Ex-Army man with a wife and two teenagers constantly relocates his family from town to town, eventually landing in Wyoming in 1981; there, his kids finally snap after suffering years of his mental, verbal and physical abuse. Once 1984's "The Burning Bed" was telecast to huge ratings, the hot topic for TV movies-of-the-week became abuse (spousal, familial or otherwise)--and if the story could be based upon a true incident, so much the better. This dramatization of events which happened to the real-life Jahnke family is well-acted by a solid cast, firmly directed by TV veteran John Erman, yet it has a faint whiff of exploitation (evident from the film's title). The bullying, some might say psychotic father (played with a convincing angry swagger by Frederic Forrest) has a hair-trigger temper, hates outsiders and has guns all over the house; he belittles his boy, beats up on his wife and has turned his daughter into a mass of insecurities. Viewers are asked to decide if the kids had the right to take his life. Dark subject matter with hard-hitting scenes could be a discussion-starter about such legal issues, although the final coda clears implies there are no winners here.

I seen this movie when it first aired years ago and I have always wondered about Richard and Deborah and how they are doing and where they are now. When I first saw this movie my heart went out to them both....I ,if I were a juror then,could not have sent them to jail. Does anyone know how they are doing? I have searched the internet and cannot as of yet find any information.I have never forgotten these poor kids. If anyone has any info,I would greatly appreciate it. I know that they are in their early 40's at present and I hope they are free and having a good productive life after growing up in such an abusive household. Thanks so much!

I was a senior in high school when this movie came on tv. I really enjoyed it and it showed Justine Bateman in rare form (totally different from her role in Family Ties). It sort of reminded me of the days when my parents were really strict(about going to prom, dances, parties,etc), but this movie takes the cake. Dysfunction at its worse. I highly recommend this movie if you can find it.

This film was not what I usually watch. I am into Sci-Fi and Horror mainly so when I started watching this one night I didn't expect to stay with it until the end. I'm glad I did. I now have it on video.The story is based on true events involving a violent Husband and Father who inflicts physical and mental abuse on his wife and children for what he sees as their weaknesses and failings. The family move around the country quite often and each time they hope it will be a new beginning. Because of the regular moves nobody outside the family ever notices that anything is wrong. So after this last move, to the middle of nowhere and when the violence gets more serious what should they do?The acting from all the main characters is excellent, the film relies upon the performance of these actor's portrayal of the abuse and how it effects them. You will not see many more compelling films than this one and unless you like only Sci-Fi and Horror to the total exclusion of everything else then you will enjoy this film.