In the late '70s, a group of kids witness a bizarre train crash while recording an amateur zombie movie; the event is captured on a Super 8 mm film. Other strange events follow the crash, and the group of kids set out to find the answers. Terrific small-town '70s setting and wonderfully driven dialogue that meshes surprisingly well with the large amount of action. However, aside from the annoyance of dragging on way too long, the most fatal flaw of this thriller is the lack of foreshadowing. When a story builds its suspense on twist after twist like it's a game of Jenga, rather than strategizing a complex conflict to bring everything full circle, really does a film injustice. Disappointingly two-dimensional with numerous disposable elements—why is an important character like Dr. Woodward (Turman) introduced during the first plot point without any development?
Solid thriller adapted from Frederick Knott's 1966 play, about blind housewife Hepburn being tormented three thugs (Arkin, Crenna, Weston) looking for heroin in a lost doll. Deservedly put Arkin on the map, and every spook seems to hit the right spot at the right time. Well-paced, but takes a good half-hour to really get going and much of the story is driven by dialogue rather than action. Also, a little more could've been done with Crenna's character who also delivers a great performance despite not having an overly interesting character. Very cool climatic sequence where the viewer--and characters--are forced into blindness. Very worth it.
