
Review of Alter-Ego
