This is a convoluted mess of a supernatural thriller that seems like it will be intriguing at the start but it quickly becomes a rancid film that causes great confusion and stress in trying to follow. From the moment that the title character, played by Peter Haskell, gets a call at 3 AM from Aunt Alexadria (Joan Bennett), it is apparent that something Gothic is about to happen, and with Bennett the matriarch of the spooky soap opera "Dark Shadows", the stage seems set for a similar premise. But Bennett is reduced to a minor role after Haskell sees the frantic Sharon Farrell at his uncle's funeral, her family crypt near his.
Bennett is there pretty much to give Haskell the news that he has inherited "the sight" from his late uncle (seen in nightmares before the 3 AM phone call and recurring throughout), and this opens up Haskell to become involved in the issues of Farrell and her crooked family which includes Barbara Rush and Bradford Dillman with Farrell absolutely nutty and Rush deviously evil, and the results are perplexing to say the least. This doesn't know whether it is going to be another spooky delve into the occult or a crime drama or Gothic romance, and it is easy to see why it was declined as a potential TV series. The acting is like the script, dreadfully over-the-top, and the characters either too vile to be believable or not interesting enough to gain any sympathy. This was a difficult 72 minutes to get through even with the presence of some of my favorite Hollywood vet's. Farrell's screeching throughout had me reaching for the aspirin 10 minutes into her first appearance.
Bennett is there pretty much to give Haskell the news that he has inherited "the sight" from his late uncle (seen in nightmares before the 3 AM phone call and recurring throughout), and this opens up Haskell to become involved in the issues of Farrell and her crooked family which includes Barbara Rush and Bradford Dillman with Farrell absolutely nutty and Rush deviously evil, and the results are perplexing to say the least. This doesn't know whether it is going to be another spooky delve into the occult or a crime drama or Gothic romance, and it is easy to see why it was declined as a potential TV series. The acting is like the script, dreadfully over-the-top, and the characters either too vile to be believable or not interesting enough to gain any sympathy. This was a difficult 72 minutes to get through even with the presence of some of my favorite Hollywood vet's. Farrell's screeching throughout had me reaching for the aspirin 10 minutes into her first appearance.