После того, как директор консервного завода Мириан Табидзе чуть не погиб, он задумался о том, кому же выгодна его смерть. За свою долгую жизнь он причинил много вреда разным людям. И все они – начальник отдела кадров, рэкетир-неудачник, дочь, зять, любовница – желают ему смерти. Но Мириан даже не может предположить, кто же больше всех жаждет его гибели. Когда-то Табидзе бросил девушку, родившую ему сына Георгия. Не пережив предательства, молодая мать покончила с собой и теперь Георгий хочет отмстить отцу...
Dennis Allan is an scientist who visits Haiti on the strength of a rumour of a drug which renders the recipient totally paralyzed but conscious. The drug's effects often fool doctors, who declare the victims dead. Could this be the origin of the "zombie" legend? Alan embarks on a surprising and often surreal investigation of the turbulent social chaos that is Haiti during the revolution which ousted hated dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier. Often a pawn in a greater game, Alan must decide what is science, what is superstition, and what is the unknown in a anarchistic society where police corruption and witch-doctory are commonplace.
A quick glimpse at the cast for this film would make any horror fan giddy with glee. The actual movie doesn't live up to those high expectations, but it's far from being all bad. Desi Arnaz Jr. (!) plays an author who makes a crazy $20,000 bet with his publisher that he could write a great novel in only 24 hours. To do so, the publisher gives him the keys to an old abandoned house where he won't be disturbed. Not true. Once he gets there he is interrupted by a multitude of guests including a family which consists of John Carradine, Sheila Keith, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price. They are gathered there in a twisted family reunion to release their brother from the room he's been imprisoned in for forty years. Even Christopher Lee drops by as Corrigan, the man who has just purchased the house. Soon, they realize that the caged brother is loose and out for revenge.
What a great plotline and what a dream cast! This movie should have been a hell of a lot better. It's hard to pinpoint the exact problems with the film, but I would venture to say that the lack of lighting was a major fault. Sure the house has no electricity but I think they took the title of the movie a little too literally. Scenes after scenes are barely visible and the actors' faces are undecipherable. Only the moments in the main dinning hall are well lit. Also, the great actors are given very little to do. Cushing gets a few chuckles as the scared brother but Price, Lee and especially Carradine are somewhat wasted here. Well, at least Price gets the best line of the film: `Please don't interrupt me while I am soliloquizing.' And on the plus side, the story has enough twists and turns throughout to keep one`s interest and the ending, while a bit of a cop-out, manages to surprise.
美国芝加哥的午夜,杀人犯雷在警探迈克(克里斯·萨兰登 Chris Sarandon )的追捕中身负枪伤,仓皇逃入了一家玩具店,走投无路下,雷念起咒语,将灵魂转移到了一个玩具公仔身上。在商场做售货员的单身母亲凯伦(凯瑟琳·海克丝 Catherine Hicks 饰)为儿子安迪(艾力克斯·文森特 Alex Vincent 饰)的生日礼物发愁,当她看到流浪汉出售的便宜公仔时,兴冲冲的买下了。而这个安迪渴望的礼物,实际正是那只收纳了杀人犯雷的灵魂的公仔。自称“楚其”的公仔在无人时便开口和安迪对话,并杀死了安迪的阿姨和自己昔日的同伙,安迪目睹公仔杀人的线索,却苦于无人相信。凯伦不久终于发现了公仔的秘密,但似乎为时已晚……
卡梅伦(斯蒂芬·莱克 Stephen Lack 饰)没有住所,没有工作,整日在街头闲逛的他内心充满了抑郁和怒火,没有人知道,他所拥有的能够肆意操纵他人的可怕超能力。一天,在超市里游荡的卡梅伦无意之中听到了两个女人对他的嘲笑,盛怒之下,他出手了。这一事件将卡梅伦带到了名为保罗(帕特里克·麦高汉 Patrick McGoohan 饰)的医生面前,就此改变了卡梅伦的人生。
保罗医生教会了卡梅伦如何控制和有效地使用自己的超能力,很快,他就获得了卡梅伦的依赖和信任。然而,卡梅伦并不知道保罗医生背后究竟存在着一个怎样的组织,亦不知道,自己已经被这个组织相中,卷入了一场巨大的阴谋之中。