Husband and father Bradford Dillman has an important briefcase full of documents switched on purpose by a vengeful woman hoping to lure him into her basement trap; that lady is none other than Shelley Winters, once again showing her mettle as a forceful, off-balanced foe. Well-made TV-movie isn't the straightforward thriller it may first appear to be. The missing man's wife, who is 'sensitive' to psychic vibrations, consults with a professional mind-reader to locate her husband (after the police department proves to be indifferent, natch). It all leads to a somewhat strenuous conclusion that piles up both bodies and improbabilities. Winters, however, is a villainess to contend with right up to the end; she pulls off some creepy dramatic scenes without going too far over the top (Kathy Bates might have studied this performance before "Misery"). Interesting work from the entire cast, particularly Carol Rossen, a real wild card as Dillman's spouse (you can't quite get a reading on her, which works for the role). Joseph Stefano adapted his teleplay from a novel by Elizabeth Davis, which doesn't bear close scrutiny. Dominic Frontiere composed the eerie music; talented John Alonzo was the cinematographer.
12 Reviews
Feeling the vibration
Chase_Witherspoon31 August 2023
Very basic thriller is a modest time-filler at best, with businessman Dillman incarcerated by unhinged Winters, avenging the death of her daughter for which she believes Dillman is vicariously responsible. Texturing the otherwise superficial plot is Rossen as Dillman's faithful wife whose premonitions brings her into contact with self-described clairvoyant Whitman, the two forming a somewhat symbiotic alliance hoping to discover Dillman's whereabouts.
Winters is suitably grieved but doesn't have enough material to showcase her talent, whilst Dillman as her unwitting victim is surprisingly insensitive toward her plight especially given his predicament. Does this behaviour implicate him? You'll have to wait to find out.
Whitman and the real star - Rossen - have possibly the best characters, but they're 'discovery' (and more importantly the plot device which gets them there) is just a little too contrived to really satisfy. Despite the plot weaknesses the cast has some depth, and it's good to see TV veterans Roger Perry and Gary Clarke in minor roles, and General Hospital alumni Lesley Charleson also featuring in the second act.
At just over an hour run-time it's compact and might've even served as a pilot for a subsequent psychic /medium type show; then again with a bigger budget and a few more plot twists it could also become a decent big screen thriller. Missed opportunities aside, it remains a watchable if not altogether logical minor thriller, featuring a contemporary A-list cast and some modest tension to keep a casual armchair sleuth mildly entertained.
Winters is suitably grieved but doesn't have enough material to showcase her talent, whilst Dillman as her unwitting victim is surprisingly insensitive toward her plight especially given his predicament. Does this behaviour implicate him? You'll have to wait to find out.
Whitman and the real star - Rossen - have possibly the best characters, but they're 'discovery' (and more importantly the plot device which gets them there) is just a little too contrived to really satisfy. Despite the plot weaknesses the cast has some depth, and it's good to see TV veterans Roger Perry and Gary Clarke in minor roles, and General Hospital alumni Lesley Charleson also featuring in the second act.
At just over an hour run-time it's compact and might've even served as a pilot for a subsequent psychic /medium type show; then again with a bigger budget and a few more plot twists it could also become a decent big screen thriller. Missed opportunities aside, it remains a watchable if not altogether logical minor thriller, featuring a contemporary A-list cast and some modest tension to keep a casual armchair sleuth mildly entertained.
Shelley Winters at her most overbearing and most irresistible!!!!!
verna5529 September 2000
I love Shelley Winters!!!!! I couldn't care less what anyone says. Some people ridicule her, but the fact is Shelley Winters is one of the most gifted and delightful actresses working in films today. How can you ridicule someone who has won two Academy Awards and has received two Oscar nominations besides that? If you're a bona-fide Shelley fan like I am, this is the flick for you! Shelley is an obsessive mother who avenges her daughter's rape by imprisoning the man she suspects of the dirty deed in a cage in her basement. Sound far-fetched? Nothing's impossible when Shelley's in charge, and this is her vehicle all the way, and be assured she gets all the mileage out of it she possibly can. Sure, you've seen this type of story before, but you've never seen it the way Shelley does it!
