Michael is -- or was -- the brother of Elizabeth Ashley and Michael Douglas. Thirteen years earlier, he ran away into a Vermont blizzard at twelve and his body was found months later and identified because of his coat. Ashley is now the mother of a young girl and is estranged from her husband, Ben Gazzara, a "high-powered lawyer." Gazarra comes to visit his wife and child and he seems like a nice, loving guy. Michael Douglas has become a bland psychologist who works with exceptional children at the nearby Greenleaf School.
That's the set up. Then suddenly Ashley and the rest begin receiving phone calls from what sounds like the voice of a terrified young boy who claims to be Michael. The calls say things like, "Help me!" and "I'm dead, aren't I?" So where are the calls coming from? Are we into the supernatural? Or is there something more mundane going on? Everyone is puzzled. The local doc is puzzled too, but he's murdered -- stung to death by his own bees. (His death has absolutely nada to do with the plot.) A sheriff is murdered too. And, well, there's a reason for the sheriff's death, though it too has nothing to do with the plot. The sheriff must be murdered so that his dead body can plop unexpectedly into the middle of a Halloween display and cause the audience to erupt in shrieks.
After half an hour or so, I was fairly convinced of two things: (1) Ashley and Gazarra would get back together again at the end, and (2) Michael Douglas was the murderer. I figured Douglas was the killer not because he acted strange in any way, and not because he had a motive, but because of The Law of Excess Characters. He had too prominent a part and too little to do.
After the New England setting was established I was hoping the film would convey a strong sense of place. Not picture-postcard pretty, of course. We don't necessarily want maples aflame because this is early winter, after all, and anyway autumn foliage in Vermont would be trite. Not to worry. The dismal chill of Toronto defeated any effort in that regard. The whole movie in fact seemed to be made for TV. I swear, there are even mini-climaxes before what appear to be breaks for commercials.
Ashley is attractive, sexy, and competent. She has the eyes of a calf and her long nose slopes down and out in a fascinating French curve. Gazarra is competent too, and a bit more light hearted than his usual persona. Michael Douglas is here in an early role. He's vaguely handsome. How does he do at this stage of his career? Not too bad, actually. He plays the character as wispy and at times almost feminine, but that's what the role calls for. Only once, at the climax, does he flood out in a spasm of excruciating insight. His old man handled that kind of scene even better -- in "The Juggler" and "Champion."
That's the set up. Then suddenly Ashley and the rest begin receiving phone calls from what sounds like the voice of a terrified young boy who claims to be Michael. The calls say things like, "Help me!" and "I'm dead, aren't I?" So where are the calls coming from? Are we into the supernatural? Or is there something more mundane going on? Everyone is puzzled. The local doc is puzzled too, but he's murdered -- stung to death by his own bees. (His death has absolutely nada to do with the plot.) A sheriff is murdered too. And, well, there's a reason for the sheriff's death, though it too has nothing to do with the plot. The sheriff must be murdered so that his dead body can plop unexpectedly into the middle of a Halloween display and cause the audience to erupt in shrieks.
After half an hour or so, I was fairly convinced of two things: (1) Ashley and Gazarra would get back together again at the end, and (2) Michael Douglas was the murderer. I figured Douglas was the killer not because he acted strange in any way, and not because he had a motive, but because of The Law of Excess Characters. He had too prominent a part and too little to do.
After the New England setting was established I was hoping the film would convey a strong sense of place. Not picture-postcard pretty, of course. We don't necessarily want maples aflame because this is early winter, after all, and anyway autumn foliage in Vermont would be trite. Not to worry. The dismal chill of Toronto defeated any effort in that regard. The whole movie in fact seemed to be made for TV. I swear, there are even mini-climaxes before what appear to be breaks for commercials.
Ashley is attractive, sexy, and competent. She has the eyes of a calf and her long nose slopes down and out in a fascinating French curve. Gazarra is competent too, and a bit more light hearted than his usual persona. Michael Douglas is here in an early role. He's vaguely handsome. How does he do at this stage of his career? Not too bad, actually. He plays the character as wispy and at times almost feminine, but that's what the role calls for. Only once, at the climax, does he flood out in a spasm of excruciating insight. His old man handled that kind of scene even better -- in "The Juggler" and "Champion."