Schattenreich des Todes

Recently bought this one on DVD in the UK. Found the plot extremely interesting, even chilling but was very DISAPPOINTED by the PICTURE QUALITY which was absolutely ABYSMAL - washed out and faded colours, misty image lacking in sharpness - muffled and unclear voices - also the theme and background music was HOPELESS ! For such a spooky and terrifying plot the could have used more powerful and anguishing music. What a shame to see such good and beautiful actors so badly portrayed aesthetically. The film is long but the suspense is maintained until the very end. Unfortunately the fact of buying it on DVD does not garantee a good picture, contrary to what I expected. But for the plot alone I would give 9/10 - most original !

This movie kept going nowhere, and then went nowhere some more, & then some more. The only good thing in this movie was the AWESOME '80's fashion. If you're looking for a cool 1980's look, these are some to die for. Also, cool hair styles, make-up, accessories, and an totally cool apartment. But other than that, this movie is a slow moving borefest that showcases Lindsey Wagner's acting shortcomings. Pass.

Joanna (Lindsay Wagner) is a successful designer, who lost her mother a few months ago. Her former mate Peter Langford (Bruce Boxleitner) has left her, and she is recovering her sentimental life through Glen Eastman (Robin Thomas), a man who loves her. When her friend and owner of the "griffe" where she works decides to maker her partner with her own exclusive "griffe", Glen and Joanna decide to have a celebration party in Joanna's fancy house with their friends. While in the party, Joanna stumbles on a cat, falls in the swimming pool and drowns. She experiences seeing her soul leaving her dead body and traveling through a tunnel, where shadows try to hold her. However, Peter and Glen revive her. From this moment on, her life changes, and she feels threatened all the time, as if she were supposed to die again. Yesterday I saw this movie for the third time on VHS, after many years. It is a great stylistic horror movie, having a good and original story. This theme was later partially explored in "Final Destination (2000)", "Final Destination 2 (2003)" and "Flatliners (1990)". Although watching for the third time, I found it again a great film. Lindsay Wagner in the role of a designer is very elegant, wearing beautiful costumes, and has a great performance. The story holds the attention of the viewer until the last scene. I did not read the novel, but I really like this movie. I disagree with the opinion that it is recommended for fans of Lindsay Wagner only. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Nos Braços da Morte" ("In the Rams of the Death")

I haven't seen this movie in quite some time, but I seem to recall that when I watched it, I couldn't find any mention of the fact that it was based on the book Walkers by Gary Brandner, author of The Howling novels.

The movie itself wasn't bad, but it bothered me that they felt the need to make the character of Joanna a fashion designer living in (if I remember correctly) a loft, instead of an employee of a magazine living in a small house as she was in the book. I guest the makers of this film felt that an average person wasn't glamorous enough to be the main character. Where-as the Joanna in the book comes across as the kind of person you might actually know, the Joanna of the film seems more like she stepped out of a typical prime time soap opera like the recently cancelled Titans.

Of course the changes don't end there. For some reason the filmmakers also decided to change the names of all the major characters. Peter Landau becomes Peter Langford, Glen Early becomes Glen Eastman, Dr. Warren Hovde becomes Dr. Walter Hovde. I forget what Joanna's last name was in the movie, but they probably changed that too.

If I hadn't read the book first, none of these things would matter to me, but since I did, I couldn't help wondering why they felt they needed to make so many changes to what was already a fine story.

The movie was in several parts on TV. It left off each night with enough scare to want you coming back each consecutive night. The movie was eerie, scary, and made me wonder about some things regarding death and things we might see. Lindsey Wagner gave a great performance. It is now 15 years later and I remember details from the movie and how the movie left me feeling. That speaks for itself in my voting. The plot was well designed in action, and yes, there were some funny lines too, but overall the movie gave me the jitters. The makeup for the dead and the ways of death were done well, meaning, not so far fetched as to be unbelievable. With all the blood and gore films that are on the market, it is nice to see one that will scare you because it makes you think about life, death, and the possibilities surrounding each in things we face on a day to day basis.