Remember those movies you watched as a kid that left such an impression you were haunted by them for the rest of your life? An example that comes immediately to mind is "The Screaming Woman" based on a Ray Bradbury short story and starring the lovely Olivia de Havilland in the twilight of her career, about a woman who hears a voice from the grave but everyone around her is convinced she's delusional. It fell into such obscurity there was a time I wondered if I had imagined it. Then on a late night talk show one night I heard Quentin Tarantino talking about this exact film — that obviously had the same impact on him — confirming that it hadn't been a vivid childhood dream.
"Duel" was another example of a disturbingly unforgettable TV movie that many of us watched at that highly impressionable time. By contrast, and probably by virtue of its famous director, "Duel" decidedly didn't fall into obscurity but has become a cult classic of sorts. And, let's face it, Richard Matheson, who wrote the screenplay, based on his own unforgettable short story, had a lot to do with the success of that one.
Add to the list "The Morning After," which was equally haunting for entirely different reasons than the other films mentioned. I happened to be doing an IMDb search and noticed that Richard Matheson had penned yet another film permanently etched into memory. (And let's not forget his other made-for-TV classic "The Night Stalker.") I saw "The Morning After" in school because the teacher obviously saw enough in its message to encourage, or perhaps better put — terrify, her pre-pubescent students away from that most popular of legal drugs. It is a movie that will never leave me. I remember shuffling out of class after the closing credits with an emotion very closely resembling devastation. It was as if a close friend had given up on life and I watched it happen in stark detail. Of course, revisiting those impactful films from our past never holds the same power that childhood naturally allows but I would like to see this one again nonetheless. It was indeed a great one.
"Duel" was another example of a disturbingly unforgettable TV movie that many of us watched at that highly impressionable time. By contrast, and probably by virtue of its famous director, "Duel" decidedly didn't fall into obscurity but has become a cult classic of sorts. And, let's face it, Richard Matheson, who wrote the screenplay, based on his own unforgettable short story, had a lot to do with the success of that one.
Add to the list "The Morning After," which was equally haunting for entirely different reasons than the other films mentioned. I happened to be doing an IMDb search and noticed that Richard Matheson had penned yet another film permanently etched into memory. (And let's not forget his other made-for-TV classic "The Night Stalker.") I saw "The Morning After" in school because the teacher obviously saw enough in its message to encourage, or perhaps better put — terrify, her pre-pubescent students away from that most popular of legal drugs. It is a movie that will never leave me. I remember shuffling out of class after the closing credits with an emotion very closely resembling devastation. It was as if a close friend had given up on life and I watched it happen in stark detail. Of course, revisiting those impactful films from our past never holds the same power that childhood naturally allows but I would like to see this one again nonetheless. It was indeed a great one.