...the result would be The Astral Factor. The word "Factor" in the title of any vaguely sci-fi film should tell you all you need to know about the quality (or lack thereof) you are about to be subjected to. This plot-heavy film maintains the feeling of a 1970s TV detective show centered around a constantly distracted (and highly over-acted) hero police lieutenant (Robert Foxworth) in pursuit of an escaped strangler (Roger Sands) who is apparently using astral projection, among various other paranormal methods to kill people who remind him of his mother (who he murdered long ago). The victims are all B-list glamour girls and aging starlets (Elke Sommer provides a typically campy performance and is one of the film's few bright spots), giving the film a predictable luridity characteristic of the decade in which it was made. The film is riddled with irritating cliches, huge ridiculous 1970s detective cars, pretty women who are trying to portray being strangled by an unseen force, mediocre special effects, and completely unnecessary subplots (the lieutenant's absurd but cute romance with his codependent alcoholic girlfriend). Although it doesn't break through the fourth wall at any time, it is impossible to imagine that the film-makers took it very seriously. You shouldn't either.

This movie concerns itself with a young man named "Roger Sands" (Frank Ashmore) who has special mental powers which he uses for his own deranged purposes. For example, at the beginning of the film he happens to see a beautiful young woman and proceeds to follow her into her apartment while he is invisible. He then walks into her bathroom while she is bathing and strangles her to death. Naturally, when her body is discovered this draws the attention of the police chief who assigns a detective named "Lt. Charles Barrett" (Robert Foxworth) and "Sergeant Holt" (Mark Slade) to investigate. Even though they have no idea how the murderer managed to get into the apartment they find a fingerprint belonging to Roger Sands and realize that they have a serial killer on their hands who has unique abilities which they don't quite fully comprehend as of yet. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this movie definitely had some potential but due to a couple of lackluster scenes here and there didn't quite achieve it. It also had several notable actresses to include Stefanie Powers (as "Candy Barrett"), Elke Sommer ("Chris Hartman"), and Leslie Parrish ("Colleen Hudson") but except for Stefanie Powers their performances were rather weak as well. In short, this film should have been much better and because of that I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Science fiction and horror have different standards than other movie genres. Quite often, something that would be considered terrible in another type of film becomes a cult classic. This, however, is not one of those films. It is just plain terrible.I loved the TV show 'Hart to Hart' and thought Stefanie Powers was wonderfully sexy in the style of Agent 99, Diana Peel or McMillan's Wife. She is the closet thing to interesting in this disaster.Robert Foxworth is far from my favorite actor but he is oh so much better than this. It may be caused by a really bad script, bad directing or just not really caring. It is good for all these folks that their future careers did not rest of this film.The special effects are pathetic, which, if the movie had anything else going for it, is not always a major consideration in movies of this era. What little humor there is fails to provide the comic relief for which one would hope. Then again, their is little or no tension from which you need relief.

Ten years after 'Star Trek' and this film features an escaped convict using the 'beam me up Scotty' routine without a teleporter device. Roger Sands (Frank Ashmore) is on the hunt for celebrity starlets who remind him of his mom so that he can practice his strangle holds on them. Roger was kept in isolation by his mother growing up and never got a chance to play nice.On the hunt for the invisible killer is perennial TV movie actor Robert Foxworth, a police lieutenant teamed up with a pen clicking detective (Mark Slade) and a wife who only dresses her upper body (Stefanie Powers). Her standard line when hubby Chuck goes off to do his police work is "Have a nice time".In early scenes when Sands becomes invisible, he does so clothes and all. That's why it's a bit curious during a beach scene when the lieutenant finds Sands' scuba suit discarded following an escape using his powers, an interesting lapse of continuity.The film's original release title is probably a better fit for the story than the one I saw it under - "The Astral Factor". About midway through I began to feel just like Roger Sands commenting to his mother in a flashback scene' "...I just can't do it any more". If anyone recommends getting together to watch this flick, consider making yourself invisible.