This TV movie, or should I say pilot episode, has the look and feel of your average 1970s cop show rather than something more like the Twilight Zone (which I was under the impression it was something like Twilight Zone).I love a lot of the 1970s made for TV movies because they had some good one back then - of course there were some bad ones too and this movie I would put in the latter category.I just could not get into this one. I like Lloyd Bridges and the other actors are fine too but the overall look and feel really messed up what should have been an eerie atmosphere. Instead, we have cold, sterile looking 1970s police show - and that is not "me".I'm not saying this is an awful film, I'm only saying I could not get into it like I was hoped to do.2/10

Flagrant (and uncredited) rewrite of "Cape Fear", originally made for the "Tales of the Unexpected" TV series, has paroled rapist-killer stalking an affluent surgeon and his family, whom he blames for his guilty verdict and seven-year stretch behind bars (why William Watson's psychopath wants revenge on this particular surgeon isn't made entirely clear). Lloyd Bridges keeps a cool head in the Gregory Peck role, while Watson (in a cowboy hat and shades, menacingly chewing gum) has the showier part originally played by Robert Mitchum. Producer Quinn Martin's work for television wasn't in the same league as, say, Aaron Spelling's. He was, however, capable of assembling decent second-string acting talent, and he doesn't skimp on the production. This melodrama is mounted with suspenseful precision...but it was all unpleasant enough the first time around.

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.

This was produced back in the late 70's, back when they still made suspense movies for TV that were entertaining (remember the 90-min. ABC movies of the early 70's? This film is in a similar vein but better). Like others have said, this is one that you remember all through the years if you originally saw it as a kid or teen. It had some pretty memorable shock scenes for it's time and especially for television. It also features very good performances from the actors: Lloyd Bridges, William Watson as the bitter ex-con Teddy Jakes, and veteran character actor John Anderson as Lloyd's brother & sheriff trying to find ways to catch Jakes before he hurts Bridge's family. I found this on VHS back in the early 90's but I'm sure it's out of print now - I'm glad I picked it up when it was available because it's almost as good now as it was 27 years ago. Hopefully, a re-make of this will be produced at some point down the road, although the plot is quite similar to "Cape Fear".