This film included excellent camera work and a dynamic selection of locations in the Pacific Northwest. This is the backdrop for a deeply troubled relationship for young Laurel Lewisohn.
We meet Billy Jones in the film's opening scene where he flies into a rage and kills his girlfriend while in the throes of a jealous stupor. The next time we meet Billy, he has adopted the name of Kevin Shane.
It was a slick impersonation in which Billy assumes the identity of the young man with whom his girlfriend was flirting. Billy has some smarts and he is able to turn on the charm at any given moment. But he is also capable of becoming a Mr. Hyde just as quickly.
One of the best character developments is that of Laurel's kind mother, Jessica. The perceptive mom begins to investigate "Kevin," and she does not like what she finds. As the local Washington police are hopeless, Jessica relentlessly pursues her kidnapped daughter and the psycho who has taken over her life.
While this was a by-the-numbers "bad boy on the loose" film, it was nonetheless well performed and well produced. The cabin sequence at the end, the mad dash through the forest, and the canoeing episode were all effective in a thriller that was good enough to inspire a later remake.
We meet Billy Jones in the film's opening scene where he flies into a rage and kills his girlfriend while in the throes of a jealous stupor. The next time we meet Billy, he has adopted the name of Kevin Shane.
It was a slick impersonation in which Billy assumes the identity of the young man with whom his girlfriend was flirting. Billy has some smarts and he is able to turn on the charm at any given moment. But he is also capable of becoming a Mr. Hyde just as quickly.
One of the best character developments is that of Laurel's kind mother, Jessica. The perceptive mom begins to investigate "Kevin," and she does not like what she finds. As the local Washington police are hopeless, Jessica relentlessly pursues her kidnapped daughter and the psycho who has taken over her life.
While this was a by-the-numbers "bad boy on the loose" film, it was nonetheless well performed and well produced. The cabin sequence at the end, the mad dash through the forest, and the canoeing episode were all effective in a thriller that was good enough to inspire a later remake.