Fear (1990)

   
Written & Directed by: Rockne S. O'Bannon

Starring:

Ally Sheedy .... Cayce Bridges
Lauren Hutton .... Jessica Moreau
Michael O'Keefe .... Jack Hays
Stan Shaw .... Detective Webber
Dean Goodman .... William Tarr
Dina Merrill .... Catherine Tarr
Keone Young .... Detective William Wu
Pruitt Taylor Vince .... Shadow Man

Release Date: Made-for-TV: July 15, 1990

 
Rating:

 

A woman with named Cayce Bridges (Ally Sheedy) psychic abilities helps the police by track down some killers but suddenly she discovers a murderer whom is called the Shadow Man (Pruitt Taylor Vince) that has psychic abilities too who wants to share the fear of his victims too.
While she tries to help two detectives named Webber (Stan Shaw) and William Wu (Keone Young) try to get this guy while he plans to go on a killing spree it's too late as he knows she's trying to hunt him down so he plays a cat and mouse game with her.
He controls her to stay in the state and never leave her community as she thinks that he is coming for her but instead kills one of her friends and tells her he will continue to kill if she disobeys him.
Her new boyfriend who's a fire marshall named Jack Hays (Michael O'Keefe) tries to help Cayce out. Yet he could be put in hazards as well so she must try to find some way to trick this cold blooded killer before Jack is next.

 

A great beginning with Cayce Bridges acting like a basket case having a hard time with her words and panicking when she tried to explain what a killer is doing during the beginning which looked impressive.
There's also a nice calming discussion with her and her psychic abilities towards William Tarr and William Wu as detectives in which the scene looked good on them being stubborn at first with her abilities.
There's a nice setting with the three of them at an abandoned house and her warning them as well as all of them looking around inside and suddenly bang when they turn on the light an old lady is hung as this scene can really can make you jump.
We have a good shot on Cayce looking nervous staring across the street with Shadow Man in a distance well communicating to her mind.
A humouress moment with Cayce towards Jack Hays desperately asking him to track down a killer in the middle of the street which looked quite campy.
There's terrific intense moments on Cayce when she is dragged out of the airport while we spot good shots of a camera approaching
Jessica Moreau and then hands strangling her in her car with her struggling along with a plastic bag wrapped around her head which almost reminds me of a murder scene in Black Christmas which is a disturbing murder on someone suffering to death.
There's a good presence with Jack greeting Cayce with breakfast with her having a mopey expression on her face.
We've got a great discussion between Jack and Cayce when he tries to tell her not to let this killer control him and how to stop him.
There's a good effect on Cayce with Jack in a vehicle trying to detect where this killer is and struggling to try and catch him before it's too late which looked very suspenseful and watchable.
We have a good shot on a vehicle following another one with Cayce telling Jack that the killer is behind them which is spine chilling.
There's a good shot on Shadow Man in a carnival walking near Jack as you wonder if he will try to kill him.
The best moment of all is with Cayce in a mirror maze and spotting Shadow Man in the mirrors with her smashing them to try and get to him.
A great shot on Shadow Man jumping out of a window and landing on a seat of a ferris wheel as well as Cayce doing the same thing along with a perfect struggle between the two of them.
Bottom line is that this is a great crime mystery horror which at first I wondered if this was actually a horror but a psychic killer who doesn't reveal himself and kills when a psychic senses it is enough to convince that it's that kind of a genre too.
We have a great performance and alot of blue lighting effects to when the killings start to occur making this really psych you out big time. There's the odd pre-Scream with the phone call as well as other mysterious and suspenseful elements that was in other similar films too. However, this film dstands on it's own like those other films too. Just imagine that the killer controls where you're going and making you do stuff else he will kill and continue to do so will really drive you nuts and act like a basket case.

The acting is very well done as we have the lead actress Ally Sheedy (Cayce Bridges) playing the psychic who proves that she can be very versatile with her work by first acting distrubed and intense to someone calm and patient. Does well when she has anxiety in her at an outing almost losing it. She performed wonderfully and suspensefully in a scene when she gets up from her table and stabs the table with a knife. Terrific panicking reaction on her towards two onscreen characters in a plane reacting like she's crazy when she demands them to get her off the plane due to a possible attempted murder. Was great falling to the ground in devastation demanding her killer why he killed her friend. We have a great menacing action by her when she whacks someone with a flashlight. She was a true character actress indeed.
Lauren Hutton
(
Jessica Moreau) really deserved a gold star playing her sympathetic friend in the film as she shows nice concerned emotions and a great attitude. She proved that she really studied her character inside out.
Michael O'Keefe
(Jack Hays) played a great role in the film as a fireman and a nice guy next door type of appeal to him as he shows alot of great charm and enthusiasm to his part.
Stan Shaw
(Detective Webber) really brought out his tough and stubborn attitude as a detective and incredibly energetic for when emergencies happen in the film. He had the right looks for his role looking like a believebale tough as nails detective.
Pruitt Taylor Vince (Shadow Man) only appears towards close to the end of the film but was terrific with his voice over's for the whole story since he had a great dark and coldness to his speaking which sounds realistically mysterious and scary. In a quarter of the story, does well acting cowardly trying to run away from someone.

Henry Mancini is the compoer for this film. We have some good cold sounds with some sharp violing playing along with the odd cold piano sounding (Especially for when a couple detectives try to search a quiet house) for the mysterious parts and the odd thumps too.

Shadow man: It's okay to be scared Cayce... you should be...

Shadow man: [after Casey sees him kill a woman] She was wonderful, Casey... and so were you.
[writes fear in blood on the wall]

Cayce Bridges: [watching through the minds of the shadow man] In the fridge there's left over pizza and a cup... some kind of kid's cup...
Detective Webber: [uneasy] What else?
Cayce Bridges: In the living room there toys scattered over the floor... there's a baseball in one of those display thing's on the coffee table...
Detective Webber: [scared cutting her off] Can you see a TV?
Cayce Bridges: Yeah.
Detective Webber: With a trophy... a football trophy?
Cayce Bridges: Yeah.
Detective Webber: [in full realization] He's in my house... the son of a bitch is in my house. The kids will be home any minute.

Cayce Bridges: You have to stop the Goddamned plane, somebody is about to be killed!

Cayce Bridges: Let me off this plane NOW or I will scream like this ALL THE WAY TO NEW YORK!

Shadow man: [nervous] Casey... what are you doing?
Cayce Bridges: [calm, focused] You knew we were following you tonight... not because you could read my thoughts... but because you could read Jack's... Well, Jack ain't here any more...
[smacks him with a large torch]

Shadow man: I wouldn't have hurt you for anything! Now I'm going to hurt you worst of all...