An impressive cast headlines a very elusive, mind-boggling psychological thriller about a deeply mentally troubled young man, Alex(Christopher Denham)who believes beasts are killing anyone he comes in direct physical contact with. His intellect is growing as he gains other abilities such as his unique ability to see things that happen to other people. He can simply skim through a book, for an example, and know every word by memory. He has knowledge of things such as chess which confound him. It seems all this started when he met a talented chess player in Central Park named Harry(Erick Kastel). He tries to confide with others around him about what is happening(..and the beast that almost kills him in his closet)such as a psychologist named Dr. Karen Murphy(the still very beautiful Olivia Hussey of ROMEO & JULIET and BLACK Christmas fame)trying to help him and two friends who he has peeped on during having sex. Karen sends Alex to a once-respected doctor,(Mark Margolis) blacklisted for proclaiming outlandish things their field found too wild and unbelievable to stand behind. Boris, who had seen "links" like Alex in Moscow, informs him that he sees what others don't..these beasts can use links to the outside world because of a certain part of the brain only certain humans can use. Alex tries going to a priest,(played by Udo Kier!)for solace and even there in the church during their meeting the beast shows itself. A doctor, Ira Gold(William Atherton)wished to examine Alex at the start of the film when he fell unconscious(..he seems quite healthy except for his exceptionally high Attention Deficit Disorder)and is killed by what appears to be a monster. Two chess players who Alex met at the park near Harry also are killed in a public bathroom from what appeared to be a monster.
At the beginning, we see two young boys experiencing a birthday party where their mother(Sean Young)bleeds from the nose. Later, we see a seemingly possessed mother with evil eyes and a nasty growl on the prowl for her family. The father(Larry Fessenden, the director of WENDIGO and the vampire flick HABIT)has to defend himself and shoots her with his shotgun. He later sends the boys off to foster care insisting that they are separated. This may very well be why the strange occurrences start happening when Alex meets Harry, as we later discover that the two are more "linked" than they realize.
All this I have mentioned above could be part of a warped, disturbed mind. The very opening shows blood trickling down Alex's legs as his hair appears in a frizzy frenzy. This could signify that he himself was committing all the murders instead of the beasts. I'm not quite sure, however, because the film won't give us a definite answer. The ending leaves you wondering what the hell is going on. I'm afraid the narrative becomes so chaotic, I was wondering if the madness we see is purposed to create doubt in our minds regarding Alex's sanity or that he just sees what others without his gifts don't.
Dee Wallace has a small role as a doctor attending to Alex's physical condition. I will say that this flick is quite the mindscrew.
At the beginning, we see two young boys experiencing a birthday party where their mother(Sean Young)bleeds from the nose. Later, we see a seemingly possessed mother with evil eyes and a nasty growl on the prowl for her family. The father(Larry Fessenden, the director of WENDIGO and the vampire flick HABIT)has to defend himself and shoots her with his shotgun. He later sends the boys off to foster care insisting that they are separated. This may very well be why the strange occurrences start happening when Alex meets Harry, as we later discover that the two are more "linked" than they realize.
All this I have mentioned above could be part of a warped, disturbed mind. The very opening shows blood trickling down Alex's legs as his hair appears in a frizzy frenzy. This could signify that he himself was committing all the murders instead of the beasts. I'm not quite sure, however, because the film won't give us a definite answer. The ending leaves you wondering what the hell is going on. I'm afraid the narrative becomes so chaotic, I was wondering if the madness we see is purposed to create doubt in our minds regarding Alex's sanity or that he just sees what others without his gifts don't.
Dee Wallace has a small role as a doctor attending to Alex's physical condition. I will say that this flick is quite the mindscrew.