A weird low budget exploitation film that parallels a real tragedy (one of the first public mass shootings to get world attention), attempts to explain the mental illness that results in such goings on, and results in a psychological thriller where the horror continues long after the blood spills. This features a cast that no one had heard of before or since, led by the handsome but eerie Raymond Elmendorf as a war vet, still living with the effects, staying in an abandoned hotel where he sees and hears the ghosts of former staff and guests, including the alleged murder victim pushed to his death over a suitcase of stolen loot. Elmendorf is seeing a psychiatrist (Pamela Baker) who would like to put him away but can't by law, and it's obvious that she'll be one of his most affected victims whether she's assailed by him or not.
Schlocky but not without some interest, this is like a freeway pileup where passers by can't help but stop and stare. There's some really shocking footage of Elmendorf committing murder before he takes his vengeance public, one where his topless ex-wife verbally assaults him and pays for it. A talking teddy bear with a squeaky voice acts like his conscience, and he's certainly no Snuggles bear. I found the film slow but with purpose, and there are quiet scenes that had me feeling a headache from the temples, caused by the tinny soundtrack. Elmendorf does a credible job even though he has some very unintentionally funny things to do, say and react to, never stepping out of character. It's easy to be petrified by him, detest him and yet find pity. Not a film anyone will want to view more than once, but that one time will keep it in the viewer's head for days to come after seeing it.
Schlocky but not without some interest, this is like a freeway pileup where passers by can't help but stop and stare. There's some really shocking footage of Elmendorf committing murder before he takes his vengeance public, one where his topless ex-wife verbally assaults him and pays for it. A talking teddy bear with a squeaky voice acts like his conscience, and he's certainly no Snuggles bear. I found the film slow but with purpose, and there are quiet scenes that had me feeling a headache from the temples, caused by the tinny soundtrack. Elmendorf does a credible job even though he has some very unintentionally funny things to do, say and react to, never stepping out of character. It's easy to be petrified by him, detest him and yet find pity. Not a film anyone will want to view more than once, but that one time will keep it in the viewer's head for days to come after seeing it.