Nightmare in Columbia County

This was a very good movie, sad, and mystery! this girl's sister is kidnapped and the kidnapper keeps calling her and becomes obsessed with her the police can't find him and he continues to taunt her over the phone, its a very good movie, you should watch it!

I lived in Columbia SC when Sheri Faye Smith and Debra Helmick were killed by Larry Gene Bell in 1985, I was 12..I was staying at my grandparents cabin for the summer on Lake Murray when Sheri Smiths body was found behind an old schoolhouse about 2 miles down the road. The flies were so thick that day, and than we heard sirens, my mom made the comment "I hope they didn't find that poor girls body" which of course they had. This movie follows the truth so closely its almost like its happening again. Excellent movie and I recommend it. Larry Gene Bell killed not only Shari but other girls including 11yr old Debra Mae Helmick who lived about 2 miles from were we lived in Columbia before we went to Lake Murray for the summer. I have 3 sisters, Sherri, Debbi and Jean, 2 of which shared the murdered girls names, you can imagine how my parents felt when all this happened. My sister Sherri was 14 at the time and my sister Debbi was 10, both were close in age to the murdered girls also. Larry Gene Bell was put to death Oct 4, 1996 I believe, his crimes will never be forgotten and neither will his victims.

An extremely well-acted and well-written film, even more remarkable because the family and events were real. Jeri Lynn Ryan's character, Dawn, sets herself up as a target to catch the criminal who threatens her and her family. William Devane, an actor with an outstanding film and TV career, co-stars as the sheriff who leads the police investigation. Although the film is set in small-town South Carolina, Devane's character breaks down the stereotype of southern police officers. Viewers will cheer Dawn on and marvel at her courage while sympathizing whole-heartedly with her family's plight. The film stays suspenseful to the end.

The recounting of a terrible crime that wracked a family and galvanized police in South Carolina in the 1980s. (Despite the name, there is no Columbia County in South Carolina.) This film has two things going for it. One, it roughly tells the story of killer Larry Gene Bell, so anyone interested in him ought to check this out. But more interestingly, it features Jeri Ryan before she got her big break on "Star Trek". So any fans of hers will want to see this (though it is not her finest moment).

I was amused by how often they used the "call tracing" plot device. I do not know a lot about how real call tracing worked at the time,but I love that in movies it has to take a certain amount of time to get the exact location. Why it would take so long when the phone company should know where the call came from is beyond me.

I am from Lexington South Carolina where this story takes place. The movie is inaccurate by calling it Columbia County because it is not Columbia County it is Lexington County.. Columbia is just the largest city near by. This movie is a true story.. and its funny because it almost happened 20 years ago and it still is talked about and known today.. Kinda scary how things can be shaken up in a small town.