A Pulitzer prize journalist has a heart attack and moves with his wife and son, from NYC to a town of 850 in Maine. Things are fine there until he investigates a man arrested for murdering h... Read allA Pulitzer prize journalist has a heart attack and moves with his wife and son, from NYC to a town of 850 in Maine. Things are fine there until he investigates a man arrested for murdering his boyfriend. Vandalism and worse follows.A Pulitzer prize journalist has a heart attack and moves with his wife and son, from NYC to a town of 850 in Maine. Things are fine there until he investigates a man arrested for murdering his boyfriend. Vandalism and worse follows.
Dee Wallace
- Heather Crane
- (as Dee Wallace Stone)
Patrick Thomas
- Toby Carlyle
- (as Pat Thomas)
George 'Buck' Flower
- Jerry Grommer
- (as Buck Flower)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
I don't know what the previous writer was talking about, this was an excellent movie, I think Ron Silver was completely overshadowed by the acting ability of British Born actor Lee Tonks but he still did good. Lee Tonks was excellent in this movie. The plot was well derived, cinematography was excellent! I think it's amazing that they managed to get Anthony Pownall to work on such a small budget feature, but I guess he must have been friends with the producer or something. I don't think the average American public realizes the acting ability of Anthony Pownall and Lee Tonks. anyone who watches this movie is in for a real treat.
From the moment Peter, Heather and their son Zack move to the Stepford Wives-esque town of Saugatuck in New England you just know something isn't right. All the women have perfect hair and make-up and bake like there's no tomorrow. All the men are rednecks and there's no-one even vaguely ethnic in sight, as observed by Peter's wife Heather. There's just something downright creepy about this place. Unfortunately for Peter and his family, the audience figures that out well before he does.
What begins as an intriguing investigation by journalist Peter into a mysterious local murder eventually ends with a most disappointing, scattered ending. I don't know how else they could have ended it but I was let down because I thought, "Wow, this is a really good movie. I'm into it and I want to know what happens!" Well, when the truth eventually comes out it's all too late etc. etc. and you're left thinking, "Well, that was a bit crap!"
Ron Silver is in top form as usual though with his little one-liners and quips. Kyle Howard as Zack Crane is good too for a youngster. One to watch!
I'd recommend seeing "Skeletons" because it is a mystery, but unfortunately the mystery doesn't last long enough and when the "twist" comes, we've already figured it out.
I couldn't work out why people of a New England town would have Southern accents either ...
What begins as an intriguing investigation by journalist Peter into a mysterious local murder eventually ends with a most disappointing, scattered ending. I don't know how else they could have ended it but I was let down because I thought, "Wow, this is a really good movie. I'm into it and I want to know what happens!" Well, when the truth eventually comes out it's all too late etc. etc. and you're left thinking, "Well, that was a bit crap!"
Ron Silver is in top form as usual though with his little one-liners and quips. Kyle Howard as Zack Crane is good too for a youngster. One to watch!
I'd recommend seeing "Skeletons" because it is a mystery, but unfortunately the mystery doesn't last long enough and when the "twist" comes, we've already figured it out.
I couldn't work out why people of a New England town would have Southern accents either ...
1lju3
I hold this movie in absolute disdain. It is one of those "we have a do-good, politically correct, neatly packaged little movie that we swear really does have a point." This movie is about a sleepy little town that has a gay murder that may or may not have been a hate crime (though they not-so-subtly make it clear that it was). An ill writer moves there, exposes the story, and is harassed to no end. This movie is basically here to say that moral positions against homosexuality are wrong, that religion is really an evil narcotic, and that anyone who disagrees is a bigoted homophobe. It is sad that the director let the soap-box proclamations get in the way, because the idea of a xenophobic little town with strange people and not enough genetic variation is a decent premise. James Coburn, Christopher Plummer, and Ron Silver are all very good actors, but they are simply not able to show what they can do.
The pace at which this film staggers reminds me of one of my alcoholic friend's storytelling abilities. It lurches forth and alternates between fast action that makes no sense, then bizarre attempts to build suspense that fail miserably. The film also takes a turn for the bizarre when a crazy lady befriends the ill writer. I can't say too much about it without giving the move away, but the end is especially bizarre and disappointing. All in all, a very bad movie.
I would, in closing, like to point out one key similarity between this movie and my aforementioned alcoholic friend. At the end of his stories he would usually throw up. At the end of this movie, you will.
The pace at which this film staggers reminds me of one of my alcoholic friend's storytelling abilities. It lurches forth and alternates between fast action that makes no sense, then bizarre attempts to build suspense that fail miserably. The film also takes a turn for the bizarre when a crazy lady befriends the ill writer. I can't say too much about it without giving the move away, but the end is especially bizarre and disappointing. All in all, a very bad movie.
I would, in closing, like to point out one key similarity between this movie and my aforementioned alcoholic friend. At the end of his stories he would usually throw up. At the end of this movie, you will.
I was quite surprised by this movie which keeps you watching right to the end, mainly due to the cast. The story itself fizzles out towards the end but still very watchable. Ron Silver is very good with a fine performance and supported by some fine actors (James Coburn great as ever) The director David DeCoteau has made more than his fair share of low budget drivel but this does rate out of the movies I've had the misfortune to watch, as his best and certainly the only one with anyone you have ever heard of starring in it. So much so when you look at the other movies on IMDb that he has directed before and after this one you really do wonder how he got the job directing such a good cast? So I'm presuming that the cast has more to do with how watchable the movie is rather than the ultra low budget director, who must hold some sort of record for the Director with the lowest voted movies on the IMDb. Above Average Movie 5/10
Ron Silver, James Coburn and Christopher Plummer are interesting to watch in this unoriginal plot about something rotten in an apparently perfect New England small town. The film suffers from a crisis of identity, starting off like a legal drama, developing shades of high school angst, a horror element and, well, I'll stop there rather than give away the ending. As someone else has said in this forum, the story fizzles out at the end. Bad plot, only just saved by some decent acting. 5 out of 10.
Did you know
- TriviaThe film was originally started by director 'Ken Russell', but after he locked horns with one of the film's nine producers, he was fired and David DeCoteau was hired to replace him.
- Quotes
Reverend Carlyle: You cannot hide from an AK-47 that's been blessed by the lord.
- ConnectionsReferences Bambi (1942)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Saugatuck
- Filming locations
- Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA(Town square and other exteriors.)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,200,000 (estimated)
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