GHOST IN THE MACHINE

GHOST IN THE MACHINE (1993). Director: Rachel Talaley. 

Karl Hoffman (Ted Marcoux), who works in a computer store, is actually a deadly serial killer known as the "Address Book Killer" because he goes after all the people in an individual's address book. His latest would-be victim is Terry Monroe (Karen Allen), who has a young son named Josh (Wil Horneff) and who inadvertently leaves her address book at the aforementioned computer store. An added complication is that Hoffman is in a car accident, and while he is getting an MRI an electrical surge pulls his brain patterns, or soul, into the computer and electrical systems. Hoffman's body may be dead, but his malevolent mind is still very active and as sadistic as ever. Before long Terry's friends and associates are being killed via electronics, with microwaves, dishwashers, and the like going berserk and causing death and destruction. Terry and Josh team up with infamous hacker Bram Walker (Chris Mulkey) to figure out a way to permanently dissipate this frightening and powerful entity. 

Ghost in the Machine is somewhat similar to Wes Craven's Shocker, but it is a better picture. There is an interesting use of graphics such as when the killer invades a virtual reality game being played by Josh and his buddy. The scenes with the electronic death traps are generally well-handled and suspenseful. A standout sequence occurs when Josh is nearly drowned when Hoffman operates the cover over the pool and the boy desperately tries to get out before it completely entraps him. I wish the climax had been a bit more exciting, however, and the score does absolutely nothing for the movie. 

Verdict: Well-acted, interesting, absorbing horror flick. ***. 

NEVER SEND FLOWERS: JAMES BOND

NEVER SEND FLOWERS. John Gardner. Putman's/Berkley/1993. 

This James Bond adventure was promoted as "007 hunts a serial killer!", serial killers being very much in vogue at the time in popular fiction. While the ultimate villain in this -- a deranged actor named David Dragonpol -- does kill several people, the only real "serial killer," a murdered woman's brother, is out of the picture when the story begins. Bond meets and works with a Swiss agent named Flicka von Grusse, whom he eventually develops deep feelings for. Dragonpol has built a museum inside his mansion which recreates different periods in history via the use of holograms and animatronics, so it's no wonder that his ultimate goal is to kill Princess Diana and her boys when they take a trip to EuroDisney in Paris. 

Although most of Gardner's Bond novels seem well-thought out and well-constructed, this time Gardner seems to have written the book on the cuff, with little pre-planning, giving the whole thing a haphazard and perfunctory feel. It is the weirdest James Bond novel ever written, culminating in an utterly ridiculous scene when Bond fails to spot Dragonpol at a key moment, making 007 seem incompetent.  Never Send Flowers is still entertaining and has some suspenseful moments, but if you want to sample Gardner's Bond, this is not the novel to start with. Read License Renewed instead. 

Verdict: 007 treading water. **1/2. 

WHEN A STRANGER CALLS BACK

Carol Kane 

WHEN A STRANGER CALLS BACK (made-for-cable telefilm/1993). Co-writer/director: Fred Walton. 

A babysitter named Julia (Jill Schoelen) is watching her two charges when a man comes to the door and tells her his car has broken down. Julia is smart enough not to let him inside, but when she offers to phone for assistance, she discovers the phone is out of order. Afraid to tell him this, she lies and says she's made the call. Then things get much worse. The suspenseful prologue of this film possibly out-creeps the prologue in the first film, When a Stranger Calls. 

Jill Schoelen

As in the first movie, the scene then shifts five years into the future, when Julia fears she is being stalked by that man outside the house, who disappeared along with the children. Two people who believe her story and come to her aid are Jill Johnson (Carol Kane,) who has her own babysitting horror story to tell, and private eye John Clifford (Charles Durning), who came to Jill's assistance in When a Stranger Calls. Jill is convinced that every weird thing that's happened to Julia is real, but John is a little more skeptical. Both agree, however, that the man or men who terrorized her five years before have to be tracked down. But is this mysterious figure tracking them down as well?

Gene Lythgow

When a Stranger Calls Back is arguably better than, and certainly just as good, as the original. Walton doesn't just replay the prologue of the first film, but comes up with some new twists, and the storyline that follows is also different from the original movie. The sequel is a bit slow at times, but it is atmospheric and never shakes its sense of dread. One scene in a hospital is especially creepy, and the exciting climax is also noteworthy. The performances are good -- this includes Gene Lythgow in an important role --  but as in the first film, I wish the characters had been better developed. Although Kane had a husband and children in the first film, they are not even referred to in passing in the sequel -- she even uses her maiden name -- and we never learn all that much about Julia or her stalker. There are also some annoying loose ends. However, the film is still entertaining and suspenseful, and the eeriness is abetted by the photography of David Geddes and the score by Dana Kaproff.

Verdict: Worthwhile sequel is creepy and disquieting. ***.