The Norliss Tapes

I finally caught this one earlier tonight on the FOX movie channel. I'd been wanted to see this since I first learned of its existence some 20 years ago. It certainly struck me as a precursor to "The Night Stalker."

I managed to record this onto DVD-R, so if any of you are still looking for a copy, simply email me.

This was one of the best made-for-tv-movies of the 70's. Why it wasn't continued into a series or trilogy is a mystery, as the ending left you dangling! Superb acting made this a true thriller. If anyone knows where a copy of this movie can be obtained, please post on this comment board. It is never shown on television, which is a shame indeed! Such a waste of some wonderful entertainment!

When it came to dispensing chills on TV in the '60s & '70s, Dan Curtis was the man!

His Dark Shadows vampire soap opera was innovative, but it was THE NIGHT STALKER (1972) TV movie with Darren McGavin and its subsequent follow-up TV movie, THE NIGHT STRANGLER and Night Stalker TV series which earned him his reputation as a Big Time chill-despensing master.

Then came THE NORLISS TAPES...WHOA! This is one scary movie!

Up in beautiful, rainy Marin County, Roy Thinnes investigates the possibility that a recently deceased artist isn't necessarily dead.

I'm not going to give away a thing other than to say that if scary movies are your thing, this one will ring your bell! Do not miss it.

I ordered this hard-to-find show on eBay and got an excellent copy of it. I'd been literally waiting years to finally watch the TV show that had left the greatest impression of terror on me since childhood. I mean, I wasn't let down when I acquired a DVD of Trilogy of Terror with Karen Black; that last episode with the freaky doll still creeped me out... kinda.

Well, last night I sat down, put the disc in my trusty old DVD player , and -- uh, found it to be a less-than-horrific experience. Of course I knew it wasn't going to have the same sort of effect on me that it did back then, so I prepared myself for a bit of disappointment.

It was okay I guess, and considering I'm much older and can follow the storyline infinitely better than I did when I was 9 helps too. I liked the shots of the Bay Area and the Pacific coastline, and a young and lovely Angie Dickenson is always easy on the eyes, but still -- I wasn't even so much as mildly surprised throughout the entire film. The evil manifestation that happened at the end of the film almost had me laughing -- and I scolded myself for mocking this beloved show.

As a made-for-TV film it is somewhat enjoyable and certainly above average, but as with all things nostalgic and memorable, don't get your hopes up too much like I did.

Okay, now I'm off to find some "ABC Movie of the Week" episodes that hopefully have aged a little better than this one did...

My wife watched this and wished she had,nt. One of my favorites it had some very scary scenes especially the one when the sister opens the drapes at the motel. If you like scary stuff you will enjoy this but be prepared for an ending which leaves you wondering.