Chiller

Wes Craven directs J.D. Feigelson's padded out should-be episode of "The Twilight Zone" turned TV movie bore. Craven and co. attempt a "thrilling" meditation on the question: if man returns from the dead, does he still have a soul? By playing off the seemingly growing sci-fi reality around cryogenics in the 80's, the movie takes a mildly interesting premise and plays it out with zero mystery or suspense. Plus, then add in some real lack of characters, and you get a tedious bore of a "thriller".

This material was explored with more poignancy in Bob Clark's Deathdream a full decade before which makes this somewhat unforgivable in its blandness. TV movie or not, it's disappointing to see Craven so tepidly investigate unconsciousness when you know how much success he'd have with it later. Still fun to see Michael Beck playing tragic evil.

Young man without a soul returns from the dead griddier than before, firing family's most trusted man and hurting people everywhere, only to be finally shot dead by his mother. Kind of good concept badly executed.

45.

Fair Craven tele-flick. There's some creepy atmosphere and good acting but it's all too slow to build the needed suspense.