In addition to creating the astonishingly popular Star Trek television series, Gene Roddenberry also penned this surprisingly good made-for-TV supernatural horror flick. Centered on the activities of a lecherous demon and the dauntless criminologist/oculist employed to stop him, Spectre weaves together a tale of ancient Coptic texts, druid priests, orgy cults, and a voodoo curse; an intoxicating amalgam that leads to a fiery good-versus-evil showdown, replete with gigantic lizard creature.
Despite its seemingly hokey storyline, Spectre is a consistently engrossing and thought-provoking film, buoyed in large part by the terrifically exaggerated performance of Robert Culp as the brazen hero, and a richly detailed plot swimming in demonic specifics. While it may not have elicited the extended series potential of Roddenberry’s Star Trek idea, Spectre works quite well as a stand-alone movie, a wonderful example of a gifted writer of the fantastic at work.
by Thomas Scalzo | Source: Fox Movie Channel Broadcast
14 Jan 2005 8:29 PM | Submit Comment