Imagining Shelley Winters as Carrie's mother.
mark.waltz10 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
But instead, she's holding the man hostage whom she believes impregnated her daughter, rejected her call for help when she told him that she was pregnant and then committed suicide. Winters seems to be playing a religious freak, cursing Bradford Dillman out at every turn as she keeps him locked in a cage in her basement. Shelley is fascinating to watch, an intense method actress who takes every action seriously as her character gets more and more demented. Dillman's partner (Stuart Whitman), wife (Carol Ann Rosen) and her friend (Leslie Charleson) try their best to find out what happened to him, with Charleson taking Rossen to see a "clairvoyant". Rossen seems intent on emulating Winters' performance, the wrong choice to make. Charleson, "General Hospital's" Dr. Monica Quartermaine for 40 years, is much more relaxed, reminding me of a young Farrah. Refreshingly short, this is one of several memorable TV "hag horror" movies of the week (and one of several made with Shelley) is fun, a bit spooky, and when Winters is on screen, mesmerizing.
E.S.P. and a lot of B.S.
mls418230 December 2021
I dug up this 1971 TV movie expecting to see the great Shelley Winters in a trashy, campy, bad 1970s TV movie. What a disappointment. It stunk.
Thin plot dragged out paper thin. No believable or likeable cgaracters. No scary and hateful ones either. A complete waste.
Thin plot dragged out paper thin. No believable or likeable cgaracters. No scary and hateful ones either. A complete waste.
Shelley Winters played a crazed lady?! What a surprise!!
planktonrules3 March 2017
In the early 70s, Shelley Winters re-made her self and her film career. Too old for parts she had in the 40s and 50s, now she discovered a new niche...playing people who were absolutely unhinged! I can't think of another actress with a similar string of such films except, perhaps, for Joan Crawford. In "Bloody Mama", she played a crazed Ma Barker type gangster. In "What's the Matter With Helen?", she played a dangerous psychotic mother. In "Who Slew Auntie Roo?" she plays a person who kids think is a murderer...so they decide to kill her! And, in "The Devil's Daughter" she's the leader of a Satanic coven!! Clearly, she was on a roll!! So, it's not at all surprising she'd also make "Revenge!".
"Revenge!" begins with a businessman, Frank (Bradford Dillman) receiving a phone call. Apparently his briefcase and another person's got switched so he leaves the meet the lady who called. The 'lady' happens to be Amanda (Shelley Winters) and Amanda has an ulterior motive....revenge. She soon attacks Frank with a fireplace poker and when he awakens, he finds he's the prisoner of this odd woman. And, she eventually informs him she's done this for revenge to what he did to her daughter...but Frank has no idea who the daughter was and insists he did nothing.
In the meantime, Frank's wife is worried...and frustrated because it doesn't seem like there's much of anything the police can do. A friend suggests they consult a psychic and they soon meet with Mark (Stuart Whitman). Can they find Frank before it's too late...especially when Mark himself admits that his act is just a gimmick?!
One thing I loved about this film is that although it involves a psychic, it also tells you how such folks do cold readings. In other words, how it's all a trick based on well educated guesses. This will no doubt alienate some viewers--folks who have confidence in psychics. Another thing I loved is Winters. She simply was wonderful playing crazed psychotic-types!! And, I admire her not only for taking the roles but really embracing them!! Overall, well worth seeing and campy fun.
"Revenge!" begins with a businessman, Frank (Bradford Dillman) receiving a phone call. Apparently his briefcase and another person's got switched so he leaves the meet the lady who called. The 'lady' happens to be Amanda (Shelley Winters) and Amanda has an ulterior motive....revenge. She soon attacks Frank with a fireplace poker and when he awakens, he finds he's the prisoner of this odd woman. And, she eventually informs him she's done this for revenge to what he did to her daughter...but Frank has no idea who the daughter was and insists he did nothing.
In the meantime, Frank's wife is worried...and frustrated because it doesn't seem like there's much of anything the police can do. A friend suggests they consult a psychic and they soon meet with Mark (Stuart Whitman). Can they find Frank before it's too late...especially when Mark himself admits that his act is just a gimmick?!
One thing I loved about this film is that although it involves a psychic, it also tells you how such folks do cold readings. In other words, how it's all a trick based on well educated guesses. This will no doubt alienate some viewers--folks who have confidence in psychics. Another thing I loved is Winters. She simply was wonderful playing crazed psychotic-types!! And, I admire her not only for taking the roles but really embracing them!! Overall, well worth seeing and campy fun.
