Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

azathothpwiggins Dr. Yale Carrington (Lloyd Bridges), his wife Maggie (Pat Crowley), and their daughter, Cindy (Eve Plumb) begin being stalked by chronic gum-chewing Rapist / murderer, Teddy Jakes (William Watson). After seven years, Jakes has gotten out of prison, where Dr. Carrington helped to put him. Jakes is now hellbent to avenge this delay in his pursuit of the criminal lifestyle. Of course, the law can't touch him, and the Carrington's must find a way to survive. Ominous acts start right away, making it all too clear that Jakes is serious. He also makes sure to do little things that are creepy, but not illegal. As Jakes' attacks escalate, can anything be done to stop this madman? A made-for-TV remake of CAPE FEAR (w/ some added twists and turns), THE FORCE OF EVIL has loads of suspense, along w/ an effective atmosphere of lurking dread. It always feels like Jakes could strike at any moment! Jakes himself is pretty scary, in a ruthless, unpredictable way. Watson plays him w/ gleeful menace. Bridges plays the regular person, pushed to do whatever it takes to protect his family and himself. Originally a part of TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, this movie fits right in w/ that series. EXTRA POINTS FOR: The "special delivery" scene! Eve Plumb fans rejoice! She's in more than a few scenes, and she's good!...

lost-in-limbo Talk about being baffled, as I popped the tape in the player and I sat down to watch this movie with the opening credits blaring with the title of Quinn Martin's 'Tales of the Unexpected'. Huh… that was unexpected and then the title 'Force of Evil' appeared. Phew. I knew I was going to watch a made for TV movie, but I didn't entirely know it was originally apart of a series which would have narrator William Conrad opening and closing the feature. I don't know what happened with this TV series, but this entry 'Force of Evil' was a captivating experience despite being almost a rehash up until the end involving a houseboat of the 1962 dark thriller 'Cape Fear'. If you can look pass that, you get a tight, lingering and menacingly solid thriller with excellent performances by the reliably classy Lloyd Bridges, Pat Crowley, John Anderson and a magnetically dominating William Watson as the terrifying ex-con Teddy Jakes who was convicted for the rape-murder of a girl seven years ago is now on parole seeking torturous revenge on Dr. Yale Carrington and his family.Despite its plain look (well it's for TV); it's exceptionally presented and suspenseful even when the action is low-key. This clever character drama with an almost supernatural twist(?) to certain plot details (mainly that head-scratching end to the climax), is slow burn with its tit for tat between the doctor and con. This guy won't go away, and leaves the moral question of going beyond to protect love ones even though it means entering their frame of mind. There's a genuine feel to it, and the relationships and turmoil are committed in the way they are brought across. Going against it, is the predictable layout and some problems with pockets of stodgy pacing. Nonetheless director Richard Lang's sturdy approach makes good use of the vast rural dust-bowl locations and infuses some hauntingly harrowing images with an eerily high-pitched score.A sure-footed family in peril thriller with a larger-than-life villainous performance.

gordonl56 This is starting to become a bad habit. I keep putting films back to the bottom of the "to watch" pile just because of the title. This one had made it to the top 3-4 times before i finally broke down and threw in the player. What do i find but a television remake of CAPE FEAR. And a not bad knockoff at that. The makers make a few minor changes but keep most of the story intact. In this one we have Lloyd Bridges in the Greg Peck role, Pat Crowley as the wife, Eve Plumb as the daughter, John Anderson as the police chief and William Waston in Mitchum's bit. Watson might not ring any bells but you would know him if you saw him. He did lots of series in the 70's as a heavy, gunman type. Not expecting much from the film it took me a bit to clue in to what it really was, a remake of Cape Fear. Then it got real interesting real fast. The film is rather nasty and violent for a TV film. Bridges and Crowley are good but Watson shines in an excellent take on Mitchum. Being a Quinn Martin film we of course have William Conrad as the opening narrator. This was the pilot for a failed series called TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED. The director was Richard Lang who worked on some "HARRY O" episodes and a TV remake of Dark Mirror. A good little film and a nice way to spend an evening in front of the boob tube.

rat_man61 This was actually a pilot for the short lived, but very effective "Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected." It's sad that no one seems to rebroadcast this series. William Conrad provided the narration for the movie pilot and the series. The series had one of the creepiest and visually scary introductions that I ever have seen. It puts you in mind of the intro for the 80s version of the Twilight Zone series.You could pretty much sum this movie up as a supernatural version of Cape Fear. The actor who played the angry ex-con was an effective character actor who did a lot of work during the 70s. He showed up a lot on shows such as Cannon as a heavy. Bridges and the rest of the cast do good jobs as the family living in fear of this man with a serious grudge. I hope Sci-Fi or someone will reshow both this movie and the series.