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Servants of Twilight
() 6******skulls
*Blood* *Violent* *No Strong Language* *No Nudity* *Sexual Situations*
1991/Color/96 minutes/Vidmark Entertainment & Trimark Pictures & Gibralter Entertainment & Vidmark, Inc./Rated R.
Director..........Jeffrey Obrow
Screenplay....Jeffrey Obrow & Stephen Carpenter
Music.............Jim Manzie
Producer........Venetia Stevenson & Jeffrey Obrow
Executive Producers.....Mark Amin, Andrew Lane,
Wayne Crawford & Joel Levine
Special Bat Effects by Michael McCracken
Based on the book "Twilight" by Dean R. Koontz.
Dramatis Personae
Christine Scavello..Belinda Bauer
Grace Spivey..........Grace Zabriskie
Joey Scavello........Jarret Lennon
Henry Rankin.........Richard Bradford
Kyle Barlow...........Carel Struycken ()
Dr. Denton Boothe..Jack Kehoe
Sherry Ordway.......Kelli Maroney
Police Officer.........Dale Dye
Frank Ross.............James Harper
George Wong........Bruce Locke
Critique: Does a good job of portraying the zealots and an excellent job of milking our worst fears without resorting to dismemberment.. Good pace.Does a good job of portraying the zealots and an excellent job of milking our worst fears without resorting to dismemberment.. Good pace. The story is framed by Charlie beginning and ending the story to the LAPD psychologist and followed by his final confrontation with the antichrist. flashbacks are a bit confusing. The revelations at the end are truly shocking. The mood and the weather are great, the acting is very strong. Does a great job of portraying the zeal of the zealots and an excellent job of milking our worst fears without resorting to dismemberment. Also problematizes the idea that one side is right or the zealots are crazy. Joey also attempts to portray Grace as a witch to allay the threat of her uncanny knowledge Good pace.
Jarret Lennon (Cheers?Lunt? Tortelli) is splendid as Joey.
Plot Summary: An unknown woman comes to 6 year old Joey and after praising him for being attractive his mother Christine Scavello and insists that she knows Joey and that he must die. "Admit what you are!" Charlie Harrison the detective is under a great deal of stress. He was found collapsed in a doorway and his colleague thinks he needs the rest of a few days in the hospital. Joey's mother assures him he's never going to see that mean woman again, but the members of the church of the twilight are following them. They think Joey is the antichrist. The Servants of Twilight are zealots and they have infiltrated practically every element of society without being noticed. It's just about impossible to elude these people and the first night after the incident, Brandy the golden retriever barks and Joey says he saw the witch outside his window. The next day the porch is covered with blood and brandy is headless. The police don't have much. The policeman tells her to put her faith in god and she and the boy will be all right. However the servants ramble on at a religious ceremony that Joey is the one and he must die. They begin calling the house. Private Detective Charlie suggests two armed body guards around the clock until we know what we're dealing with. The van that has been following them is parked outside the agency and the phone rings for Joey. It's a death threat. Charlie decides it's time for him to get back out there in the field for the first time since the death of his wife. Mother Grace is the leader of the church which believes the antichrist is come to bring the end of the world. The three detectives and their two bodies are shadowed everywhere they go. Charlie leaves his two men with the little family and the new dog Chewbacca and they are attacked by shotgun toting assassins who get Pete and Frank before Christine gets him with her pistol. The police want the facts but Charlie wants to get his clients moved. Among the press and officials at the scene is another assassin whom Charlie shoots at the last second. Charlie has taken the clients to stay at a friends house and has a date with Grace Spivey at 11:00 tomorrow and Rankin, the man from whom Charlie bought the business is trying to reach him. As another killer is about to get Charlie in the safe house, Rankin walks in and shoots the guy. Dr Booth the guy from LAPD psychologist tells Charlie there is only one way to protect his clients, Kill Grace Spivey. Grace is very straight forward about the problem. God told her Joey's father is Spartan and Charlie belongs to Satan now. She shows him Christ's wounds before here seven foot bodyguard Kyle comes in and ejects him. Paranoia grips the little Joey task force. Rankin provides a clean car and they head off for Santa Barbara. Alas within minutes of their arrival they are set upon by another madman. Everywhere they go the servants are a step ahead of them. Their informant network is insurmountable. Finally the hunker down in a secluded house in Lake Tahoe where they should never be found, unless there is a leak inside the organization. The final three rounds featuring several incredibly intense battles, an attack by vicious bats and a frightening revelation are very good religious/suspense/action/horror stuff.
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