Hot off her success on The Big Valley, Barbara Stanwyck acted in a couple of spooky television movies. In A Taste of Evil, she plays the overbearing, loving mother to Barbara Parkins, who was traumatized after being raped at a party when she was a little girl. Parkins has finally recovered enough to return home, and Stanwyck tries to protect her from anything that might trigger a remembrance of the incident. However, pretty much everything about her childhood home and the people who live there remind her of it, and soon she starts hallucinating!
No offense to Barbara Stanwyck, but this is a typical tv movie. It's cheesy, not very well-developed, and the plot points are telegraphed miles away. There are no surprises in this one, even though it tries very hard to give them to you. It reminds me of the spooky flick Reflections of Murder, which I liked better, so if you're in the mood for some 1970s scares, you're better off renting that one instead. The only good news is there's nothing wrong with Barbara Stanwyck's performance. She's always wonderful, and even given the campy surroundings, she doesn't scrimp on the tears, anger, and realism. Plus, she looks beautiful in her curly white locks!
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to implied rape and scary images, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.
No offense to Barbara Stanwyck, but this is a typical tv movie. It's cheesy, not very well-developed, and the plot points are telegraphed miles away. There are no surprises in this one, even though it tries very hard to give them to you. It reminds me of the spooky flick Reflections of Murder, which I liked better, so if you're in the mood for some 1970s scares, you're better off renting that one instead. The only good news is there's nothing wrong with Barbara Stanwyck's performance. She's always wonderful, and even given the campy surroundings, she doesn't scrimp on the tears, anger, and realism. Plus, she looks beautiful in her curly white locks!
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to implied rape and scary images, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.