TV Movie Terror Collection
Wild Eye Releasing


Made for TV movies are often forgotten about and in a case like myself being that I wasnt born until 1980 I missed out on many of the gems that were released during what many consider to be the made for TV decade of choice for horror, the 70s. This was before made for TV movies were only sugar coated lessons or terrible adaptations of novels. The four films unearthed by Wild Eye Releasing are of varying quality picture wise but as far as the films themselves go they are on par with some of the better thrillers released in the 70's.

Crawlspace was originally released in 1972 and is pretty much what you would consider an unknown film. The film centers on an elderly couple who have never been blessed with a child. They discover that a worker who had previously worked on their furnace is now living in the crawlspace under their house. While it is clear that the man is clearly mentally unstable the couple continue to try and win over the man and somewhat make him the son they never had. When an altercation at a local general store turns ugly the man returns later to take out his vengeance on the store. At this point things turn ugly and the town is out for the young man. The finale is fairly predictable but a perfect ending to a much stronger than average thriller.

The acting is very strong in Crawlspace and the interaction between the couple and the young man is quite believable. The wife, played by Teresa Wright, in particular goes through a whirlwind of emotions and pulls each off with flying colors. Tom Happer plays the young man and does a good job making the character seem dejected and wanting little to do with the outside world. The role doesnt have many lines of dialog but he really brings the character to life.

The quality is pretty good and seems to come from some sort of original source. There are still some imperfections and lines throughout the movie, but this was a made for TV movie from the 70s after all, not a Hollywood blockbuster. The idea of a quiet man turning violent is nothing new to the horror genre but Crawlspace took the idea and made it effective through solid acting and a well written script. If you enjoyed Bad Ronald, this is similar and actually older by at least a few years.

The Devils Daughter is possibly my favorite out of the 4 that Wild Eye Releasing has released in this collection. Having a similar feel to Rosemarys Baby and a strong Polanski feel throughout, this film is a chilling thriller that just screams that is was made in the 70's. Dont take that the wrong way though, I meant that in a positive light. The sets, the lighting and of course the fashion all firmly plant this in the decade in which it was made. Fortunately the film has aged wonderfully and is a perfect example of a satanic thriller done right.

The film centers on Diane a young woman who knows very little about her parents but after her estranged mothers funeral she meets one of her mothers old friends, Lilith, played with gusto by Shelly Winters. Lilith offers Diane a room in her house instead of staying at a hotel, but it isn't long before you find out the true intentions of Lilith. Through the introduction of odd characters and the reoccurring appearance of an eerie symbol Diane begins to question the motives of Lilith. What the audience already knows is that Diane is in fact the daughter of Satan and her mother was killed for trying to keep the cult away from her daughter. The ending is basically a perfect cap to the movie and even if you see it coming a mile away, it will leave you satisfied.

This is a film that has a perfect pace. Being that it was made for TV the running time is only 73 minutes, but it still manages to feel like a full fledged film. The acting is solid throughout and some truly recognizable stars here. Horror buffs will love seeing Jonathon Frid of Dark Shadows fame playing the mute chauffer.

Quality wise this is quite good although there are still pops and lines through the picture every so often. Being that it is probably next to impossible to find the original source material this is probably as good as you can expect and it looks as sharp as one could hope for a made for TV movie in the early 70's. If you are a fan of Satanic or cult based films, The Devils Daughter is a film you probably have never seen and that is something you should rectify immediately.

Up next is the killer shark on a rampage flick Shark Kill. Originally released in 1976, this hardly seen flick is considered one of the first killer shark films released in the wake of Jaws and while it pales in comparison to Jaws it is an entertaining film in its own right.

The video quality for Shark Kill is unfortunately quite lacking. While the movie is very watchable, it is clearly taken from a VHS source that has seen better days. When it comes to hard to find movies sometimes you have to take what you can get and that is the case here. If you are a fan of pristine transfers and revel in 1080p images the image quality here might leave you screaming in terror. But any collector of rare movies, especially in the horror genre, will tell you that sometimes pristine prints are just not available.

While it is easy to see that Shark Kill was made to cash in on the Jaws phenomenon it really isn't very similar plot wise. In fact the movie has much more in common with a movie like Open Water. The movie is a bit slow going at times and despite the fact that the movie does pick up steam towards the end, this certainly wouldn't rank in the elite of the monsters gone mad genre. If you are a fan of both rarities and shark films, then this is one of the rarest, although not one of the best.

Last but not least we have Maneaters Are Loose! Originally airing in 1978 and starring Tom Skerrit, the movie starts off slow showing just how sleepy and normal the town the film takes place in is. A drunken animal trainer who cant afford to feed his tigers anymore lets them loose to search for food. The animals begin their assault with a man in the woods while his female companion manages to escape. The movie takes a slight detour into more police oriented themes for sometime before the tigers become the focal point again during the last while of the film.

The film manages to create a lot of tension during the tiger attack sections with a fitting score and quick camera work. The conclusion ends the movie on a rousing and satisfying note that youll basically see coming a mile away but it perfect none the less. While far from perfect Maneaters Are Loose! is a perfect example of a 70s TV movie done right. The plot meanders a bit at times but the movie manages to entertain none the less.

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