NICE CRAFTY MOVIE! VERY INTERESTING!
movieboy-1217 July 2001
REVENGE is a beautiful TV film that stays with you even after you watch it. It's a decent film written by Joseph Stefano the creative genius behind Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO and the slasher TV film HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. It's a great little rarity that I have and I am glad that I have this film.
SUMMARY: Frank Klaner (Bradford Dillman) loses his briefcase at his place of work. Amanda Hilton (Shelley Winters) phones Mr. Klaner, telling him she has his briefcase and can pick it up at her home. He goes late night to her home, where he is knocked out and locked in a cage in the woman's basement. Dianne Klaner (Carol Eve Rossner), the man's wife calls the police and has them investigate. But why is Frank locked up? What has he done? Can the police find him before it is too late?
I love the setting in the disgusting, dark basement. I really love this movie. The acting is great, especially from Winters and Dillman who have a wonderful relationship onscreen. Winters is terribly menacing and that's what makes the film memorable. RECOMMENDATION: A Taste of Evil (1971) (TV) which stars Barbara Stanwyck. **** stars, 10/10. SEE THIS MOVIE IF THE CHANCE COMES UP!!!!!!
SUMMARY: Frank Klaner (Bradford Dillman) loses his briefcase at his place of work. Amanda Hilton (Shelley Winters) phones Mr. Klaner, telling him she has his briefcase and can pick it up at her home. He goes late night to her home, where he is knocked out and locked in a cage in the woman's basement. Dianne Klaner (Carol Eve Rossner), the man's wife calls the police and has them investigate. But why is Frank locked up? What has he done? Can the police find him before it is too late?
I love the setting in the disgusting, dark basement. I really love this movie. The acting is great, especially from Winters and Dillman who have a wonderful relationship onscreen. Winters is terribly menacing and that's what makes the film memorable. RECOMMENDATION: A Taste of Evil (1971) (TV) which stars Barbara Stanwyck. **** stars, 10/10. SEE THIS MOVIE IF THE CHANCE COMES UP!!!!!!
Excellent movie - should be re-made today
dave-159919 March 2005
I saw this movie a few years ago and thought it was one of the most clever psychic / thriller / psycho movies I'd ever seen. I wish it was available on DVD / VHS or was on TNT.
Shelly Winters's daughter commits suicide after a guy breaks her heart. Shelly kidnaps the guy so as to take revenge. The guy's wife finds him via ESP and working with a fake psyhcic who comes to believe that ESP is real. Many other clever twists and a generally very cool movie (the guy Shelly kidnapped isn't the one who broke her daughter's heart, and......well I don't wanna ruin it). Great flick! Should be remade today with Kathy Bates (Dolores Claiborne) in the lead role, Kevin Costner as Frank Tanner - would be a blockbuster!
Shelly Winters's daughter commits suicide after a guy breaks her heart. Shelly kidnaps the guy so as to take revenge. The guy's wife finds him via ESP and working with a fake psyhcic who comes to believe that ESP is real. Many other clever twists and a generally very cool movie (the guy Shelly kidnapped isn't the one who broke her daughter's heart, and......well I don't wanna ruin it). Great flick! Should be remade today with Kathy Bates (Dolores Claiborne) in the lead role, Kevin Costner as Frank Tanner - would be a blockbuster!
Revenge
Toronto8524 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Revenge is a good little ABC made for TV movie of the week starring Shelley Winters. It begins with a woman (Winters) stealing a businessman's briefcase. The man named Mark Hembric meets up with Amanda Hilton (Winters) at her home in order to retrieve the case, but she has bigger plans for him. She knocks him out and locks him in a cage down in the basement. We soon find out that she's locked him up because she believes he had an affair with her daughter, got her pregnant and then told her to get an abortion. The young girl killed herself shortly after that.
Mark's wife Dianne approaches a psychic to find out where her husband has gone. They end up at the house where Mark is being held. Dianne begins to have psychic feelings of her own and believes that Mark is the house somewhere. All of this leads to a surprisingly satisfying ending in which Dianne and the psychic stop Amanda from killing them all.
There is a very dark and creepy feeling to the movie. Shelly Winters plays the role of the "crazy woman" brilliantly as always. Revenge is impossible to find in stores or for online purchase, I watched it online - probably the only way to see it. But this is a must see for fans of suspenseful seventies Made-For-TV movies.
