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DVD : The Norliss Tapes |
- The Norliss Tapes and the Supernatural 70'sIn the wake of Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist, films of supernatural horror were in abundance in the 70's. Made-for-TV-movies were no exception. The Norliss Tapes was one of these films, an often forgotten and overlooked example of the genre. Starring Roy Thinnes (of The Invaders t.v. series), no stranger to television or the occult/supernatural film-"Satan's School for Girls", and "Black Noon" being two such t.v. movies of the 70's. While the plot in The Norliss Tapes may be a little thin, the film is held together by Thinnes' solid, down-to-earth presence as a professional investigator (a debunker, actually) of claims of the paranormal and supernatural. But when he meets Mrs. Cord(Angie Dickinson) and hears her tale of ressurection of the dead and the occult, his disbelief soon gives way to belief. A fun film for fans of 70's supernatural films and Roy Thinnes. Produced by Dan Curtis (The Night Stalker, Burnt Offerings)
Rating:
- Very Entertaining. Great role for Roy Thinnes and Angie Dickinson.A must have for fans of the Dan Curtis brand of story-telling. An eerie tale that should have spun-off into a regular series. Roy Thinnes is great as always and is ably supported by Don Porter, Claude Akins and Angie Dickinson. Superb print. Buy It!
Rating:
- Good for Roy Thinnes and Angie Dickinson fans"The Night Stalker" with Darren McGavin was a brilliant, one of a kind comedy-thriller. The great McGavin hit his peak with that film, as Las Vegas reporter Carl Kolchak.
The original title of "The Night Stalker" was "The Kolchak Tapes". Darren McGavin apparently didn't want to work with producer Dan Curtis on a series version of "The Night Stalker". McGavin's own production company finally made the resulting series.
Since McGavin shut him out of making a series of "The Night Stalker", Dan Curtis redid the same premise with "The Norliss Tapes". Except he left out the humor.
Roy Thinnes was a hot property after giving three fine series lead performances: "The Long, Hot Summer", "The Invaders" and "The Psychiatrist".
"The Norliss Tapes" must have been a very expensive TV movie. The production values were first rate, with impressive on location shooting in San Franciso and Big Sur. The film had a much richer look than most TV movies of the period. Dan Curtis' direction had some unusual, quirky touches. Everybody tried hard with this pilot.
David Norliss must have been a very successful journalist, based on his magnificent San Franciso home, his expensive sports car and his stylish clothes. But he is now a terrified loner who has disappeared into thin air. Thinnes gave a good, stylized performance as the very serious journalist, who pretty much functions as a private eye.
Don Porter ("The Candidate", "Private Secretary") would have been the other series regular as David's publisher, who listens to tapes David had recorded for a pending book. The tapes are all that remains of David.
Angie Dickinson gave a warm, natural performance as a woman whose dead husband doesn't want to stay dead. Unfortunately, David Norliss was so serious that there was no romantic or sexual tension between him and Angie. David even called Angie Mrs. Cort. When David suggests Angie live temporarilly at the Inn where he is staying, she knows he has no ulterior motive. He is only concerned about her safety. This was the most unbelievable part of the film. I wonder if Carl Kochak would have been so gentlemanly.
Claude Akins was funny as a dense sheriff, as he had been in "The Night Stalker".
Hurd Hatfield ("The Picture of Dorian Grey") and sexy Michele Carey were intriguing in supporting roles.
If I was NBC, I don't know whether I would have bought this series. It would have been a close call. It might have been good as a segment of their "Wednesday Mystery Movie", which is where it originally aired. I enjoyed this dvd after seeing the original over thirty years ago. The quality of the picture was excellent. I am a big Roy Thinnes and Angie Dickinson fan, so I had a good time.
Rating:
- Not one of Dan Curtis's Best MoviesWell lets just that this movie was "OK" and thats it. It isn't one of Dan Curtis's best movies thats for sure. However, this movie is just that..average and sometimes dull. The vampire looks more like a "zombie" and any movie that needs narrating isn't that good. I guess the high rating made this "high rated" because it took so long to get it on DVD, but, other than that, its an average movie thats a rental..no more..no less.
Rating:
- "Tonight On The A.B.C. Tuesday Movie Of The Week!" Part 2This is one that I have been looking for a very long time. It was one of the better forays into horror that T.V. movies of the 70's frequently did at that point(1973 to be exact) and brought to us by Dan (The Night Stalker,Dark Shadows) and it still holds up well, If not as good as those.
Norliss(Roy Thinnes,good as always) is looking to prove psychic things and the supernatural are just a load of junk. As the movie starts Norliss is missing and his Boss finds these tapes he has left behind about what he found while looking into the case of James Court an artist that just died and has been seen by his wife still in his studio.
What follows is a tale of many different types of vampires, demons, and evil. This is very well done and acted. The whole cast is made up of some of the 70's best T.V. actors and the script is very literate and uses vampire lore that we don't hear that much about.
This one is also not one for the younger kids in the house. Even for a 70's T.V. movie it is still very intense. A real Blast From The Past.
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