L'emprise du mal

My step-father was Ken Reinert, and Karen and Michael were my step-brother and step-sister. My mother married Ken in the early/mid 70's and we became a family, with Karen & Michael spending the weekends and holidays with us. This movie was intense, very emotional, yet ran smoothly, and I still remember sitting in the TV room with Ken, Lynn, my little brother, Wayne, and myself week after week, watching the story of our lives played for all the world to see. It was very hard on my now X-step-father, Ken, and it took many years, a divorce,growing close with my brother,and a new loving girlfriend for him to find true happiness. I know from monthly communicating and seeing him for many years (since his divorce from my mother), that he died happy and in peace with his life finally after all of these years. My brother and I still speak of him often and the one question we don't know that will ever be answered is: "What did Dad marinate his porkloins in that made them taste so good (he was a chef)???"

It was a very impressively directed movie. It was kept clean, as opposed to the graphics that Joseph Wambaugh wrote about in his book. Like my mother stated above in her comment, feel free to contact myself if you have any questions. I actually didn't know there were websites concerning the murders. Thanks for reading this & have a great day! Thanks for caring about our family.

The night Part 1 aired on tv, I was inexorably drawn in. When Part 2 aired, I recorded it because I had to work that night. It was the same night a horrible storm hit--when I came home to my VCR, I'd discovered that the entire episode was UNWATCHABLE! This forced me to buy the novel to find out what happened. The novel is much more graphic and involved, but it turned me on to Joseph Wambaugh because it was the only true-life-horror-mystery-tragedy that I actually laughed out loud while reading! The book is very morbidly funny! Years later when I acquired the video, my girlfriend lamented that it was too long--until we started watching it...when Gary Cole utters the final lines of the cliffhanger--"What kids?" then we saw "To Be Continued..." flash across the screen, I jokingly said: "Well, it's late and I need to be leaving, I'll show you Part 2 some other time." She grabbed me and told me that I WASN'T GOING TO LEAVE until we watched the second video! Yes, it's that good! Watch it if you like true crime--but read the book too!

An truly outstanding, compulsive drama based on a true story concerning charismatic would-be poet Peter Coyote (in a career best performance) and his manipulation of just about everyone he comes into contact with, eventually leading to murder. This is a fascinating, intriguing telling of a rather bizarre murder case with not only Coyote on top form, but also matched by Robert Loggia as his exceedingly odd, certainly unhinged partner-in-crime. Just watch those final moments in the court-room as he completely loses it and incriminates himself. Wonderful stuff! There are also some very fine supporting performances, not least Peter Boyle's turn as one of the investigating detectives.

This is really what made for TV movies do best and I would recommend this without hesitation. Once you begin watching, you'll be hooked!

I live in the town and attended the school where this took place around the time when it occurred. the frame work of the story is true, and the names of the people are true, but little else is true. Upper Merion is not on the Main Line, we did not go to school in a Gothic cathedral. Many of the people portrayed in the story are portrayed poorly and maliciously. These events permanently have harmed them, and this movie has not helped. These events did occur and affected the school and the people involved. However, this does not reflect the real stories behind the people and the school.

This is a fine movie for entertainment value, but please do not believe everything portrayed in it.

I went to Upper Merion High School in 1973. The school was a regular school to me. Mr. Bradfield was my English teacher. I learned a lot from him. I invited him and Sue Myers to a bar-be-cue at my sister's house that summer and they came together and he brought me a parting gift which I still own to this day. A swiss Army knife. We all liked him and thought he was the best English teacher. Of course I did not speak any English at that time. So I owe that to him. I left UMHS that summer and based on what happened 6 years later I was glad I did. I could not believe what happened. I was shocked to say the least. I have read Echoes in the Darkness and watched the mini-series when they came out. As recently as one month ago I found out there were two other books out on this; Principal Suspect, by William Coustoupoulus and Engaged to Murder by Loretta Shwarts-Nobel. After reading all books I have concluded that Bill Bradfield masterminded the whole thing and may have paid someone to commit these atrocious crimes. I don' believe that the Mr. Bradfield I knew was capable of such heinous crimes but based on his economic circumstances I believe him capable of masterminding it all. Mr Smith may or may not have anything to do with this. According to the Pa Supreme Court Mr Smith was found guilty with lies from a convicted perjurer cop (Martray) and hearsay from all Bradfield's friends and lovers and that evidence was not admissible. So the state's investigators and lawyers messed that one up since Wambaugh wanted to have a good ending to his novel. Now Smith is a free man and Bradfield died in jail in 1998. Whew... I am glad I got that out.