The strength of "Deadly Whispers" was in the strong character developments, especially the roles of the mother and father, who desperately try to come to terms with their missing teenage daughter.
On the surface, the film was written as a "whodunnit." Once the mystery is revealed at the midpoint of the film, there was the danger that the viewer's interest would wane. But the tension is sustained especially well by the mother character played by Pamela Reed. Ving Rhames is also good in the role of the police detective.
The filmmakers may have unintentionally stumbled on an important theme about social class in America. There is one line in the film in which the mother described how the Acton family was residing in a tent. The hardscrabble existence tended to disguise the serious mental illness of one of the family members. The excruciating experience with the missing daughter raises the question for Mrs. Acton that she should have seen the signals of disturbance long ago.
For a made-for-television movie, "Deadly Whispers" was well above average. Some of the scenes were so extreme that the film could have lapsed into comedy. But it was kept on track with the steady performances. This was a chilling story that was carefully crafted and filmed with a lens that refracted light in a way that evoked the qualities of a dream...or a nightmare.
On the surface, the film was written as a "whodunnit." Once the mystery is revealed at the midpoint of the film, there was the danger that the viewer's interest would wane. But the tension is sustained especially well by the mother character played by Pamela Reed. Ving Rhames is also good in the role of the police detective.
The filmmakers may have unintentionally stumbled on an important theme about social class in America. There is one line in the film in which the mother described how the Acton family was residing in a tent. The hardscrabble existence tended to disguise the serious mental illness of one of the family members. The excruciating experience with the missing daughter raises the question for Mrs. Acton that she should have seen the signals of disturbance long ago.
For a made-for-television movie, "Deadly Whispers" was well above average. Some of the scenes were so extreme that the film could have lapsed into comedy. But it was kept on track with the steady performances. This was a chilling story that was carefully crafted and filmed with a lens that refracted light in a way that evoked the qualities of a dream...or a nightmare.