The Strange And Deadly Occurrence

The Strange and Deadly Occurrence (1974)

Runtime: 73 minutes

Directed by: Jon Llewellyn Moxey

Starring: Robert Stack, Vera Miles, Margaret Willock, L.Q. Jones, Bill McKinney

From: Alpine Productions/Charles Fries Productions

I’m not sure why there’s a German Shepherd named ADOLF but otherwise I can’t really complain about this horror-mystery TV movie I first heard of last night. It’s a long story as to how I tripped over the film then viewed it via YouTube—considering my Internet alternated between “its normal blazin’ fast speed” and “tortoise slow”, if that trend continues for the next few days I’ll have to alter what is on my docket. At least this was an easy SD watch which was only 73 minutes in length and was directed by Tarantino favorite Jon Llewellyn Moxey-someone who did a lot of TV episodes along with motion pictures whether on the big screen or small. His City of the Living Dead is pretty rad and there are some others I’ve heard good things about.

Quite simply, it’s Robert Stack, his wife Vera Miles and teenage daughter moving from Los Angeles to a nice ranch out in the country. Weird events start happening and considering it includes bizarre moaning, POV shots, heavy breathing, pounding noises, and a mannequin seemingly moving around on its own, the supernatural is definitely hinted at although there are human red herrings. There are also gophers and a German Shepherd acquired for protection that for some reason is named Adolf. As this is a deal-breaker for some, the dog does die.

The script certainly could be nitpicked at times; be that as it may, I was still entertained. It has a nice cast-the other familiar faces include L.Q. Jones (who I just discovered passed away just a few months ago) & Bill McKinney-some disturbing dialogue that still fits the parameters of 70’s television, the 1970’s version of “a sick burn”, and it was just a very nice, loving family easy to root for. The inclusion of several genuinely scary scenes meant that awkward title aside, this effort made for NBC was a solid watch.