8/10
Mark's wife Dianne approaches a psychic to find out where her husband has gone. They end up at the house where Mark is being held. Dianne begins to have psychic feelings of her own and believes that Mark is the house somewhere. All of this leads to a surprisingly satisfying ending in which Dianne and the psychic stop Amanda from killing them all.
There is a very dark and creepy feeling to the movie. Shelly Winters plays the role of the "crazy woman" brilliantly as always. Revenge is impossible to find in stores or for online purchase, I watched it online - probably the only way to see it. But this is a must see for fans of suspenseful seventies Made-For-TV movies.
8/10
The same scheme, nearly the same plot.
searchanddestroy-118 October 2009
I will not add anything to the comments made by the other users. This feature is very efficient and the actors great for a TV product, especially Shelley Winters. She was, one of the most known Actor's Studio's former student. Jud Taylor is a specialized director for TVMs. I spent 75 minutes in a unforgettable way. Good film indeed. And I will only say that it reminds me a french movie, made two years later: Pierre Granier Deferre's LA CAGE - "THE CAGE" - in which a woman - I don't remember her name - gets Lino Ventura trapped in the basement of her house. I don't remember why. But that's not important.
I don't think there are so many movies with this very topic.
That's all, folks.
I don't think there are so many movies with this very topic.
That's all, folks.
Revenge!
BandSAboutMovies13 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Amanda Hilton (Shelley Winters) is lost. Her daughter committed suicide after an affair come wrong and the only happiness she can find lies in torturing Frank Klaner (Bradford Dillman), a man who she thinks is behind the death of her child, a man who she now has inside a cage in her basement.
Based on the novel There Was an Old Woman by Elizabeth Davis, this made for TV movie was directed by Jud Taylor and written by Joseph Stefano, who wrote the screenplay for Psycho. The same novel was made into Inn of the Frightened People, which has Joan Collins in it.
Frank's wife Dianne (Carol Eve Rossen)has hired Mark Hembric (Stuart Whitman), who may be a psychic. He may not. Hey, Frank may be guilty of the crime, too. You know how the 70s work. Things are quite ambiguous. But guess what? Dianne really does have mental powers!
Look - the world needs more movies where Shelley Winters serves drug-filled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and threatens businessmen with an axe while screaming at the highest of registers.
It's 71 minutes long. It would have been three hours on the CBS Late Night Movie.
Based on the novel There Was an Old Woman by Elizabeth Davis, this made for TV movie was directed by Jud Taylor and written by Joseph Stefano, who wrote the screenplay for Psycho. The same novel was made into Inn of the Frightened People, which has Joan Collins in it.
Frank's wife Dianne (Carol Eve Rossen)has hired Mark Hembric (Stuart Whitman), who may be a psychic. He may not. Hey, Frank may be guilty of the crime, too. You know how the 70s work. Things are quite ambiguous. But guess what? Dianne really does have mental powers!
Look - the world needs more movies where Shelley Winters serves drug-filled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and threatens businessmen with an axe while screaming at the highest of registers.
It's 71 minutes long. It would have been three hours on the CBS Late Night Movie.
"A Mouse Ran Across Your Grave!"...
azathothpwiggins12 October 2022
In REVENGE!, a seeming mix-up leads to a man (Bradford Dillman) being imprisoned in the dungeon-like basement of a woman (Shelley Winters). The man's wife (Carol Eve Rossen) grows increasingly concerned, eventually consulting a psychic (Stuart Whitman) for assistance.
This is an effective made-for-TV horror-thriller. It's a story of abduction with a paranormal twist. The action switches back and forth between the plight of Dillman's character and his wife's search for him. The suspense builds slowly until reaching the frenzied finale.
Ms. Winters is at her unhinged best, rivaling the magnificently macabre roles she played in her films for Director Curtis Harrington. She plays this vengeful psychopath with gusto, yet allows for some moments of poignancy...
This is an effective made-for-TV horror-thriller. It's a story of abduction with a paranormal twist. The action switches back and forth between the plight of Dillman's character and his wife's search for him. The suspense builds slowly until reaching the frenzied finale.
Ms. Winters is at her unhinged best, rivaling the magnificently macabre roles she played in her films for Director Curtis Harrington. She plays this vengeful psychopath with gusto, yet allows for some moments of poignancy...
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