La dynastie de l'horreur

I bought this at the store for a $1.50 expecting absolutely nothing, but actually this is not at all a bad film, and rather interesting. It is slow paced, which is a good thing, the tension builds up as the film moves along and it gets more and more interesting until the climax. This is a suspense film, and a well done one, many movies about witches fail but this is one that does it pretty well. The acting is pretty decent also, good acting from Tim Matheson and Woody Harrelson. Not much gore but it doesn't need it, it was made for TV so most profanity and gore and nudity is absent but it works with the film. This one is recommended to buy for a $1.50 if you want a pretty decent suspense film.

A married couple named "Jerry Lebon" (Tim Matheson) and "Linda Lebon" (Pamela Sue Martin) are living in Boston and decide to move off the coast to a place called Devlin Island. On the island is a small community which goes by the name of Bay Cove and is populated by people who have lived there a very long time. However, things are not as they seem. Not only do the neighbors act a little weird but there are a number of strange occurrences which being happening shortly after Jerry and Linda arrive. Anyway, rather than spoil the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this wasn't a bad movie, all things considered. Even so, because this was a made-for-television movie there were some parts which I thought were rather tame. Especially in the horror department. I liked the performance of Pamela Sue Martin and the fact that the director (Carl Schenkel) managed to keep the suspense going for the most part and that proved enough to justify the time spent watching it. I give it an average rating.

Bay Coven or Bay Cove is a good film that has a good cast includes Pamela Sue Martin, Tim Matheson, Barbara Billingsley, Jeff Conaway, Woody Harrelson, Susan Ruttan, James Sikking, Inga Swenson, and Nigel Bennett. The acting by all of these actors is very good. Martin is really good in this film. Mathesson is good and Harrelson is very good. I thought The mystery is good and some of it is surprising. The movie is filmed good. The music is good. The film is quite interesting and the movie really keeps you going until the end. This is a very good and thrilling film. If you like Pamela Sue Martin, Tim Matheson, Barbara Billingsley, Jeff Conaway, Woody Harrelson, the rest of the cast in the film, Horror, Thrillers, Mysteries, and interesting films then I strongly recommend you to see this film today!

I'm getting tired of reviews that say things like "this was good for a TV movie" or "this was good because it only cost me a quarter in a junk box."

A movie is either worth your time or it isn't. Here's my take: If you are a HUGE fan of Tim Matheson or Pamela Sue Martin, and are entertained by formula TV movies, sure, watch it.

For everyone else. You can do a LOT better.

If you are a fan of Woody Harrelson, nah (he's barely in it). If you are a fan of Barbara Billingsley but only as Beaver's mom, skip it, because she shows more range than that in this. (I liked her performance a lot but she's not in it enough to save the movie.)

This movie started kind of promising with a nice, atmospheric, dark spooky night with thunder in a church graveyard following a priest into a church.

Then a cheap jump scare sets you up for what to expect from the rest of the movie. From there, it goes very slowly.

Characters are very slow to catch on, even when they're told exactly what's going on, in order to pad out the movie, I suspect.

There are lots of recognizable actors if you were born in the 80s or before.

I never realized Tim Matheson used duck face so much. His acting was way over the top, in my opinion. Woody Harrelson unintentionally (or intentionally?) played a mouth-breathing creeper when he's supposed to be a trusted friend.

Typical TV movie pacing with a story that keeps getting side tracked and a script that keeps the audience way ahead of the characters. I was very surprised at the generous number of high reviews. This is a 5/10 at best. For me it's a 2, but a couple of things make me bump it to a generous 3. Still, I do NOT want to watch this again.

While not completely original, I found it to be an intriguing story that just took way too long to tell. It felt plodding and clumsy to me. A few things that kept me watching were: Pamela Sue Martin and some of the rest of the cast, including Barbara Billingsley, who both did decent jobs despite the script; scattered interesting scenes and moments of ambience that were more plentiful as things went on; and waiting for the payoff, which, to me, was surprisingly enjoyable, albeit abrupt. Was it worth sitting through? Not in my opinion. You could do worse, sure, but you could do so much better, too.

Occasionally, made-for-television horror movies are surprisingly good, like GARGOYLES, SALEM'S LOT, or Pamela Sue Martin and Tim Matheson as a big city couple who decide to move to the nearby old-fashioned island of BAY COVE, which, it turns out, has some strange content...

Including an eerie old man who stares out a window SENTINEL style; neighbors who hatefully fear dogs like STRANGE INVADERS...

And last but not least, a cemetery that's most recent headstone dates back to the 1700's, possibly making the middle-aged residents a couple hundred years old...

As Pamela Sue's our investigative Mia Farrow ala ROSEMARY'S BABY (sans impregnation) while in-denial Matheson adheres quickly to the weird locals, taking the John Cassavetes soulless husband mantel; and Woody Harrelson's the heroine's best friend who, like Maurice Evans, gets a piece of clothing stolen before buying the farm...

Jeff Conaway is a deceptively mundane, preppy neighbor while the pivotal Ruth Gordon/Satan's watchdog role goes to Barbara Billingsly, who co-starred with Matheson on a few LEAVE IT TO BEAVER episodes. And add an eerie little girl (Marsha Moreau), who possesses an ability to always keep a tight eye on the newcomers, thus providing some EXORCIST vibes...

Produced by future BATMAN moguls Peter Gruber and Jon Peters, the suspense and intrigue goes hand-in-hand as our heroine stumbles upon the truth, getting more in danger while the surrounding residents, especially her seemingly perfect husband, become more enigmatic, possibly lethal...

And while originally named BAY COVEN, without the N lies a more subtle and suitable title as much of the film consists of obscuring that element (EYE OF THE DEMON and STRANGERS IN TOWN are other alternates). And the island itself is called Devlin... so you can't say they weren't warned.