A segment from the 'Unsolved Mysteries' TV series inspired this story, in which a nurse (Megan Ward) claims that she's possessed by a murdered co-worker's spirit which identifies the killer.A segment from the 'Unsolved Mysteries' TV series inspired this story, in which a nurse (Megan Ward) claims that she's possessed by a murdered co-worker's spirit which identifies the killer.A segment from the 'Unsolved Mysteries' TV series inspired this story, in which a nurse (Megan Ward) claims that she's possessed by a murdered co-worker's spirit which identifies the killer.
Featured reviews
(Some Spoilers) From an episode of the popular TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" the movie " Voice from the Grave" is based a a true story that happened some time ago in Chicago. A young medical assistant Terry Deveovoux, Kim Dickens,is brutally murdered and made to look like she was raped and then her apartment is set on fire by her killer to cover up his crime. The crime goes unsolved until a friend of Terry's Rene Perkins, Megan Ward, who also works at the Lakeshore Hospial were Terry was employed starts to get visions of Terry's murder and not only sees what happened to her, that the Chicago Police kept from the public, but sees the person who murdered her.
The movie plays out like a supernatural thriller but what makes it so unusual is that it's based on a real event. The movie shows how the police the hospital staff and even, at first, Renee's husband Bill, John Terlesky, a doctor at Lakeshore Hospital find Renee's visions almost impossible to believe until she uncannily reveals information that only the killer could have known. Renee's attempts to find the killer is aided by the ghost of Terry herself who is reaching out from the grave to get justice for her killer and eternal rest for herself when he's finally made to pay for his crime.
Like the famous quote by Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle "When you dismiss the impossible that what remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth" and that's how the movie "Voice from the Grave" plays itself out. Renee can't explain why she's having these visions from the dead Terry Devevoux but their dead on to what happened to her and who the killer is.
The Chicago police detective on the case Joe Sroccula, Kevin Bobson, who at first is skeptical of what Renee is telling him slowly becomes a believer when the evidence starts to pile up and fall into his lap because of her revelations about Terry's murder:1.Terry wasn't raped 2.Terry's jewelry was stolen by the killer and given to his girlfriend as a present.3.The killer not only knew Terry but lived within two blocks from her apartment.4.The initials on a slip found on the dead Terry Devevoux matched the person that Renee said was Terry's killer.5.The killer worked not only at the hospital with Terry but also worked part-time as a TV repairman who was called to fix Terry's television the night she was murdered.6.And even more incredible the killer's unique lighter, that he set her apartment on fire, was described down to the emerald green crocodile eyes on it by Renne.
Even with all this evidence it looked like the killer would get way with Terry's murder, even after he willingly confessed to it, because no jury would believe Renee's visions and voices from the grave. Since they defied modern physics and were beyond the understanding of any logic. Withdrawing his confession at the urging of his lawyer the killer seems to be home free as the jury is hopelessly deadlocked relying only on the evidence of Renee's contact with Terry to convict him. In the end it's his own conscience that gets the better of him.
Seeing, in his mind, Terry in the courtroom and on the stand her killer realized that he if found innocent will never have a moment of peace as long as Terry's murdered remained unsolved. With that he again confessed in open court. With Terry's killer knowing that he'd be much freer in a jail-cell then outside as a free man as long as Terry's ghost was there relentlessly tormenting him for what he did to her.
The movie plays out like a supernatural thriller but what makes it so unusual is that it's based on a real event. The movie shows how the police the hospital staff and even, at first, Renee's husband Bill, John Terlesky, a doctor at Lakeshore Hospital find Renee's visions almost impossible to believe until she uncannily reveals information that only the killer could have known. Renee's attempts to find the killer is aided by the ghost of Terry herself who is reaching out from the grave to get justice for her killer and eternal rest for herself when he's finally made to pay for his crime.
