Wednesday, October 26, 2016

31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN DAY 26: THE STRANGER WITHIN 1974 (WARNER ARCHIVE). THE NORLISS TAPES 1973 (ANCHOR BAY)

Two classic TV terror for the season.

First up is STRANGER WITHIN which stars Barbara Eden as a young woman who finds out that she is pregnant, the only problem is her husband George Grizzard has had surgery to prevent that.

She begins acting strangely. Some of her odd behaviors include pouring tons of salt on her food, keeping the house below 50 degrees and drinking tons of coffee which is scalding hot.

Her doctor cannot figure it out, but her husband calls in a hypnotist and it's discovered that aliens impregnated her and that her behavior is controlled by her unborn child.

This is a pretty cool film written by Richard Matheson based on his short story. The ending is somewhat predictable, but who cares this is a fun ride.

The second film is a Halloween staple that I have written about a few times on here. This movie THE NORLISS TAPES premiered on Feb 21, 1973. I was 10 and my mother celebrated her birthday watching this with me.

Roy Thinnes is David Norliss, a writer who is working on a book to debunk the supernatural. He gets involved with a beautiful woman named Ellen Cort (Angie Dickinson) who after a terrifying nighttime encounter with her dead husband is seeking answers.

Norliss agrees to help her and they soon uncover a horrible secret that Ellen's husband has kept hidden. He had agreed to bring a demon into this world in exchange for eternal life.

There are the usual superb shocks in this Dan Curtis directed film and it moves briskly. One of the most terrifying films made for TV back in the day, it had an impact I will never forget.

The rest of the stellar cast includes Dpon Porter, Robert Mandan, Michele Carey, Stanley Adams, Claude Akins (as the sheriff much like in THE NIGHT STALKER), and the stunningly beautiful Vonetta McGee. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED anytime, but great for the Halloween season.

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