The Force of Evil

This was produced back in the late 70's, back when they still made suspense movies for TV that were entertaining (remember the 90-min. ABC movies of the early 70's? This film is in a similar vein but better). Like others have said, this is one that you remember all through the years if you originally saw it as a kid or teen. It had some pretty memorable shock scenes for it's time and especially for television. It also features very good performances from the actors: Lloyd Bridges, William Watson as the bitter ex-con Teddy Jakes, and veteran character actor John Anderson as Lloyd's brother & sheriff trying to find ways to catch Jakes before he hurts Bridge's family. I found this on VHS back in the early 90's but I'm sure it's out of print now - I'm glad I picked it up when it was available because it's almost as good now as it was 27 years ago. Hopefully, a re-make of this will be produced at some point down the road, although the plot is quite similar to "Cape Fear".

Talk about being baffled, as I popped the tape in the player and I sat down to watch this movie with the opening credits blaring with the title of Quinn Martin's 'Tales of the Unexpected'. Huh… that was unexpected and then the title 'Force of Evil' appeared. Phew. I knew I was going to watch a made for TV movie, but I didn't entirely know it was originally apart of a series which would have narrator William Conrad opening and closing the feature. I don't know what happened with this TV series, but this entry 'Force of Evil' was a captivating experience despite being almost a rehash up until the end involving a houseboat of the 1962 dark thriller 'Cape Fear'. If you can look pass that, you get a tight, lingering and menacingly solid thriller with excellent performances by the reliably classy Lloyd Bridges, Pat Crowley, John Anderson and a magnetically dominating William Watson as the terrifying ex-con Teddy Jakes who was convicted for the rape-murder of a girl seven years ago is now on parole seeking torturous revenge on Dr. Yale Carrington and his family.

Despite its plain look (well it's for TV); it's exceptionally presented and suspenseful even when the action is low-key. This clever character drama with an almost supernatural twist(?) to certain plot details (mainly that head-scratching end to the climax), is slow burn with its tit for tat between the doctor and con. This guy won't go away, and leaves the moral question of going beyond to protect love ones even though it means entering their frame of mind. There's a genuine feel to it, and the relationships and turmoil are committed in the way they are brought across. Going against it, is the predictable layout and some problems with pockets of stodgy pacing. Nonetheless director Richard Lang's sturdy approach makes good use of the vast rural dust-bowl locations and infuses some hauntingly harrowing images with an eerily high-pitched score.

A sure-footed family in peril thriller with a larger-than-life villainous performance.

I still remember this creepy movie. It was creepy in a subtle sort of way like most episodes of Kolchak, The Night Stalker. I wasn't very sophisticated as a child but I think this must have been something for me to remember it all these years later. If anyone knows where you can get it on VHS, I would be interested in seeing if it were still as disturbing after all these years.

Flagrant (and uncredited) rewrite of "Cape Fear", originally made for the "Tales of the Unexpected" TV series, has paroled rapist-killer stalking an affluent surgeon and his family, whom he blames for his guilty verdict and seven-year stretch behind bars (why William Watson's psychopath wants revenge on this particular surgeon isn't made entirely clear). Lloyd Bridges keeps a cool head in the Gregory Peck role, while Watson (in a cowboy hat and shades, menacingly chewing gum) has the showier part originally played by Robert Mitchum. Producer Quinn Martin's work for television wasn't in the same league as, say, Aaron Spelling's. He was, however, capable of assembling decent second-string acting talent, and he doesn't skimp on the production. This melodrama is mounted with suspenseful precision...but it was all unpleasant enough the first time around.

I remember this movie 27 years later so that should do justice to its staying power! Without giving away anything, suffice to say I recall the movie being thrilling, in a 1970's sort of way (those were more innocent days for everyone). William Watson turns in a really good performance as the scary guy too!

What I also find interesting is the cast: Lloyd Bridges is good in anything he does and Eve Plumb, for those who may not remember, was Jan Brady and later tried (more or less unsuccessfully) to branch out into TV. If I recall she was in a movie about a girl who had multiple personality syndrome.

The ending of this film, if I recall was especially scary, again, for the time.