Classic Horrors Club

Chances are unlikely you’d remember an NBC television series called, Tales of the Unexpected. Produced by Quinn Martin, it was a weekly anthology of horror and science fiction stories. However, premiering on February 2, 1997, and airing against ABC’s hit shows, Charlie’s Angels and Baretta, it lasted only eight episodes before being cancelled.

The episodes were an hour long, except for one two-hour “special,” The Force of Evil, which found a little life as a standalone 70’s TV movie and was released on VHS by Worldvision. As such, it’s a frustrating effort. What is essentially a remake of the classic film, Cape Fear (1962), The Force of Evil offers some moments that are chilling, but even more that are confounding.

Like other episodes in the series, it opens with narration by William Conrad. He speaks of a spark of the divine in most people that, in some, explodes into pure evil. Our case study is Teddy Jakes (William Watson) who’s been recently released after serving seven years in prison for raping and killing a young girl.

He formerly worked in a hospital crematorium and holds a grudge against one of the doctors, Yale Carrington (Lloyd Bridges) because he wouldn’t lie for him in order to create an alibi. Yale is more afraid of what Teddy might do to his 14-year old daughter, Cindy (Eve Plumb), since she fits the victim profile more than he does himself.

The Force of Evil is a typical stalker story. If you aren’t familiar, Teddy explains it to us in one interaction with Yale. When Yale says, “You enjoy the game, don’t you,” Teddy replies, “I call it hunting. The sport is in the stalk.” He’s also proud of his accomplishments. When he’s reminded that he killed a girl, he adds, “And raped!” as if that part was forgotten.

The plot takes a horrific twist when Yale and his wife, Maggie (Pat Crowley) take matters into their own hands by killing Teddy. To their surprise, he later returns. There’s no outright mention of the supernatural; however, Yale is a doctor, and he’s certain Teddy was dead when they threw him down a well.

Yale’s brother, Floyd (John Anderson), is the sheriff and the siblings have a history of resentment stemming from the fact that Yale became successful and Floyd didn’t. Floyd accuses Yale of not trusting him, but he’s trying. He understandably loses patience, though, when the threat to his family becomes more imminent and it’s clear the law isn’t going to help in time.

Familiar, yet with good acting, The Force of Evil is entertaining. I just couldn’t get past the fact that Yale goes out of town for a conference while his family is in danger. Sure, he thinks Teddy is dead; however, he’s aware that Cindy encountered him after the fact and there’s at least a chance he survived.

SPOILER!

I do, though, like the ending. After Teddy suffers another death, Maggie receives a floral delivery. She had previously received one that contained a severed arm. The frame freezes and William Conrad asks us to identify whether we have the spark of divine or evil in us… whether we believe the box contains flowers, or if it contains “something else.”

You can watch The Force of Evil by visiting @ClassicHorrorsTV on YouTube, then navigating to the TV Terror Guide: 70’s TV Movies playlist.