Tainted Blood (TV 1993)

Raquel Welch is an author researching a new book, when she comes across the story of a surprising double murder-suicide. A smart, young, athletic high school student adopted by his parents ... See full summary »

Director:

Matthew Patrick

Writers:

Ginny Cerrella (story), Kathleen Rowell (teleplay)

Stars:

Raquel Welch, Alley Mills, Kerri Green

Cast

Credited cast:
Raquel Welch	...	Elizabeth Hayes
Alley Mills	...	Mrs. Patterson
Kerri Green	...	Tori Pattersen
Natasha Gregson Wagner	...	Lissa Drew
Joan Van Ark	...	Mrs. Drew
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lewis Arquette	...	Artie
Tom Ashworth	...	Rod Dailey
Charmaine Charles	...	Case Worker
E. Bruce Davis	...	Pastor
Mary M. Egan	...	Nurse Potts
Richard Gross	...	Commander Drew
Janet Haley	...	Nurse Janet
Kathy Horton	...	Jaguar Woman
Justin Isfeld	...	Mikey Patterson
Emily Ann Lloyd	...	Katie

Storyline

Raquel Welch is an author researching a new book, when she comes across the story of a surprising double murder-suicide. A smart, young, athletic high school student adopted by his parents at a young age had killed his well-respected family, then committed suicide. Welch goes on a hunt to discover that the boy's biological mother had been a patient in a mental institution and that the boy is part of a fraternal twin set. His sister had also been adopted, and Welch, fearful of a murderous genetic trait, takes it upon herself to find the sister. Meanwhile, two good friends and neighbors, Wagner and Green, exhibit the type of behavior that leads to believe that one of them is the missing sister. Welch tracks them down and it's only a matter of time to discover which one has the deadly trait.

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Plot Keywords:

arson | orphan | child abuse | women fight

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Taglines:

Sometimes it's who you know that can kill you...

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Morte Como Herança

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Sit back and watch how histrionics should be done!

First things first: if you plan to watch this 1993 telefilm, suspend your disbelief immediately.

Now, onto the film. An all-American clean-cut kid murders his adoptive parents and commits suicide. A gorgeous crack reporter (Welch) is on the case, writing a book about kids who kills their parents and digging into the dirt of this baffling case. After two brief "moral issue" scenes (one questioning, for half a second, the role of the media in perpetuating violence, the other questioning the role of genetics in shaping future society), her investigations lead her to a shocking discovery: not only was the kid's murder of his parents caused by a genetic deficiency, but he also had a twin sister and she, of course, could blow at any time and murder her adoptive parents. Looking quite lovely throughout, Welch is on the case, cool and glam as she hunts down this genetically pre-disposed murderous teen.

Cut to Suburban USA, where two adopted teen girls live across the road from each other. One has the sane Alley Mills from "The Wonder Years" as her mother; the other suffers the far more fascinating Joan Van Ark from "Knots Landing" (expanding admirably on her histrionics from telefilm "Always Remember I Love You" a few years earlier, where she also played the highly-strung adoptive mother of a troubled teen).

This film is quite implausible and unbelievable, but it is diverting enough if you have nothing better to do - and it is watchable for Van Ark's scenery-chewing performance alone (although the rest of the cast do their share of scenery-chewing too!)