Like the famous quote by Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle "When you dismiss the impossible that what remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth" and that's how the movie "Voice from the Grave" plays itself out. Renee can't explain why she's having these visions from the dead Terry Devevoux but their dead on to what happened to her and who the killer is.
The Chicago police detective on the case Joe Sroccula, Kevin Bobson, who at first is skeptical of what Renee is telling him slowly becomes a believer when the evidence starts to pile up and fall into his lap because of her revelations about Terry's murder:1.Terry wasn't raped 2.Terry's jewelry was stolen by the killer and given to his girlfriend as a present.3.The killer not only knew Terry but lived within two blocks from her apartment.4.The initials on a slip found on the dead Terry Devevoux matched the person that Renee said was Terry's killer.5.The killer worked not only at the hospital with Terry but also worked part-time as a TV repairman who was called to fix Terry's television the night she was murdered.6.And even more incredible the killer's unique lighter, that he set her apartment on fire, was described down to the emerald green crocodile eyes on it by Renne.
Even with all this evidence it looked like the killer would get way with Terry's murder, even after he willingly confessed to it, because no jury would believe Renee's visions and voices from the grave. Since they defied modern physics and were beyond the understanding of any logic. Withdrawing his confession at the urging of his lawyer the killer seems to be home free as the jury is hopelessly deadlocked relying only on the evidence of Renee's contact with Terry to convict him. In the end it's his own conscience that gets the better of him.
Seeing, in his mind, Terry in the courtroom and on the stand her killer realized that he if found innocent will never have a moment of peace as long as Terry's murdered remained unsolved. With that he again confessed in open court. With Terry's killer knowing that he'd be much freer in a jail-cell then outside as a free man as long as Terry's ghost was there relentlessly tormenting him for what he did to her.
Even though this movie is based on a true story, it takes a few liberties. The victim was a Phillipine immigrant named Teresita Basa. Not Terry Devereaux. The nurse who was haunted by the victims voice, and her husband, were immigrants from India. But more important, the murderer was a black man, which gave the case a bit of a racial element.
This murder happened in Chicago, and the jury was a mostly black jury. Had the murderer not confessed, the jury was ready to convict him on a lesser charge, and he would have been given a light sentence. Unfortunately, the plea bargain allowed a sentence that was much too light for the crime he committed. He is probably back on the street right now. Maybe that's why the victims name was changed. Her family flew in from the Phillipines for the trial, and they were shocked at the punishment that we allowed in America, for murder.
This murder happened in Chicago, and the jury was a mostly black jury. Had the murderer not confessed, the jury was ready to convict him on a lesser charge, and he would have been given a light sentence. Unfortunately, the plea bargain allowed a sentence that was much too light for the crime he committed. He is probably back on the street right now. Maybe that's why the victims name was changed. Her family flew in from the Phillipines for the trial, and they were shocked at the punishment that we allowed in America, for murder.
In Chicago, the nurse Terry Deveroux (Kim Dickens) is murdered at home in a sadistic way. Renne Perkins (Megan Ward) is her colleague in Lakeshore Hospital and had just one contact with her a couple of days before. Renne is married to Bill Perkins (John Telersky), a resident surgeon in the hospital, and both are fighting together to improve in live. The residence of Bill is close to the end and he expects to be hired by the direction of the hospital. However, Renne is possessed by Terry spirit, who claims for justice. The acceptance of this situation challenges the logical formation of the couple, and they come up to a dilemma: shall they go to the police and expose that strange situation or not?
"Voice from the Grave" is a TV movie with a great screenplay that will certainly surprise the viewer. Mystery, crime, suspense, drama, all of these ingredients are mixed in right doses in the plot. The cast and direction are sharp. The end of this film could be shorter and disappoints a little bit, but the credit informs that this would be indeed a true story. If the viewer likes supernatural movies like 'The Sixth Sense', he or she will certainly enjoy this film. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Vozes do Além" ("Voices From Beyond")
Note: On 12 June 2022, I saw this film again.
"Voice from the Grave" is a TV movie with a great screenplay that will certainly surprise the viewer. Mystery, crime, suspense, drama, all of these ingredients are mixed in right doses in the plot. The cast and direction are sharp. The end of this film could be shorter and disappoints a little bit, but the credit informs that this would be indeed a true story. If the viewer likes supernatural movies like 'The Sixth Sense', he or she will certainly enjoy this film. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Vozes do Além" ("Voices From Beyond")
Note: On 12 June 2022, I saw this film again.
I was hoping to purchase this movie Dvd form. But I'm unable to locate this movie anywhere! Even through Lifetime which is where I happened to watch it! This Movie is so hard to find!!
Voice from the Grave isn't a great movie, but it ends up being quite a fascinating one. It's pretty much strictly a TV movie with the associated and expected production standards ... meaning nothing out of the ordinary, The acting will not live in my memory by any means and Megan Ward, who plays the female lead of Renee Perkins is especially pedestrian. But the story, which is a lightly fictionalised account of the real life Voice from the Grave Chicago police case is quite gripping.
A segment from the Unsolved Mysteries TV series inspired this story, in which a respiratory therapist (Megan Ward) claims that she is possessed by a murdered co-worker's spirit which identifies the killer. Ironically this particular mystery ended up being solved with the killer admitting his guilt.
The movie updates the crime and its aftermath from the late 70's to the mid 90's and changes the nationalities of some of the major players from Filipino to Caucasian Americans, as well as condensing some events (E.G. There was a mis-trial) to save time and maintain dramatic pace. Apart from that and some obvious name changes, the movie's narrative follows the real life timeline of events in just about all aspects, right down to oddities such as Renee and Bill Perkins, being witnesses (hostile I presume) for the defence, rather than the prosecution.
At various intervals, the film turns characters into talking heads, who speak directly to the camera, about their experiences. This doesn't really work and interrupts the pacing and tone, as we know they are actors playing out roles and not real life characters involved in a documentary. But the storyline which involves the ghost of the murdered Terry Deveroux appearing in visions and occasionally possessing the body of Renee Perkins, in an effort to achieve her payback to the killer, will undoubtedly be enough to carry most viewers through to the somewhat unexpected climax. Although I'd previously never heard of this somewhat celebrated case, I was pleased to have the opportunity of seeing this movie.
A segment from the Unsolved Mysteries TV series inspired this story, in which a respiratory therapist (Megan Ward) claims that she is possessed by a murdered co-worker's spirit which identifies the killer. Ironically this particular mystery ended up being solved with the killer admitting his guilt.
The movie updates the crime and its aftermath from the late 70's to the mid 90's and changes the nationalities of some of the major players from Filipino to Caucasian Americans, as well as condensing some events (E.G. There was a mis-trial) to save time and maintain dramatic pace. Apart from that and some obvious name changes, the movie's narrative follows the real life timeline of events in just about all aspects, right down to oddities such as Renee and Bill Perkins, being witnesses (hostile I presume) for the defence, rather than the prosecution.
At various intervals, the film turns characters into talking heads, who speak directly to the camera, about their experiences. This doesn't really work and interrupts the pacing and tone, as we know they are actors playing out roles and not real life characters involved in a documentary. But the storyline which involves the ghost of the murdered Terry Deveroux appearing in visions and occasionally possessing the body of Renee Perkins, in an effort to achieve her payback to the killer, will undoubtedly be enough to carry most viewers through to the somewhat unexpected climax. Although I'd previously never heard of this somewhat celebrated case, I was pleased to have the opportunity of seeing this movie.
Did you know
- GoofsWhen Detective Joe Sraccula enters the station, he is handed a phone message slip and says "a couple want to talk to you about the Schuster case" - he should have said the "Devereux case".
- ConnectionsReferenced in Minty Comedic Arts: 10 Amazing Facts About Unsolved Mysteries (2019)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Crimes of Passion: Voice from the Grave
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content